A research group led by Osaka University and the University of Hawaii has discovered that environmental microorganisms promote oogenesis in fruit flies, increasing the production of female germline stem cells and the number of mature eggs through hormonal pathways.
For many of us, when we think of the microbiome, we probably first think of the beneficial microorganisms that live in our guts. But now researchers from Japan and the United States have discovered how the microorganisms that live in fruit flies can increase their fertility.
In a study recently published in Communications Biology, the research group shows that microbes within the Drosophila melanogaster microbiome are involved in controlling the germline stem cells that form eggs in female Drosophila and subsequent egg maturation. I made it clear.
The microbiome, the community of symbiotic microorganisms in and on the host, plays a major role in facilitating the functions necessary for survival. This includes metabolic regulation, nutrient uptake, and reproduction, including improving fertility in conditions of inadequate nutrition. However, the specific molecular mechanisms that allow microorganisms to control the maturation of the germ line (the lineage of cells within an organism that produces eggs and sperm) remain a mystery.
“We propose that microbes control different stages of oogenesis that lead to egg production in the ovary,” says Ritsuko Suyama, lead author of the study. “They may do this by altering hormone levels and subsequent pathways, thus promoting host fertility even under conditions of malnutrition.”
Researchers investigated the effects of microorganisms on oogenesis in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Using genetic analysis, the research team found that microbes promote oogenesis by promoting ovarian cell division and suppressing programmed cell death, and that by promoting cell division, germline stem cells (GSCs) It has been shown that this increases the production of oocytes and ultimately increases the number of mature eggs. For women.
“We discovered that microbial enhancement of reproductive function is controlled by activation of the ecdysone and juvenile hormone hormonal pathways within germline stem cells (cells that develop into eggs),” lead author Toshie Kai explains.
Ecdysone is a steroid hormone that controls insect molting. Researchers found that the ecdysone pathway may be an important mediator for microbial GSC expansion and egg maturation. On the other hand, the juvenile hormone pathway is only involved in GSC proliferation, indicating that the hormone pathway is activated at different stages of oogenesis.
“Our results show that environmental microorganisms can improve host reproduction by controlling host hormone release and increasing oogenesis,” says Suyama.
These new discoveries about host-microbe interactions may present new avenues to improve reproductive health, including new treatments involving probiotics. Specifically, the findings from this study contribute to our understanding of how microorganisms promote host reproductive processes and open the door to new ways to improve fertility and infertility treatments. It will open.
Figure 1 Drosophila oogenesis process
Credit: Osaka University
Figure 2 Experimental system for oogenesis development using microbiota as an environmental factor. In the microbial environment, ovaries become more prominent and mature eggs increase.
Credit: 2023 Suyama et al., Microbes control Drosophila germline stem cell expansion and egg maturation via hormonal pathways.communication biology
Figure 3 Molecular pathways by which germline stem cells proliferate in a microbial-rich environment
Credit: Osaka University
The paper, “Microorganisms control Drosophila germline stem cell expansion and egg maturation through hormonal pathways,” was published in Communications Biology (DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05660-x).
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