Abstract
Geese have strong brooding abilities, which severely affect their egg-laying performance. Phosphorylation is widely involved in regulating reproductive activities, but its role in goose brooding behavior is unclear. In this study, we investigated differences in the phosphoprotein composition of ovarian tissue between laying and brooding geese. Brooding geese exhibited ovarian and follicular atrophy, as well as significant oxidative stress and granulosa cell apoptosis. We identified 578 highly phosphorylated proteins and 281 lowly phosphorylated proteins, and a KEGG pathway analysis showed that these differentially phosphorylated proteins were mainly involved in cell apoptosis, adhesion junctions, and other signaling pathways related to goose brooding behavior. The extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK)-B-Cell Lymphoma 2(BCL2) signaling pathway was identified as playing an important role in regulating cell apoptosis. The phosphorylation levels of ERK proteins were significantly lower in brooding geese than in laying geese, and the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) was downregulated. Overexpression of MEK led to a significant increase in ERK phosphorylation and BCL2 transcription in H2O2-induced granulosa cells (p < 0.05), partially rescuing cell death. Conversely, granulosa cells receiving MEK siRNA exhibited the opposite trend. In conclusion, geese experience significant oxidative stress and granulosa cell apoptosis during brooding, with downregulated MEK expression, decreased phosphorylation of ERK protein, and inhibited expression of BCL2.