Analysis of protein-protein interaction network based on transcriptome profiling of ovine granulosa cells identifies candidate genes in cyclic recruitment of ovarian follicles

Reza Talebi; Ahmad Ahmadi; Fazlollah Afraz

doi:10.1186/s40781-018-0171-y

Analysis of protein-protein interaction network based on transcriptome profiling of ovine granulosa cells identifies candidate genes in cyclic recruitment of ovarian follicles

J Anim Sci Technol. 2018 Jun 11:60:11. doi: 10.1186/s40781-018-0171-y. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Reza Talebi¹, Ahmad Ahmadi¹, Fazlollah Afraz²

Affiliations

¹ 1Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
² Department of Livestock and Aquaculture Biotechnology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of North Region, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

After pubertal, cohort of small antral follicles enters to gonadotrophin-sensitive development, called recruited follicles. This study was aimed to identify candidate genes in follicular cyclic recruitment via analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ovine granulosa cells of small antral follicles between follicular and luteal phases were accumulated among gene/protein symbols of the Ensembl annotation. Following directed graphs, PTPN6 and FYN have the highest indegree and outdegree, respectively. Since, these hubs being up-regulated in ovine granulosa cells of small antral follicles during the follicular phase, it represents an accumulation of blood immune cells in follicular phase in comparison with luteal phase. By contrast, the up-regulated hubs in the luteal phase including CDK1, INSRR and TOP2A which stimulated DNA replication and proliferation of granulosa cells, they known as candidate genes of the cyclic recruitment.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Cyclic recruitment; Granulosa cells; Ovarian follicles; Protein–protein interaction network.