Haem oxygenase augments porcine granulosa cell apoptosis in vitro

Haem oxygenases produce carbon monoxide, which, like nitric oxide, is a gaseous messenger molecule that is one of several important survival factors in ovarian follicles. How-ever, little is known about the expression and possible functions of these enzymes in granulosa cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and possible role of haem oxygenases in porcine granulosa cells (PGCs). We obtained frozen sections of porcine ovaries and PGCs from ovarian follicles of various sizes by needle aspiration, and examined the expression of haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1; inducible type) and HO-2 (constitutive type) in PGCs by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, western blotting and flow cytometry. Both types of haem oxygenase were identified in PGCs throughout follicula