Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are known to play key roles in the remodelling of extracellular matrix during ovarian folliculogenesis, especially during the final stage of follicle development. To date, little is known about the significance of MMPs and TIMPs during preantral follicle development. This study determined the expression of MMPs and @entity68566 during various stages of cat folliculogenesis, largely for the purpose of securing information useful to improving in vitro follicle culture. Primordial (~10 follicles/cat), primary (~5 follicles/cat), secondary (~9 follicles/cat), early antral (~9 follicles/cat), and antral (~4 follicles/cat) follicles were physically isolated from ovaries recovered from 15 @entity468 (5 months to 3 years old during follicular stage) undergoing ovariohysterectomy and assessed for expression of MMP-1, -2, -3, -7, -9, and -13 as well as @entity68566 using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR; 2-4 replicates/follicle stage). Additional ovaries were obtained from three prepubertal (6 months old) and three adult (1 year old) @entity468 and ovarian pieces were fixed in Bouin's solution and assessed for @entity36947 and -13 localization using immunohistochemistry. MMP expression data were analysed using the Kruskull-Wallis one-way ANOVA. Follicles from all stages of development expressed MMPs and @entity68566 . Specifically, expression of @entity36947 increased (P<0.05) as folliculogenesis progressed (10-fold increases from primordial to early-antral and antral stage). There were no differences (P>0.05) in the expression of other MMPs among follicular classes. For @entity68566 , there was a tendency (P=0.07) for increased expression after antrum formation (early antral and antral stages). Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that @entity36947 was expressed in both the oocyte and somatic cells of all follicular stages in prepubertal @entity468 . However, @entity36947 expression was limited to granulosa and theca cells of antral follicles in adult females. @entity68567 was expressed in the granulosa and theca cells of primary, secondary, and antral stage follicles, and there were no differences (P>0.05) in localization patterns for this protein between prepubertal and adult females. In summary, the study is the first to report the expression of MMPs as well as @entity68566 in isolated cat follicles. The difference in @entity36947 expression between prepubertal and adult @entity468 suggests that there may be age-specific requirements for in vitro follicle growth. We are keenly interested in this information for underpinning the development of new in vitro microenvironments for growing immature cat follicles. We suspect that such information will be crucial for understanding how to promote the remodelling of the extracellular matrix by creating degradable biomaterials containing MMP-sensitive peptides to allow optimal follicle expansion.

184 folliculogenesis and donor age influence matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in the XXXX .

@entity68567 :: ('493679(Tax:9685)', 'Gene') :: ['MMP-13'] @entity468 :: ('9685', 'Species') :: ['cats'] @entity36947 :: ('101098838', 'Gene') :: ['MMP-2'] @entity68566 :: ('101095886', 'Gene') :: ['TIMP-1']
@entity468 :: (9685,Species) :: ['domestic cat']
