Differential Expression of Inhibin alpha Gene in Reproductive Organs of Malabari Goats

Inhibin, a glycoprotein hormone secreted primarily by ovarian granulosa cells, plays a crucial role in regulating folliculogenesis and the reproductive hormonal axis through feedback inhibition of follicle-stimulating hormone secretion. A study was carried out to evaluate the differential expression of inhibin alpha (INHA) gene in the reproductive organs of Malabari goats. Tissue samples of ovary, uterus and fallopian tube were collected from six Malabari adult goats to study the INHA gene expression pattern by quantitative real time- polymerase chain reaction. The relative tissue expressions of INHA mRNA were normalized with the reference gene, Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene. The fold change was calculated using the ΔΔC_T, method. The overall follicle size ranged from 1.63 mm to 9.81 mm. The mean number of follicles per animal was 10.66±0.47. Relative expression of INHA was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the ovary (3.81-fold) compared to the uterus. Expression of INHA in the fallopian tube was significantly lower (10-fold) than uterus in Malabari goats. Therefore, in Malabari goats, the relative expression of INHA was highest in the ovary, followed by the uterus and fallopian tube. Hence, INHA can be considered as a potential candidate gene for genetic analysis of reproduction traits in goats.