Jinfeng Liu, Yanhong Cao, Tong Feng, Laiba Shafique, Chan Luo,Peng Zhu,* and Qingyou Liu,*

Abstract In the present study, BMP15 gene of buffalo was cloned, analyzed, and its’ expression pattern was further determined. It consists of 1185 nucleotides that encodes 394 peptides bond. The BMP15 gene was observed to be expressed in cumulus tissue, granular tissue, hypophysis, genital ridge and tissues of ovary and testis. Moreover, QRT-PCR results showed that BMP15 was expressed in the whole process of embryogenesis and folliculogenesis, early high level and then down regulated. It was significantly expressed higher level in COCs of middle diameter sized follicles than that of small and large sized follicles. BMP15 gene expression enhanced until morula stage but it fell sharply at blastula stage.Immunohistochemistry exhibited BMP15 protein was located in germ cells of testis, in primordial granulosa cells, primary, secondary, and antral follicles of ovary, and none in theca cells. The more conspicuous reaction for BMP15 was observed in germ cells than cumulus cells and granulosa cells,particularly in primordial germ cells of genital ridge or in foetus ovary of buffalo. The expression pattern of BMP15 suggested that it may play a key role in the formation.

Keywords: Buffalo, BMP15, Expression pattern,Folliculogenesis, Embryogenesis.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/2020.52.1.37.47