Current Understandings of Core Pathways for the Activation of Mammalian Primordial Follicles
Yu Zhao,
Haiwei Feng,
Yihui Zhang,
Jian V. Zhang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Dongteng Liu,
Tianren Wang,
Raymond H. W. Li,
Ernest H. Y. Ng,
William S. B. Yeung,
Kenny A. Rodriguez-Wallberg,
Kui Liu
Affiliations
Yu Zhao
Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Haiwei Feng
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Yihui Zhang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Jian V. Zhang
Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Xiaohui Wang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Dongteng Liu
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Tianren Wang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Raymond H. W. Li
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Ernest H. Y. Ng
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
William S. B. Yeung
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
Kenny A. Rodriguez-Wallberg
Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden
Kui Liu
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Fertility Regulation, Center of Assisted Reproduction and Embryology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Haiyuan First Road 1, Shenzhen 518053, China
The mammalian ovary has two main functions—producing mature oocytes for fertilization and secreting hormones for maintaining the ovarian endocrine functions. Both functions are vital for female reproduction. Primordial follicles are composed of flattened pre-granulosa cells and a primary oocyte, and activation of primordial follicles is the first step in follicular development and is the key factor in determining the reproductive capacity of females. The recent identification of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) signaling pathway as the key controller for follicular activation has made the study of primordial follicle activation a hot research topic in the field of reproduction. This review systematically summarizes the roles of the PI3K/PTEN signaling pathway in primordial follicle activation and discusses how the pathway interacts with various other molecular networks to control follicular activation. Studies on the activation of primordial follicles have led to the development of methods for the in vitro activation of primordial follicles as a treatment for infertility in women with premature ovarian insufficiency or poor ovarian response, and these are also discussed along with some practical applications of our current knowledge of follicular activation.
