[Comparative transcriptomic analysis of sheep granulosa cells regulated by different macrophage subtypes]

Macrophages represent one of the most abundant immune cell populations in mammalian ovaries and are widely distributed throughout ovarian tissue. Through remodeling of their immunological phenotype and functional attributes, macrophages contribute to the regulation of ovarian homeostasis, follicular development, and hormone production. However, the specific mechanisms by which ovarian macrophages regulate granulosa cells (GCs) in sheep remain inadequately defined. To investigate the molecular basis underlying macrophage-mediated functional modulation of granulosa cells within the ovarian immune microenvironment of sheep, an in vitro co-culture model was established using sheep bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) polarized to M0, M1, and M2 phenotypes in conjunction with ovarian granulosa cells. Transcriptomic sequencing of the granulosa cells was subsequently performed, along with corresponding validation experiments. The resultant dataset included raw RNA-sequencing data derived from granulosa cells across distinct treatment groups, post-quality-control clean data, reference genome alignment outputs, gene expression quantification matrices, differentially expressed gene (DEG) profiles, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis results, as well as associated flow cytometry and quantitative PCR (qPCR) data utilized for cell identification and expression validation. The experimental design comprised three treatment groups (GC-M0, GC-M1, and GC-M2), each incorporating biological replicates, thereby enabling systematic analysis of differential transcriptional responses of granulosa cells induced by macrophages under different polarization states. The data acquisition workflow encompassed bone marrow cell isolation, macrophage induction and polarization, granulosa cell culture, Transwell co-culture, RNA extraction, library construction, Illumina high-throughput sequencing, and subsequent bioinformatics analysis. This dataset provides a focused characterization of the transcriptomic response signatures and disparities exhibited by granulosa cells under the influence of differentially polarized macrophages, thereby offering foundational data resources for investigations into ruminant follicular development, ovarian immunoregulation, and macrophage-granulosa cell interactions. Furthermore, it also facilitates data reuse, cross-study comparative analyses, and mechanistic investigation in relevant research domains.