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Altered expression of the kisspeptin/KISS1R and neurokinin B/NK3R systems in mural granulosa and cumulus cells of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome

  • Reproductive Physiology and Disease
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The neurokinin B (NKB)/NK3 receptor (NK3R) and kisspeptin (KISS1)/kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R), two systems essential for reproduction, are present in human granulosa cells (GCs) of healthy women and contribute to the control of fertility, at least partially, by acting on the gonads. However, little is known about the expression of these systems in GCs of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of NKB/NK3R and KISS1/KISS1R in mural granulosa (MGCs) and cumulus cells (CCs) of PCOS women.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed in 46 healthy women and 43 PCOS women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation. MGCs and CCs were collected from pre-ovulatory follicles after transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval and the expression of the genes encoding NKB (TAC3), NK3R (TACR3), KISS1, and its receptor (KISS1R) was analyzed using real-time quantitative RT-PCR.

Results

TAC3, TACR3, and KISS1 mRNA levels were decreased in MGCs and CCs of PCOS women. TAC3 positively correlated with KISS1 in MGCs of healthy women and TACR3 was positively associated with KISS1R in CCs from healthy women. These associations were not observed in PCOS women.

Conclusion

The NKB/NK3R and KISS1/KISS1R systems are dysregulated in MGCs and CCs of PCOS women. The lower expression of these systems in GCs could contribute to the abnormal follicle development and defective ovulation that characterize the pathogenesis of PCOS.

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Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (RTC-2014-1431-1), Spain, with joint financing by FEDER funds from the European Union.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Victor Blasco and Francisco M. Pinto contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, CSIC, Avenida Americo Vespucio 49, 41092, Seville, Spain

    Victor Blasco, Francisco M. Pinto & Luz Candenas

  2. IVI-RMA Global, Seville, Spain

    Victor Blasco, Nicolás Prados & Manuel Fernández-Sánchez

  3. Departamento de Fisiología, Universidad del País Vasco, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain

    Ainhoa Fernández-Atucha

  4. Departamento de Biología Celular, Fisiología e Inmunología, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain

    Manuel Tena-Sempere

  5. CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición, ISCiii, Córdoba, Spain

    Manuel Tena-Sempere

  6. Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba/Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain

    Manuel Tena-Sempere

Authors
  1. Victor Blasco
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luz Candenas.

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Approval for this work was obtained from the institutional Ethics Committees of CSIC and Hospital Virgen Macarena (Sevilla, Spain) and all patients gave informed written consent.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Blasco, V., Pinto, F.M., Fernández-Atucha, A. et al. Altered expression of the kisspeptin/KISS1R and neurokinin B/NK3R systems in mural granulosa and cumulus cells of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome. J Assist Reprod Genet 36, 113–120 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1338-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1338-7

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