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Targeted disruption of BMAL1 in the peripheral reproductive axis results in infertility in female mice.

ABSTRACT: The product of the Bmal1 locus is an essential component of the circadian clock that plays important roles in various aspects of reproductive biology, and its disruption results in infertility. In an effort to identify the identity of the tissue specific clock that is responsible for this infertility, we used the steroidogenic factor-1 (Sf1) promoter to drive Cre-mediated recombination and genetically delete Bmal1 within cells of the reproductive axis. We show that Bmal1 within the reproductive axis of females is essential for normal fertility through its role in maintaining implantation, but is not required for normal estrous cycling. At the root of this biology appears to be a defect in the regulation of ovarian steroidogenic acute regulator (StAR) and its role in maintaining progesterone synthesis. This conclusion is based upon three observations. First, that deletion of Bmal1 within the reproductive axis leads to lower levels of StAR mRNA, and lower progesterone levels. Second, that progesterone supplementation of these conditional mutants rescues implantation. Third, transplantation of wild type ovaries into Bmal1 reproductive axis mutants results in 100% fertility. Our study suggests that ovarian Bmal1 is an essential peripheral clock governing implantation and fertility in female mice.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE38365 | GEO | 2013/02/01

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA167747

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:The peripheral circadian oscillator plays an essential role in synchronizing local physiology to operate in a circadian manner via regulation of the expression of clock-controlled genes. In the murine uterus, the endometrial stromal cells undergo proliferation and differentiation into decidual cells in response to ovarian steroids and blastocyst implantation at the early stage of pregnancy. The circadian clock genes are attenuated in the decidualizing cells only 2 days after implantation. The present study aimed to evaluate the circadian rhythms of clock genes and clock-controlled genes expressed in the rat uterus endometrial stromal cells (UESCs) during the stage of implantation. The real-time monitoring system of Per2 promoter activity was employed to precisely evaluate the generation of circadian rhythms in the UESCs prepared from transgenic rats constructed with mouse Per2 promoter-destabilized luciferase reporter gene (Per2-dLuc). During monitoring Per2-dLuc oscillation after synchronization with dexamethasone, total RNA was isolated from the cultured UESCs at four-time points (6-h interval) in the first to second phases and cDNA was synthesized. cRNA was synthesized from the double strand cDNA and hybridized on a DNA microarray. RT-qPCR was performed to confirm the expression of core clock genes revealed by DNA microarray analysis. Several clock genes such as Bmal1, Rev-erbα, and Per2 displayed significant rhythms. Of 12,252 genes showing significantly expression, 7,235 genes displayed significant alterations (p < 0.05). These genes were related to growth factors, transcription factors, receptors, channels, and enzymes. Some candidates as clock-controlled genes were evaluated by using RNA interference to Bmal1 mRNA. Down-regulation of Igf1 gene expression was observed by Bmal1 silencing, whereas the expression of Inhβa, Fas, and Caspase3 were significantly increased. These results indicate that clock-controlled genes are up- or down-regulated in rat UESCs during the stage of decidualization. DNA microarray analysis coupled with RNA interference will be helpful to understand the physiological roles of some oscillating genes in blastocyst implantation and placenta formation. The circadian clock positively or negatively regulates the expression of clock-controlled genes, including growth factors and apoptosis-related factors. To search the clock-controlled genes expressed during the period of implantation, we analyzed the clock genes and clock-controlled genes expressed in cultured uterus endometrial stromal cells prepared from pregnant rats at the stage of implantation using DNA microarray technology. We used transgenic rats constructed with mouse Per2 promoter-destabilized luciferase (Per2-dLuc) reporter gene to precisely adjust the time of gene expression. In addition, several genes of significantly expressed genes including growth factor genes and apoptosis-related genes were analyzed using RNA interference to Bmal1 mRNA whether these were controlled under circadian clockwork.

Project description:Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star) facilitates cholesterol transfer into the inner mitochondrial membrane in the acute and regulated production of steroid hormones. Mice lacking Star (Star-/-) share the phenotypes with patients with congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia such as compromised production of steroid hormones and florid accumulation of cholesterol esters in adrenal glands and gonads. To define specific patterns of molecular changes with disruption of Star, we performed a transcriptome analysis of steroidogenic cells in adrenal glands. We harvested adrenal glands at E17.5 or 18.5 from seven wild-type (Star+/+) mice or four Star-/- mice having the transgene targeting enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the control of regulatory sequences of mouse Star gene. Steroidogenic cells were selectively isolated by fluorescent-activated cell sorting. The gene expression profile of the fluorescence-positive cells was obtained with Agilent Whole Mouse Genome Microarray and was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. We identified 961 and 622 genes that were significantly up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively, in Star-/- mice compared with Star+/+ mice (fold difference ≥2, p value of Student t test <0.05, and Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate of multiple comparison test <0.2). In Star-/- mice, expression levels of genes involved in cholesterol mobilization and efflux or immune response as antigen presenting cells were significantly increased, and transition from fetal to adult adrenocortical cells were significantly decreased, whereas those of genes related to steroid hormone biosynthesis or cholesterol biosynthesis and influx were not significantly changed. The trancriptome analysis revealed hitherto undescribed characteristic changes in adrenocortical cells and expanded our understanding of the pathophysiology of the steroidogenic cells with disruption of Star. Gene expression profiles of isolated adrenal steroidogenic cells were compared between seven wild-type mice and four knockout mice lacking steroidogenic acute regulatory protein at E17.5-18.5.

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Targeted disruption of BMAL1 in the peripheral reproductive axis results in infertility in female mice.

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