Immunolocalization of beclin 1, a bcl-2-binding, autophagy-related protein, in the human ovary: possible relation to life span of corpus luteum
Autor: | María Gaytán, José E. Sánchez-Criado, Concepción Morales, Francisco Gaytan |
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Rok vydání: | 2007 |
Předmět: |
Adult
endocrine system Programmed cell death Histology Ovary Luteal phase Biology Pathology and Forensic Medicine Corpus Luteum Pregnancy Autophagy medicine Homeostasis Humans Menstrual Cycle Climacteric Cell growth Membrane Proteins Cell Biology Middle Aged Cell biology medicine.anatomical_structure Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 Apoptosis Beclin-1 Female Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins Corpus luteum Immunostaining |
Zdroj: | Cell and Tissue Research. 331:509-517 |
ISSN: | 1432-0878 0302-766X |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00441-007-0531-2 |
Popis: | Ovarian tissue homeostasis is maintained by highly regulated cyclic phases of cell proliferation/differentiation and programmed cell death. Compelling evidence indicates that both apoptotic and autophagic types of programmed cell death are involved in the regression of the corpus luteum (CL) in primate species. Beclin 1 is an autophagy-related protein that is involved in the inter-relationships between apoptosis and autophagy, through interaction with the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2. We studied the presence and expression pattern of beclin 1 in the adult human ovary. In ovarian follicles, beclin 1 immunostaining was found in the theca layer, whereas granulosa cells were negative. After ovulation, beclin 1 immunostaining was present in both theca-lutein and granulosa-lutein areas. The expression of beclin 1 in granulosa-lutein cells was related to the functional and structural status of the CL, being strong at the early and mid luteal phases, barely detectable at the late luteal phase, and absent in granulosa-lutein cells in subsequent cycles. Our results indicated that beclin 1 expression was related to luteal cell survival rather than to cell death. Accordingly, persistent beclin 1 expression was found in granulosa-lutein cells under either physiological (i.e., CL of pregnancy) or pathological (irregularly regressing CL in climacteric women) conditions involving prolonged CL life span. Strong beclin 1 immunostaining was also found in ovarian androgen-producing cells (i.e., secondary interstitial and hilus cells). Our data thus suggest that beclin 1 plays important roles in the regulation of the life span of human CL and ovarian androgen-secreting cells, by maintaining autophagy at levels promoting cell survival rather than cell death. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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