{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,26]],"date-time":"2026-10-26T04:39:49Z","timestamp":1792989589495,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]],"date-time":"2025-06-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750723200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Natural Science Fund Project in China","award":["31660652"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["31660652"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Genes"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Puberty is a critical stage in sheep development when reproductive capability is established, but the hormonal mechanisms underlying this transition remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes in estradiol (E2) levels and the expression patterns of estrogen receptors (ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2) during puberty in Duolang sheep, a breed characterized by early sexual maturity and high reproductive efficiency. Methods: A total of 18 female Duolang sheep were assigned to three developmental stages (n = 6 per group): prepuberty (145 days), puberty (within 0 h of first estrus), and postpuberty (+3 days). Serum E2 concentrations and the mRNA and protein levels of ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2 were assessed in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovary. Additionally, primary ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) were isolated and stimulated in vitro with increasing concentrations of E2 (0\u20131000 ng\/mL) to evaluate the dose-dependent expression of ER\u03b1, ER\u03b2, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Results: E2 levels peaked at the onset of puberty and declined thereafter. ER\u03b1 expression in the hypothalamus and pituitary decreased during puberty but rebounded postpuberty, indicating a role in negative feedback regulation. In contrast, ovarian ER\u03b1 expression reached its highest level during puberty, while ER\u03b2 expression in the ovary gradually increased from prepuberty to postpuberty. In GCs, ER\u03b1 exhibited a biphasic expression pattern, peaking at 250 ng\/mL E2 and decreasing at higher concentrations. ER\u03b2 and GnRH expression levels increased in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ER\u03b1 primarily mediates E2 feedback within the hypothalamus\u2013pituitary axis, whereas ER\u03b2 is associated with ovarian development and may regulate GnRH expression during the pubertal transition. The study provides new insights into the hormonal regulation of puberty in Duolang sheep and offers potential biomarkers for improving reproductive efficiency through targeted breeding strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/genes16070731","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]],"date-time":"2025-06-24T09:24:18Z","timestamp":1750757058000},"page":"731","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Expression Dynamics and Estrogen Response of Estrogen Receptors in Duolang Sheep During Puberty"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Lexiao","family":"Zhu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0886-8863","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gul Muhammad","family":"Shahbaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huiping","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jihu","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruohuai","family":"Gu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Feng","family":"Xing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Tarim, Animal Husbandry Science and Technology, Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111094","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mce.2020.111094","article-title":"Hypothalamo-Pituitary axis and puberty","volume":"520","author":"Spaziani","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mol. 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