Oocyte apoptosis is suppressed by disruption of the acid sphingomyelinase gene or by sphingosine-1-phosphate therapy Journal Article


Authors: Morita, Y.; Perez, G. I.; Paris, F.; Miranda, S. R.; Ehleiter, D.; Haimovitz-Friedman, A.; Fuks, Z.; Xie, Z.; Reed, J. C.; Schuchman, E. H.; Kolesnick, R. N.; Tilly, J. L.
Article Title: Oocyte apoptosis is suppressed by disruption of the acid sphingomyelinase gene or by sphingosine-1-phosphate therapy
Abstract: The time at which ovarian failure (menopause) occurs in females is determined by the size of the oocyte reserve provided at birth, as well as by the rate at which this endowment is depleted throughout post-natal life. Here we show that disruption of the gene for acid sphingomyelinase in female mice suppressed the normal apoptotic deletion of fetal oocytes, leading to neonatal ovarian hyperplasia. Ex vivo, oocytes lacking the gene for acid sphingomyelinase or wild-type oocytes treated with sphingosine-1-phosphate resisted developmental apoptosis and apoptosis induced by anti-cancer therapy, confirming cell autonomy of the death defect. Moreover, radiation-induced oocyte loss in adult wild-type female mice, the event that drives premature ovarian failure and infertility in female cancer patients, was completely prevented by in vivo therapy with sphingosine-1-phosphate. Thus, the sphingomyelin pathway regulates developmental death of oocytes, and sphingosine-1-phosphate provides a new approach to preserve ovarian function in vivo.
Keywords: doxorubicin; nonhuman; animal cell; mouse; oocyte; animals; mice; oocytes; cell survival; apoptosis; gene expression; animal experiment; animal model; mice, mutant strains; dose-response relationship, drug; enzyme activity; necrosis; ovary follicle; sphingosine; sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase; sphingosine 1 phosphate; lysophospholipids; ovary function; granulosa cell; sphingomyelins; ovary disease; male; female; priority journal; article
Journal Title: Nature Medicine
Volume: 6
Issue: 10
ISSN: 1078-8956
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group  
Date Published: 2000-10-01
Start Page: 1109
End Page: 1114
Language: English
DOI: 10.1038/80442
PUBMED: 11017141
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Export Date: 18 November 2015 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Zvi Fuks
    427 Fuks
  2. Francois Paris
    19 Paris
  3. Richard N Kolesnick
    299 Kolesnick