摘要Background Follicular atresia significantly impairs female fertility and hastens reproductive senescence.Apoptosis of granulosa cells is the primary cause of follicular atresia.Pyroptosis and necroptosis,as additional forms of pro-grammed cell death,have been reported in mammalian cells.However,the understanding of pyroptosis and necrop-tosis pathways in granulosa cells during follicular atresia remains unclear.This study explored the effects of pro-grammed cell death in granulosa cells on follicular atresia and the underlying mechanisms.Results The results revealed that granulosa cells undergo programmed cell death including apoptosis,pyroptosis,and necroptosis during follicular atresia.For the first time,we identified the formation of a PANoptosome com-plex in porcine granulosa cells.This complex was initially identified as being composed of ZBP1,RIPK3,and RIPK1,and is recruited through the RHIM domain.Additionally,we demonstrated that caspase-6 is activated and cleaved,interacting with RIPK3 as a component of the PANoptosome.Heat stress may exacerbate the activation of the PANop-tosome,leading to programmed cell death in granulosa cells.Conclusions Our data identified the formation of a PANoptosome complex that promoted programmed cell death in granulosa cells during the process of follicular atresia.These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying follicular atresia.