Abstract
Granulosa cells (GCs) are essential for follicular growth and development, and their functional state critically impacts folliculogenesis. TAp73α, a transcriptionally active isoform of the p73 gene, is crucial for maintaining follicular integrity. In this study, we demonstrate that TAp73α overexpression promotes ferroptosis in bovine GCs by downregulating SLC7A11, depleting intracellular glutathione (GSH), and enhancing lipid peroxidation, particularly under Erastin treatment. By contrast, TAp73α knockdown restores antioxidant capacity, elevates GSH levels, and attenuates ferroptosis. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, untargeted metabolomic profiling revealed that TAp73α overexpression significantly altered the metabolic landscape of GCs, with marked enrichment in the glutathione metabolism pathway. Notably, betaine-a metabolite closely linked to redox homeostasis-was markedly downregulated. Functional assays confirmed that exogenous betaine supplementation restored SLC7A11 expression, increased GSH levels, and alleviated oxidative damage induced by either H2O2 or TAp73α overexpression. Moreover, betaine co-treatment effectively reversed lipid peroxide accumulation and mitigated TAp73α-induced ferroptosis. Collectively, our findings identify a novel mechanism by which TAp73α promotes ferroptosis in granulosa cells through the suppression of betaine and glutathione metabolism, highlighting betaine as a key metabolic modulator with promising protective potential.