Estrogen Receptor Gene 1 ( ESR1 ) Mediates Lipid Metabolism in Goose Hierarchical Granulosa Cells Rather than in Pre-Hierarchical Granulosa Cells.

(1) Background: The role of estrogen receptor gene 1 ( ESR1 ) in female reproduction and lipid metabolism has been extensively investigated. However, its contribution to lipid metabolism during the development of poultry follicles remains unclear. (2) Methods: This study aimed to explore the function of ESR1 via overexpressing ( ESR1 ov ) and interfering ( ESR1 si ) with its expression in pre-hierarchical granulosa cells (phGCs) and hierarchical granulosa cells (poGCs). (3) Results: We successfully cloned and obtained an 1866 bp segment of the full-length CDS region of the Sichuan white goose ESR1 gene. In phGCs of the ESR1 ov and ESR1 si groups, there were no significant changes compared to the control group. However, in poGCs, the ESR1 ov group exhibited decreased lipid deposition, triglycerides, and cholesterol compared to the control group, while the ESR1 si group showed increased lipid deposition, triglycerides, and cholesterol. The expression of APOB and PPARα was significantly reduced in the ESR1 ov group compared to the ESR1 ov -NC group. Moreover, significant changes in the expression of ACCα, DGAT1, SCD, CPT1 , and ATGL were observed between the ESR1 si and ESR1 si -NC group. (4) Conclusions: These findings shed light on the function and molecular mechanism of ESR1 in lipid metabolism in goose poGCs, providing a better understanding of the physiological process of goose follicular development.