Molecular cloning, expression profile and transcriptional modulation of two splice variants of very low density lipoprotein receptor during ovarian follicle development in geese (Anser cygnoide)

Very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR)-mediated endocytosis of plasma lipoproteins into the ovary is essential for ovarian follicle development. Two splice variants of VLDLR have been identified in several species, yet little is known about their distinctive roles in ovarian developing follicles. In the present study, the full-length cDNAs of two splice isoforms of VLDLR were obtained from geese (Anser cygnoide) ovaries using the RACE method. The longer isoform (TypeI VLDLR) is 3141 bp and contains five conserved structural domains, while the other (TypeII VLDLR) lacks 90 bp encoding for the O-linked sugar domain. TypeII VLDLR was predominantly expressed in the ovary, with greater amounts of mRNA in theca and granulosa cells from early stages of follicle development but decreased during vitellogenesis. However, there was minimal expression of the TypeI VLDLR gene in theca cells and expression was almost undetectable in granulosa cells throughout follicle development. Yolk VLDL concentrations decreased as stage of development advanced while yolk triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations increased in a follicular size-dependent manner. The significant correlations between transcripts of TypeII VLDLR and yolk lipids supported its important role on yolk lipid deposition. In addition, in vitro experiments suggested that exogenous cholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol and mevinolin (a highly potent competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA) treatment could significantly alter TypeII VLDLR gene expression in granulosa cells from both pre-hierarchical and pre-ovulatory follicles. Collectively, data from the present study indicate that TypeII VLDLR is more important for the transport of plasma lipoproteins into developing follicles than TypeI VLDLR, and provide new evidence about the influence of steroids in modulating VLDLR gene expression in ovarian cells.