Aging-associated vacuolation of multi-ciliated cells in the distal mouse oviduct reflects unique cell identity and luminal microenvironment

The female reproductive organs present with the earliest aging characteristics, such as a decline in fertility and estrous cyclicity. While age-related changes in the ovary are well-documented, it is unclear if any age-associated changes occur in the other female reproductive organs, such as the oviduct/fallopian tube. The recent recognition of the distal end of the fallopian tube as the tissue of origin of high-grade serous tubal ovarian carcinomas (HGSCs), and that its patient demographic is strongly biased to postmenopausal women, motivated us to investigate age-associated changes in this organ.

At the distal end of aged oviducts in mice, we found vacuolated multi-ciliated cells (MCCs) with a severely apically displaced and deformed nucleus. This phenotype was unique to the distal oviduct epithelium –infundibulum (INF) and ampulla (AMP). Ovariectomy did not affect the timeline of MCC vacuolation, suggesting little involvement of ovulation and hormonal regulation. MCC vacuolation was induced in hypoxia or hydroxyurea treatments in in vitro organotypic culture of all oviduct regions, not limited to the INF/AMP epithelium. This suggests high oxygen demand in MCCs, compared to other cell types, and a uniquely stressed INF/AMP epithelial microenvironment in vivo . We found that the blood circulation of INF/AMP depended on the ovarian artery, different from the rest of the oviduct epithelium and its circulation declined along with ovarian activities. We conclude that a decline in local blood circulation and distinct cellular identity of the INF/AMP epithelium caused age-associated MCC vacuolation, reflecting its mild, chronically stressed microenvironment.