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Cell Death in Mammalian Ovary pp 203–219Cite as

Follicular Atresia in Adult Animals

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Abstract

Atresia is a hormonally controlled process in which the oocytes, ­granulosa cells and theca cells are involved in processes of cell death. Follicle development or atresia is regulated by the interplay of cell death and survival ­factors as gonadal steroids, cytokines and growth factors. Main families of ­molecules cell death or ­surviving are: caspases (cystein aspartate-specific proteases), all of them cleave substrates exclusively after asparagines residues. Kit gene encodes a receptor ­protein (KIT) a type III transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor, which is involved in one of the ways of initiation of apoptotic process. Members of BCL-2 family are important regulators of apoptosis in the ovary. The ratio BCL-2 to BAX determines survival or death following an apoptotic stimulus. Members of TNF family have been implicated in follicular atresia in mammals. The oncosuppresive nuclear protein p53 is related to experimentally induced follicular atresia and granulosa cells apoptosis. Members of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system play a role in follicle development and a lower molecular weight member, IGFBP-5, is expressed during atresia. The main mechanism of follicular atresia is apoptosis, but also are present autophagy, necrosis, and a process with mixed features of apoptosis and autophagy in the same oocyte; all of them are programmed processes of cell death.

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Abbreviations

FSH:

Follicle stimulant hormone

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Sciences, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico, USA

    Gerardo H. Vázquez-Nin, María Luisa Escobar & Olga M. Echeverría

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  1. Gerardo H. Vázquez-Nin
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  2. María Luisa Escobar
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  3. Olga M. Echeverría
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Correspondence to Gerardo H. Vázquez-Nin .

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Vázquez-Nin, G.H., Escobar, M.L., Echeverría, O.M. (2011). Follicular Atresia in Adult Animals. In: Cell Death in Mammalian Ovary. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1134-1_13

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