Semin Reprod Med 2006; 24(4): 193-194
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-948548
PREFACE

Copyright © 2006 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Extracellular Matrix in the Ovary

Raymond J. Rodgers1  Guest Editor 
  • 1Research Centre for Reproductive Health, Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
30 August 2006 (online)

Raymond J. Rodgers, Ph.D.

Ovaries are reproductive organs in which follicles and corpora lutea continually grow and regress. Follicles have both epithelial and stroma layers in which cell migration or movement, cell division, specialization and differentiation, and death occur. A fluid-filled antrum develops and the oocyte matures. At ovulation the epithelial granulosa cells undergo a transition into luteal cells via a process similar to that of an epithelial to mesenchymal cell. Theca cells also contribute to the population of luteal cells. Angiogenesis occurs in the thecal layer and in the developing corpus luteum. Although growth factors and hormones are very important in many of these processes and have been well studied, extracellular matrix participates in all of them. Importantly, matrix is diverse in composition, and cells rarely behave without reference to the composition and structure of the surrounding matrix.

Unfortunately though, it was not that long ago that if you said to someone at a conference that your research focus was extracellular matrix in ovaries, they would enquire “MMPs?” “No,” would be the response, “MMPs are only the enzymes that degrade matrix.” Even symposia on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in reproductive tissues were often erroneously referred to as ‘extracellular matrix’, with no presentation about matrix composition, what its functions were, or how it was regulated. Fortunately, the study of extracellular matrix in many other organs of the body, and indeed much of the cellular biology, is much more advanced than that in ovaries. These studies in other organs have provided a vast body of knowledge and reagents with which to study ovarian extracellular matrix.

This issue is the first comprehensive review on the topic of extracellular matrix in the ovary. It has assembled a number of authors who through their own research have contributed to the increasing interest in extracellular matrix of the ovary. Many of the articles are coauthored by independent investigators brought together for their respective articles. In the article entitled, Extracellular Matrix of the Developing Ovarian Follicle, by Helen F. Irving-Rodgers and Raymond J. Rodgers, the matrix components identified in developing follicles are discussed. Importantly they discuss how the composition of extracellular matrix changes during follicular development and they review their newly discovered focimatrix. This is followed by more detailed discussion of the specialized matrix of the zona pellucida in the article, Tracking Down the Zona Pellucida Domain: From the Mammalian Zona Pellucida to the Molluscan Vitelline Envelope, by Magnus Monné, Ling Han, and Luca Jovine. An article is devoted to Extracellular Matrix of the Cumulus Oocyte Complex, by Darryl L. Russell and Antonietta Salustri. This area is one with which many readers of this issue will be familiar. These authors are especially skillful at explaining the complexities of what appears to be a very simple cellular process.

The article entitled, Impact of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling on Ovulation and the Folliculo-Luteal Transition, by Thomas E. Curry, Jr., and Michael F. Smith, then moves our focus to the event of ovulation. This area has been reviewed previously, but this article integrates information on both matrix itself and cellular changes occurring during the process of ovulation and corpus luteum formation. This is followed the article entitled, Extracellular Matrix of the Corpus Luteum, by Helen F. Irving-Rodgers, Jan Roger, Martin Luck, and Raymond J. Rodgers, in which the current level of knowledge of matrix is summarized. There are surprisingly few studies on the different types of extracellular matrix in corpora lutea, and even fewer on the events of luteal formation or regression, or on changes during pregnancy that occur in some species.

The next two articles focus on the roles of matrix in ovaries. The article entitled, Integrins in Ovary, by Danielle Monniaux, Clotilde Huet-Calderwood, Frédérique Le Bellego, Stéphane Fabre, Philippe Monget, and David A. Calderwood identifies which molecules are involved in cell matrix interactions. This is followed by the article, Extracellular Matrix Functions in Follicle Maturation, by Courtney B. Berkholtz, Lonnie D. Shea, and Teresa K. Woodruff. It collates information on studies in which the effects of matrix on follicular cells have been investigated. This area clearly will be of long-term interest as researchers develop better in vitro culture systems for research and technology.

The final article, Extracellular Matrix of Ovarian Tumors, by Carmela Ricciardelli and Raymond J. Rodgers, may seem a little out of place in an issue of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, but as far as we are aware, this topic has not been reviewed previously and this alone warrants inclusion. The article on Integrins in the Ovary also highlights integrins in ovarian cancers.

Future research on the extracellular matrix of the ovary will no doubt focus on the origins and the regulation of synthesis of the matrix components in the ovary. Studies on the effects of these molecules on cell or tissue behavior have commenced, but currently most of these studies use matrix components that are only related to those found in the ovary. Although they are useful in identifying behaviors that matrix can control, ultimate proof of their roles will only come when we use or mimic the native matrix molecules. In addition, we will need more sophisticated cell culture conditions or systems. At present, many of these methods for follicular or luteal cells were established with only endocrine parameters in mind. Other approaches using genomic mutations (as are being used successfully to study the zona pellucida) may shed light independently upon the roles of matrix in ovarian function. In summary, recent years have seen a considerable increase in our knowledge on this subject, and the next few years promise to produce results just as exciting.

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