Hyaluronan and Collagen Are Prominent Extracellular Matrix Components in Bovine and Porcine Ovaries

• Published in: Genes Vol. 12; no. 8; p. 1186
• Main Authors: Parkes, Wendena S, Amargant, Farners, Zhou, Luhan T, Villanueva, Cecilia E, Duncan, Francesca E, Pritchard, Michele T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.07.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Animals; Cattle; Cattle - anatomy & histology; Cattle - metabolism; Collagen; Collagen (type I); Collagen - genetics; Collagen - metabolism; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix - genetics; Extracellular Matrix - metabolism; Female; Follicular fluid; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Hogs; Homeostasis; Humidity; Hyaluronan Synthases - metabolism; Hyaluronic acid; Hyaluronic Acid - genetics; Hyaluronic Acid - metabolism; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase - metabolism; Inflammation; Laboratory animals; Mice; Molecular Weight; Ovaries; Ovary - cytology; Ovary - metabolism; Species; Species Specificity; Staining and Labeling; Stroma; Swine - anatomy & histology; Swine - metabolism; Tissue Distribution; United States > US; hyaluronidase; ovary; hyaluronan; stroma; collagen; porcine; bovine; hyaluronan synthase; extracellular matrix
• ISSN: 2073-4425; 2073-4425
• DOI: 10.3390/genes12081186

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major component of the ovarian stroma. Collagen and hyaluronan (HA) are critical ovarian stromal ECM molecules that undergo age-dependent changes in the mouse and human. How these matrix components are regulated and organized in other mammalian species with reproductive characteristics similar to women such as cows and pigs, has not been systematically investigated. Therefore, we performed histological, molecular, and biochemical analyses to characterize collagen and HA in these animals. Bovine ovaries had more collagen than porcine ovaries when assessed biochemically, and this was associated with species-specific differences in collagen gene transcripts: was predominant in cow ovaries while was predominant in pig ovaries. We also observed more HA in the porcine vs. bovine ovary. HA was distributed across three molecular weight ranges (<100 kDa, 100-300 kDa, and >300 kDa) in ovarian tissue and follicular fluid, with tissue having more >300 kDa HA than the other two ranges. Transcripts for HA synthesis and degradation enzymes, and , respectively, were predominant in cow ovaries, whereas , and tended to be predominant in pig ovaries. Together, our findings have implications for the composition, organization, and regulation of the ovarian ECM in large mammalian species, including humans.