Bone morphogenetic protein 4 promotes mammalian oogonial stem cell differentiation via Smad1/5/8 signaling

• Published in: Fertility and sterility Vol. 100; no. 5; pp. 1468 - 1475.e2
• Main Authors: Park, Eun-Sil, Woods, Dori C., Tilly, Jonathan L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing - genetics; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing - metabolism; adult stem cells; Adult Stem Cells - drug effects; Adult Stem Cells - metabolism; adults; animal ovaries; Animals; antagonists; BMP4; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 - pharmacology; Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors - genetics; Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors - metabolism; bone morphogenetic proteins; Carrier Proteins - pharmacology; cell differentiation; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; flow cytometry; gene expression; genes; germ cells; Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism; Internal Medicine; meiosis; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; MSX1 Transcription Factor - genetics; MSX1 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Obstetrics and Gynecology; oocyte; oocytes; Oocytes - drug effects; Oocytes - metabolism; oogenesis; Oogenesis - drug effects; Phosphorylation; Recombinant Proteins - pharmacology; retinoic acid; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Smad1 Protein - metabolism; Smad5 Protein - metabolism; Smad8 Protein - metabolism; stem cells; Time Factors; transcriptional activation; BMP4; stem cells; oocyte; germ cells; oogenesis
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2013.07.1978
• ISSN: 0015-0282; 1556-5653

To test whether bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) directly regulates differentiation of adult mouse ovary-derived oogonial stem cells (OSCs) in vitro. Animal study. Research laboratory. Adult C57BL/6 female mice. After purification from adult ovaries by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, OSCs were cultured without or with BMP4 in the absence or presence of the BMP4 antagonist, Noggin. Rates of in vitro–derived (IVD) oocyte formation and changes in gene expression were assessed. Cultured OSCs expressed BMP receptor (BMPR) 1A (BMPR1A), BMPR1B, and BMPR2, suggesting that BMP signaling can directly affect OSC function. In agreement with this, BMP4 significantly increased the number of IVD oocytes formed by cultured OSCs in a dose-dependent manner, and this response was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by cotreatment with Noggin. Exposure of OSCs to BMP4 was associated with rapid phosphorylation of BMPR-regulated Smad1/5/8 proteins, and this response was followed by increased expression of the meiosis initiation factors, stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8), muscle-segment homeobox 1 (Msx1), and Msx2. In keeping with the IVD oocyte formation data, the ability of BMP4 to activate Smad1/5/8 signaling and meiotic gene expression in OSCs was abolished by cotreatment with Noggin. Engagement of BMP4-mediated signaling in adult mouse ovary-derived OSCs cultured in vitro drives differentiation of these cells into IVD oocytes through Smad1/5/8 activation and transcriptional up-regulation of key meiosis-initiating genes.