NLRP7 is expressed in the ovine ovary and associated with in vitro pre-implantation embryo development

Abstract

NLRP (NACHT, LRR and PYD domain-containing proteins) family plays pivotal roles in mammalian reproduction. Mutation of NLRP7 is often associated with human recurrent hydatidiform moles. Few studies regarding the functions of NLRP7 have been performed in other mammalian species rather than humans. In the current study, for the first time, the function of NLRP7 has been explored in ovine ovary. NLRP7 protein was mainly located in ovarian follicles and in in vitro pre-implantation embryos. To identify its origin, 763 bp partial CDS of NLRP7 deriving from sheep cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) was cloned, it showed a great homology with Homo sapiens. The high levels of mRNA and protein of NLRP7 were steadily expressed in oocytes, parthenogenetic embryos or IVF embryos. NLRP7 knockdown by the combination of siRNA and shRNA jeopardized both the parthenogenetic and IVF embryo development. These results strongly suggest that NLRP7 plays an important role in ovine reproduction. The potential mechanisms of NLRP7 will be fully investigated in the future.

NLRP7 Plays A Functional Role in Regulating BMP4 Signaling During Differentiation of Patient-Derived Trophoblasts

“…Thereby, all of the cells during the first cell fate decision may be directed to the trophoblast fate. In agreement with this, recent studies with in vitro pre-implantation embryos have verified the requirement of NLRP7 for proper embryo development (40,41). Interestingly, NLRP7 was found to be one of the most upregulated genes in embryonic carcinomas, epiblasts and naive pluripotent stem cells along with core stem cell markers, such as; OCT3/4, NANOG (42)(43)(44) in correlation with our results that reprogramming process itself boosts NLRP7 expression and NLRP7 deficient cells tend to lose pluripotency properties when the media is not supplemented with FGF2.…”

Cell‐specific network analysis of human folliculogenesis reveals network rewiring in antral stage oocytes

“…The genes with the highest degree connectivity were NLRP4 , NLRP2 and NLRP11 . The NLRP (nucleotide‐binding oligomerization domain, leucine‐rich repeat and pyrin domain‐containing) gene family has previously been reported to be involved in reproductive functions 10‐12 . Various NLRPs were shown to have stage‐dependent expression level during human pre‐implantation development, 13 and they are duplicated and functionally diversified in mammalian reproductive systems 14‐16 .…”

“…functions. [10][11][12] Various NLRPs were shown to have stage-dependent expression level during human pre-implantation development, 13 and they are duplicated and functionally diversified in mammalian reproductive systems. [14][15][16] Tubulin beta-eight class VIII (TUBB8) is a subtype of β-tubulin that only exists in primates, and mutations in TUBB8 are responsible for human oocyte meiotic arrest.…”

NLRP7 expression associates with patient survival in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

“…NLRP7 has important roles in the female reproductive tract. NLRP7 expression can be detected in the ovine ovary 10 . Mutations, including deletions and missense mutations in NLRP7 are recurrently found in biparentally inherited hydatiform mole, a genetic condition resulting in abnormal pregnancy with no embryo 11,12 .…”