Transcriptional changes of mouse ovary during follicle initial or cyclic recruitment mediated by extra hormone treatment

Abstract Aims Folliculogenesis contains gonadotropin-independent and -dependent stage. Disruption in any of this process would induce failure in retrieving capable oocytes during clinical treatment. However, there is still limited understanding of the molecular components specifically regulating this process. Material and methods Ovaries of P3, P20 and exogenous gonadotropin-treated P22 mice were sampled and underwent RNA-seq to investigate the transcriptome variance during mouse folliculogenesis. Key findings In our dataset, 1883 and 626 DEGs were captured for each stage respectively, which were further clustered into eight expression patterns. Pathway enrichment analysis identified distinct biological processes enriched in two stages, with the most prominent being the pathways related to metabolism, gene expression, cell cycle, immune system and DNA methylation. Transcriptional regulator inference yielded eight master transcription factors (i.e. Runx1, Stat3, Sox3, Pou5f1, Gata4, Foxl2, Cebpb, and Esr1) driving folliculogenesis. Significance Our study revealed the temporal transcriptional reprogramming and gene expression dynamics during folliculogenesis mediated by extra hormone treatment, which could provide novel insights to controlled ovarian stimulation in future infertility treatment.