SNAIL Mediates TGF-β1-Induced Downregulation of Pentraxin 3 Expression in Human Granulosa Cells

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) 1 plays a critical role in regulating follicular development, and its dysregulation has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of ovulation dysfunction. SNAIL is a well-known transcriptional repressor that mediates TGF-beta 1-induced cellular functions. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a key enzyme for the assembly and stabilization of the cumulus oophorus extracellular matrix, which is essential for cumulus expansion during the periovulatory stage. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the roles of TGF-beta 1 and SNAIL in the regulation of PTX3 expression and to examine the underlying mechanism. An established immortalized human granulosa cell (GC) line (SVOG), aGC tumor cell line (KGN), and primary human granulosa-lutein cells were used as study models. We demonstrated that TGF-beta 1 treatment substantially decreased the messenger RNA and protein levels of PTX3. This suppressive effect was abolished by cotreatment with the soluble TGF-beta 1 type II receptor (TbRII) or the ALK4/5/7 inhibitor SB431542. Knockdown of ALK5, SMAD2/3, or SMAD4 reversed the effects of TGF-beta 1-induced SNAIL upregulation and PTX3 suppression. These results indicate that TGF-beta 1 upregulates SNAIL and downregulates PTX3 expression via a TbRII-ALK5-mediated SMAD-dependent signaling pathway in human GCs. Additionally, TGF-beta 1-induced PTX3 suppression was mediated by upregulation of the SNAIL transcription factor, as knockdown of SNAIL completely reversed the suppression of PTX3 in response to TGF-beta 1. These findings could inform the roles of TGF-beta 1 and SNAIL in the regulation of follicular function and might provide therapeutic targets for the treatment of ovulation dysfunction.