PPP2R2A promotes Hu sheep pituitary cell proliferation and gonadotropin secretion associated with prolificacy

Hui Xu; Yu Cai; Hua Yang; Shanglai Li; Peiyong Chen; Zongyou Wei; Feng Wang; Ziyu Wang; Yanli Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2024.107457

PPP2R2A promotes Hu sheep pituitary cell proliferation and gonadotropin secretion associated with prolificacy

Anim Reprod Sci. 2024 Mar 13:265:107457. doi: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2024.107457. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hui Xu¹, Yu Cai¹, Hua Yang¹, Shanglai Li¹, Peiyong Chen¹, Zongyou Wei², Feng Wang¹, Ziyu Wang³, Yanli Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
² Taicang Animal husbandry and veterinary station, Taicang 215400, China.
³ Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address: wangziyu@njau.edu.cn.
⁴ Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address: zhangyanli@njau.edu.cn.

PMID: 38677100
DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2024.107457

Abstract

The anterior pituitary plays a critical role in the endocrine system, contains gonadotrophs, which regulate reproductive efficiency by secreting follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). PPP2R2A is a serine-threonine phosphatase that regulates reproductive functions in both females and males, its function in pituitary cells remain unclear. Hu sheep is a highly prolific breed, which makes it suitable for studying reproductive mechanisms. In this study, the relative abundances of PPP2R2A mRNA expression were higher in the pituitary of high-prolificacy (HF) Hu sheep compared to those of low-prolificacy (LF) Hu sheep. Additionally, we demonstrated that PPP2R2A promotes pituitary cell proliferation and gonadotropin secretion using the EdU assay and ELISA, respectively. Moreover, it inhibits pituitary cell apoptosis using flow cytometry. Furthermore, PPP2R2A may affect pituitary cell function by regulating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In summary, our findings suggest that PPP2R2A may play a role in regulating pituitary function and influencing the secretion of gonadotropins.

Keywords: AKT/mTOR signaling pathway; Gonadotropins; Hu sheep; PPP2R2A; Pituitary cells.