Involvement of Heat Shock Proteins in Normal Follicular Growth and Ovarian Follicular Cysts

VELAZQUEZ M; SALVETTI NR; REY, F; RODRIGUEZ, MF; MATILLER, V; BARAVALLE, C; ORTEGA HH

Heat Shock Proteins: Classification, Functions and Applications

Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Lugar: New York; Año: 2013; p. 57 - 72

Reproductive processes, to be successful, should be in harmony and synchronized with environment. In fact, adequate conditions for reproduction promote it via hormonal stimulators. The adverse conditions (for example, inadequate temperature, nutritional deficiencies, infections) induce stress and suppress reproduction through stress-related substances. These anomalies invoke changes in expression of numerous genes, including genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs), which could potentially oppose and even spoiling hormonal effects and reproductive success. Moreover, this expression would be part of the functional response to hormones and neurotransmitters induced by stress. There are reports indicating that HSPs can control hormonal functions and vice versa. It was found that the expression of these proteins is higher in the female reproductive organs and its main functions are related to the maintenance of the configuration of the non-stimulated steroid receptors and modulate hormone binding to receptor. Furthermore, ovarian cycle is associated with changes in HSPs expression and then, these proteins could be in close relationship with anovulatory disorders like COD (cystic ovarian disease) in cattle, where have been described a combination of weak proliferation indices and low apoptosis. In this sense, it have been demonstrated that HSPs are also involved in cellular survival and death mechanisms. Therefore, previous observations about aberrant HSPs gene expression observed in cells of the cystic follicles, suggested that could be associated with the intra-ovarian component of COD pathogenesis, due to its link with intracellular apoptosis signalling pathways.