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Review
. 2006 Apr 12:4:21.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-4-21.

Smad signalling in the ovary

Noora Kaivo-oja  1 , Luke A Jeffery, Olli Ritvos, David G Mottershead
Affiliations
Review

Smad signalling in the ovary

Noora Kaivo-oja et al. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. .

Abstract

It has now been a decade since the first discovery of the intracellular Smad proteins, the downstream signalling molecules of one of the most important growth factor families in the animal kingdom, the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) superfamily. In the ovary, several TGF-beta superfamily members are expressed by the oocyte, granulosa and thecal cells at different stages of folliculogenesis, and they signal mainly through two different Smad pathways in an autocrine/paracrine manner. Defects in the upstream signalling cascade molecules, the ligands and receptors, are known to have adverse effects on ovarian organogenesis and folliculogenesis, but the role of the individual Smad proteins in the proper function of the ovary is just beginning to be understood for example through the use of Smad knockout models. Although most of the different Smad knockouts are embryonic lethal, it is known, however, that in Smad1 and Smad5 knockout mice primordial germ cell development is impaired and that Smad3 deficient mice harbouring a deletion in exon 8 exhibit impaired folliculogenesis and reduced fertility. In this minireview we discuss the role of Smad structure and function in the ovarian context.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A schematic structure of the Smads. The N-terminal MH1 domain (light blue) and C-terminal MH2 domain (dark blue) are conserved among Smads. The non-conserved regions including the linker are shown in white. The two Serine (S) residues at the C-terminus of R-Smads that are phosphorylated by the type I receptor are marked with asterisks. MH Mad homology domain; PY, the proline-tyrosine (PPXY) motif identified by the E3 ligases Smurf1 and Smurf2; SAD, Smad4 activation domain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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