FOXO3 knockdown accelerates development of bovine primordial follicles

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the involvement of FOXO3 in the activation of bovine primordial follicles. In immunohistochemistry, FOXO3 was detected in all of the oocytes in primordial and primary follicles. The FOXO3 decreased after treatment with FOXO3 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Ovarian tissues containing dominantly primordial follicles were treated with FOXO3 siRNAs and then xenografted to severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice. Two months after xenografting, some primordial follicles developed to the secondary and tertiary stages, and the total percentage of these developing follicles (secondary and tertiary follicles: 18 ± 7%) was higher than in the control grafts treated with control siRNA (7 ± 1%). It is thought that bovine primordial follicle activation is regulated by the FOXO3-dependent mechanism and that knockdown of FOXO3 induces the release of primordial follicles from FOXO3 suppression, initiating their growth.