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Autophagy in Reproduction

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Autophagy: Biology and Diseases

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1206))

Abstract

Autophagy, a major degradation/recycling pathway, plays an essential role in cellular homeostasis maintenance, cell fate decision, and reproductive development. During reproduction, sperms and eggs, the specialized haploid gametes produced by the meiotic process of the germ cells in male and female respectively, are fused to form a new zygote that develops into fetus through embryogenesis and maternal–fetal crosstalk. Researches carried out in the past few years have proved that autophagy plays a key role in the regulation of reproduction process, and blockage of autophagy process likely contributes to reproductive abnormalities and even infertility. Here we summerize the recent progress in exploring the functional roles of autophagy in reproductive processes, such as spermatogenesis, folliculogenesis, fertilization, embryogenesis, and maternal–fetal crosstalk, in both animals and plants.

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Abbreviations

3-MA:

3-methyladenine

Ambra1:

Activating molecule in beclin1-regulated autophagy

CTB:

Cytotrophoblast

Dcp1:

Drosophila caspase-1

enEVT:

Endovascular extravillous trophoblast

epg-2:

Ectopic PGL granules 2

epg-3:

Ectopic PGL granules 3

epg-4:

Ectopic PGL granules 4

epg-5:

Ectopic PGL granules 5

epg-8:

Ectopic PGL granules 8

ES:

Ectoplasmic specialization

EVT:

Extravillous trophoblast

FIP200:

200-kDa FAK-family interacting protein

FOXO/DAF-16:

Forkhead box O transcription factor

GATA1:

GATA binding protein-1

GOPC:

Golgi-associated PDZ-and coiled-coil motif-containing protein

HIF1α:

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α

iEVT:

Interstitial extravillous trophoblast

IL-1β:

Interleukin‐1β

IUGR:

Intrauterine growth retardation

LAMP1:

Lysosome-associated membrane protein 1

LOX:

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein

MOs:

Membranous organelles

mtDNA:

Mitochondria DNA

MYBL2/B-MYB:

MYB-related protein B

NHERF2:

Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor 2

oxLDL:

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein

PCD:

Programmed cell death

PDLIM1:

PDZ and LIM domain 1

PGL-1:

P granule components 1

PGL-3:

P granule components 3

PtdIns(3)P:

Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate

PTEN/DAF-18:

Phosphatase and tensin homolog

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SEPA-1:

Suppressor of ectopic P granules in autophagy mutants-1

Sirt1:

Silent information regulator 1

SR-BI:

Scavenger receptor class B type I

STB:

Syncytiotrophoblast

VDAC2:

Voltage-dependent anion channel 2

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Author information

Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

      Hui Gao, Muhammad Babar Khawar & Wei Li

    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

      Muhammad Babar Khawar & Wei Li

    Authors
    1. Hui Gao
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    2. Muhammad Babar Khawar
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    3. Wei Li
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    Corresponding author

    Correspondence to Wei Li .

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    Editors and Affiliations

    1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Laboratory of Aging and Nervous Diseases, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Soochow University, Suzhou, China

      Zheng-Hong Qin

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    Gao, H., Khawar, M.B., Li, W. (2019). Autophagy in Reproduction. In: Qin, ZH. (eds) Autophagy: Biology and Diseases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1206. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0602-4_21

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