ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Anim. Sci.
Sec. Animal Breeding and Genetics
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fanim.2025.1637526
FSH-Mediated Regulation of POSTN Expression in Ovine Granulosa Cells via SRF Transcription Factor
Provisionally accepted
- 1College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Forage Resources Utilization Around Tarim and Key Laboratory of Tarim Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, 843300, China., Tarim University, Aral, China
- 2Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashi 844000, China., Kashi, China
- 3College of Life Sciences and Technology, State Key Laboratory Incubation Base for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource in Tarim Basin, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, 843300, China., Alar, China
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Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a crucial role in regulating ovarian follicular development in sheep. This study investigated the regulatory mechanism of FSH in periostin (POSTN) expression in ovine granulosa cells (GCs). Immunofluorescence staining revealed POSTN expression throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus of the GCs. The treatment of GCs with 10 ng/mL FSH significantly increased POSTN mRNA and protein levels in a time-dependent manner, peaking at 24 h. Knockdown of POSTN using siRNA severely impaired GCs viability, which could not be rescued by FSH, indicating the essential role of POSTN in GCs function. Cloning and analysis of the POSTN promoter identified putative binding sites for serum response factor (SRF) and JunD transcription factors within the core promoter region (-387 to +1). Targeted mutagenesis of the SRF site significantly reduced POSTN transcriptional activity, whereas JunD mutation had no effect. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed SRF enrichment at the POSTN promoter following FSH stimulation. These findings indicate that FSH regulates POSTN expression in ovine GCs through the transcription factor SRF, potentially by activating signaling cascades such as cAMP/PKA and MAPK/ERK to promote SRF phosphorylation and activation, a mechanism that remains to be further explored. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of folliculogenesis and offers a potential target for enhancing reproductive efficiency in sheep.
Keywords: GCS, Postn, FSH, SRF, folliculogenesis, Ovis
Received: 29 May 2025; Accepted: 18 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pei, Wang, Guo, Duan, Xu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xin Xu, College of Life Sciences and Technology, State Key Laboratory Incubation Base for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resource in Tarim Basin, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, 843300, China., Alar, China
Chunjie Liu, College of Animal Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Livestock and Forage Resources Utilization Around Tarim and Key Laboratory of Tarim Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang, 843300, China., Tarim University, Aral, China
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