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Haplotype structure of FSHB, the beta-subunit gene for fertility-associated follicle-stimulating hormone: possible influence of balancing selection.

ABSTRACT: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is essential for human reproduction. The unique functions of this hormone are provided by the FSH receptor-binding beta-subunit encoded by the FSHB gene. Resequencing and genotyping of FSHB in three European, two Asian and one African population, as well as in the great apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan), revealed low diversity and significant excess of polymorphisms with intermediate frequency alleles. Statistical tests for FSHB showed deviations from neutrality in all populations suggesting a possible effect of balancing selection. Two core haplotypes were identified (carried by 76-96.6% of each population's sample), the sequences of which are clearly separated from each other. As fertility most directly affects an organism's fitness, the carriers of these haplotypes have apparently had more success in human history to contribute to the next generation. There is a preliminary observation suggesting that the second most frequent FSHB haplotype may be associated with rapid conception success in females. Interestingly, the same haplotype is related to an ancestral FSHB variant shared with the ancestor of the great apes. The determination of the functional consequence of the two core FSHB variants may have implications for understanding and regulating human fertility, as well as in assisting infertility treatments.

SUBMITTER: Grigorova M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1859982 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Haplotype structure of FSHB, the beta-subunit gene for fertility-associated follicle-stimulating hormone: possible influence of balancing selection.

Grigorova M M Rull K K Laan M M

Annals of human genetics 20070101 Pt 1

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is essential for human reproduction. The unique functions of this hormone are provided by the FSH receptor-binding beta-subunit encoded by the FSHB gene. Resequencing and genotyping of FSHB in three European, two Asian and one African population, as well as in the great apes (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan), revealed low diversity and significant excess of polymorphisms with intermediate frequency alleles. Statistical tests for FSHB showed deviations from neutr ...[more]

PMID: 17227474

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Project description:Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is secreted in brief pulses from the hypothalamus. GnRH regulates follicle-stimulating hormone b-subunit (FSHb) gene expression in pituitary gonadotropes in a frequency-sensitive manner that is central to reproductive physiology. The mechanisms underlying the preferential and paradoxical induction of FSHb by low frequency GnRH pulses are incompletely understood. Here, we identify growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) as a novel autocrine inducer of FSHb gene expression. GDF9 gene expression was preferentially suppressed by high frequency GnRH pulses due to reduced transcription. Exogenous GDF9 induced FSHb mRNA expression and knockdown or immunoneutralization of GDF9 reduced FSHb gene expression. Treatment with GDF9 stimulated Smad2/3 phosphorylation. The activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) receptor inhibitor SB-505124 antagonized GDF9-induced Smad2/3 phosphorylation and FSHb mRNA induction. Smad2 and Smad3 knockdown studies indicated that the induction of FSHb by GDF9 involves both Smad2 and Smad3. GDF9 and GnRH synergistically induced FSHb mRNA expression and high frequency GnRH pulses suppressed GDF9. We hypothesized that GDF9 contributes to a regulatory loop that tunes the GnRH frequency-response characteristics of the FSHb gene. To test this, we determined the effects of GDF9 knockdown on FSHb induction at different GnRH pulse frequencies using a parallel perifusion system. Reduction of GDF9 shifted the characteristic pattern of GnRH pulse frequency sensitivity. These results identify GDF9 as contributing to an incoherent feed-forward loop, comprised of both intracellular and secreted elementscomponents, that regulates FSHb expression in response to activation of the cell surface GnRH receptor. LbT2 microarray datasets as well as RNA-Seq data (GSE42120) were interrogated to determine the levels of expression of ALK4/5/7. LM-NM-2T2 cells were transfected with either scrambled siRNA or Gas siRNA for 48 h. RNA samples were snap-frozen in dry ice prior to whole-genome expression profiling analysis using MouseWG-6 v2.0 Expression BeadChip (Illumina, San Diego, CA). A total of 6 concentrated conditioned media samples were independently prepared: 3 replicates from control siRNA-treated cells, and 3 replicates from Gas siRNA-treated cells. This submission represents the microarray component of study.

Dataset Information

Haplotype structure of FSHB, the beta-subunit gene for fertility-associated follicle-stimulating hormone: possible influence of balancing selection.

Publications

Haplotype structure of FSHB, the beta-subunit gene for fertility-associated follicle-stimulating hormone: possible influence of balancing selection.

Similar Datasets

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