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. 2008 Mar;56(3):187-95.
doi: 10.1007/s10616-008-9147-y. Epub 2008 May 11.

Ultrastructure and melatonin 1a receptor distribution in the ovaries of African ostrich chicks

Yan Wang  1 , Ke-Mei Peng, Jian-Li Li, Hui Song, Sheng-He Li, Lan Wei, Jia-Xiang Wang
Affiliations

Ultrastructure and melatonin 1a receptor distribution in the ovaries of African ostrich chicks

Yan Wang et al. Cytotechnology. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Healthy 90-day-old ostrich chicks were used in the present study. The ultrastructure and melatonin 1a receptor (MT1) distribution in the ovaries of ostrich chicks was observed by transmission electron microscope and light microscope. The results showed that the ostrich chick ovary contained primordial follicles, primary follicles and secondary follicles, but no mature follicles. There are some unique ultrastructural characteristics observed in the secondary follicle, such as the cortical granule, which was located in cytoplasm beside the nucleus and appeared first in the oocyte. The zona radiata appeared in the secondary follicle, and there was an obvious vitelline membrane. There were intraovarian rete, connecting rete, and extraovarian rete in the ovaries of ostrich chicks. This is the first study that provides immunohistochemical evidence for the localization of the melatonin MT1 in the ostrich chick ovary. The germinal epithelium, follicular cell layer of every grade of follicle, cytoplasm of the oocyte and interstitial cells all expressed MT1. The expression of positive immunoreactivity materials was the strongest in the follicular cell layer of the primordial follicle and germinal epithelium, was weaker in the follicular cell layer of the primary follicle and secondary follicle, and was weakest in the oocytes of all grades of follicle. In addition, the extraovarian rete displayed strong positive expression of MT1, while there was no positive expression in the intraovarian rete or connecting rete. The positive expression of MT1 immunoreactivity in the ovary was very strong, implying that the ovary is an important organ for synthesizing MT1.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Microstructural characteristics of the ostrich chick ovary. (a) The ovary (OV) is a long oval slice, dark pink in color, with a notch in the surface and no mature ovarian follicles. (b) The cortex (C) of the ovary in ostrich chicks and the shape of the germinal epithelium (GE) are cubic or prismatic; the yolk granules (YG) in the oocyte of the primordial follicles (PrF) and secondary follicle (SF). (c) The follicular cell layer (FC) of the primordial follicles (PrF) and interstitial cells (IC) of the ostrich chick ovary. (d) The follicular cell layer (FC) in the primary follicle (PF) and secondary follicle (SF) of the ostrich chick ovary. (e) Intraovarian rete (IR) and connecting rete (CR) of the ostrich chick ovary. (f) Epithelial cell (EC) of the extraovarian rete (ER) and vacuolated cell (VC) of the ostrich chick ovary
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Ultramicrostructural characteristics of the ostrich chick ovary. (a) The part of the oocyte, follicular cells and basal membrane in the primordial follicle of the ostrich chicks, showing the nucleus (N), nucleolus (Nu) and cell process (Pr) of the granulosa cell; basal lamina (BM); and fibroblast (FI). (b) The cytoplasm of the follicular cells in the primordial follicle of ostrich chicks, showing the mitochondria (Mi), Golgi complex (Go), free ribosome (Ri); the nuclear pore is clear (△). (c) The part of the oocyte, cubic follicular cells in the primary follicle and basal lamina, showing that there is a desmosome (△) connecting the follicular cells and the oocytes; the digitations of follicular cells (Pr). (d) The part of the oocyte and follicular cells in primary follicle, showing the desmosome between the follicular cells and oocytes, the heterochromatin granules (HG), intranucleus of the follicular cells and nuclear membrane (△). (e) The oocyte nuclei and cytoplasm of the secondary follicle, showing the trachychromatic granules clinging to the nucleus (△), and cortical granules in cytoplasm of the oocyte (CG). (f) The cytoplasm of the oocyte, vitelline membrane (VM), perivitelline membrane (PM), zona radiate (ZR), and multilayer follicular cells (△) in the secondary follicle
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
MT1 expression in the ostrich chick ovary. (a) The cells with positive MT1 immunoreactivity in the cortex of the ostrich chick ovary. The expression of positive products in the germinal epithelium (GE), follicular cell layer (FC) of every grade of follicle, and the interstitial cell (IC). (b) There were no positive MT1 immunoreactivity cells in the intraovarian rete (IR) and connecting rete (CR). (c) The positive MT1 immunoreactivity cells in the extraovarian rete. The expression of positive products in the epithelial cell was much stronger. (d) The negative expression of MT1 immunoreactivity in the cortex of ostrich chick ovary. (e) The negative expression of MT1 immunoreactivity in the extraovarian rete
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Expression of MT1 protein in ostrich chicks ovary tissues. Western blots were hybridized with specific, anti-MT1 antibodies. low molecular protein marker; ostrich chicks ovary MT1 representative results from the experiments are shown
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