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. 2016 May 4;27(1):51–59. doi: 10.7669/j.issn.1001-7844.2016.01.0051

Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis in the development of reproduction

Kang-sheng LIU a, Zheng-hang PENG b, Weng-jun CHENG c, Chun-fan DAI d, Hua TONG e,*
PMCID: PMC7129369  PMID: 32288402

Abstract

Proteins synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are properly folded with the assistance of ER chaperones. Accumulation of misfolded protein in the ER triggers an adaptive ER stress (ERS) response termed the unfolded protein response. Recent interest has focused on the possibility that the accumulation of misfolded proteins can also contribute to reproductive response, including preimplantation embryos, testicular germ cell, placenta, and unexplained intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The major ERS pathway constituents are present at all stages of preimplantation development and that the activation of ERS pathways can be induced at the 8-cell, morula and blastocyst stage. This review mainly introduced the research progress of ERS induced apoptosis of reproductive cells, providing a new direction for the research of reproductive disease therapy.

Key words: endoplasmic reticulum (ER), unfolded protein response, placenta diseases, testicular germ cell, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)

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