Molecular characterization of the follicular development of BMP15-edited pigs

The regulatory role of BMP15 on porcine ovarian follicular development still remains unclear. This study reveals that biallelic editing of BMP15 impairs SMAD signaling and inhibits granulosa cell proliferation, resulting in porcine follicular development arrest and ovarian hypoplasia.

Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily, which is critical for facilitating ovarian folliculogenesis in mono-ovulatory mammalian species but is not essential in polyovulatory mice. Our previously established BMP15-edited pigs presented varied female reproductive phenotypes, suggesting the important role of BMP15 in ovarian folliculogenesis in polyovulatory pigs. To understand the regulatory mechanism underlying the effect of BMP15 on porcine ovarian follicular development, we molecularly characterized infertile biallelic-BMP15-edited gilts with ovarian hypoplasia. We found that an absence of BMP15 proteins in biallelic-BMP15-edited gilts can lead to premature activation of primordial follicles, possibly through the upregulation of KITLG-KIT-PI3K-AKT signaling pathways. However, this absence severely impaired SMAD (Sma and Mad proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila, respectively) signaling, causing severely reduced granulosa cell proliferation, leading to the arrest of follicular development during the preantral stage and ovarian hypoplasia, resulting in complete infertility. Our study expands the understanding of the molecular functions of BMP15 in nonrodent polyovulatory mammals.