Expression profile of the Kisspeptin/Kiss1r system and angiogenic and immunological mediators in the ovary of cyclic and pregnant cats

Molecular Factors Involved in the Reproductive Morphophysiology of Female Domestic Cat (Felis catus)

“…These studies showed that both Kiss1 and Kiss1r are expressed in all ovarian compartments. However, unlike Tanyapanyachon et al [111], Santos et al [23] demonstrated a smaller Kiss1 labeling area in the granulosa cells in preovulatory follicles and little Kiss1r expression in most stages of follicular development. Regarding gene expression, Tanyapanyachon et al [111] showed that KISS1 is reduced in the ovary of diestrus cats, even when lutein cells have high protein expression.…”

“…In domestic cats, its expression was demonstrated in at least four populations of cell bodies in coronal sections: amygdaloid complex, anterior periventricular nucleus, the tubular component of the periventricular nucleus, and the infundibular nucleus, thus also suggesting central physiological functions in this species [109,110]. This expression was also demonstrated in the genital tract of female cats in organs such as the uterus [14,111], ovary [23,111], and placenta [26], suggesting the participation of this peptide in the local physiological regulation of these organs.…”

“…Tanyapanyachon et al [111] and Santos et al [23] also characterized the ovarian expression of kisspeptin and its receptor in domestic cats. These studies showed that both Kiss1 and Kiss1r are expressed in all ovarian compartments.…”

“…Regarding gene expression, Tanyapanyachon et al [111] showed that KISS1 is reduced in the ovary of diestrus cats, even when lutein cells have high protein expression. Santos et al [23], however, evaluated the gene expression in CLs and found that pregnancy increases the luteal expression of KISS1 when compared to the CL of non-pregnant cats, while luteal regression reduces the gene expression of KISS1 and KISS1R. In immunolabeling, mature and regressing CLs express Kiss1 and Kiss1r, and pregnancy also increases the immunolabeling of Kiss1 and Kiss1r in the lutein cells of mature CLs when compared to non-pregnant cats in the diestrus [23].…”

“…Although the morphological changes and clinical signs that occur during the estrous cycle and pregnancy are well known, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in the reproductive physiology of this animal species. Studies conducted in the last decade with domestic cats have shown that several growth, hormonal, immunological, and redox factors are expressed differently in the uterus and ovary throughout the reproductive cycle [14,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25], as well as in the placenta throughout pregnancy [18,19,26,27]. Moreover, these studies show that changes in the expression of some of these factors are involved in the reproductive alterations observed in pyometra [14,[28][29][30] and in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection [31][32][33][34].…”