................................................................................................... 5 PUBLICATION LIST........................................................................................6 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................7 1. THE MAMMALIAN OVARY...............................................................

background: premature ovarian failure (pof) is an ovarian defect characterized by the premature depletion of ovarian follicles before the age of 40, representing one major cause of female infertility. mutations in bone morphogenetic protein 15 (bmp15) and growth differentiation factor 9 (gdf9) have been shown to be associated with pof. methods: genomic dna was isolated from 52 idiopathic premat...

BACKGROUND Creation of artificial gametes may provide a universal solution for these patients with no gametes. Stem cell technology may provide a way to obtain fully functional gametes. Retinoic acid (RA) can initiate meiosis. Several studies have demonstrated that RA can promote sperm cells differentiation from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and other cells from human embryonic stem cells ...

Communication between oocytes and their companion somatic cells promotes the healthy development of ovarian follicles, which is crucial for producing oocytes that can be fertilized and are competent to support embryogenesis. However, how oocyte-derived signaling regulates these essential processes remains largely undefined. Here, we demonstrate that oocyte-derived paracrine factors, particularl...

Prolificacy is a desirable trait for genetic improvement of sheep flocks, since it holds the potential to improve productivity. Animals carrying single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes associated with this trait can be identified and employed to increase prolificacy in flocks. In this study, we report a diagnostic method based on quantitative PCR and high-resolution melting curves to de...

We compared the nuclear maturation status and gene-expression profiles of canine cumulus cells (CCs) derived from cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) that were spontaneously ovulated versus those that were matured in vitro. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were retrieved from uteri by surgical flushing (after spontaneous ovulation) or by ovariectomy follicle aspiration and in vitro maturation. The objectiv...

The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily proteins are principle regulators of numerous biological functions. Although recent studies have gained tremendous insights into this growth factor family in female reproduction, the functions of the receptors in vivo remain poorly defined. TGFβ type 1 receptor (TGFBR1), also known as activin receptor-like kinase 5, is the major type 1 recepto...

Genes in the TGF9 signaling pathway play important roles in the regulation of ovarian follicle growth and ovulation rate. Mutations in three genes in this pathway, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and the bone morphogenetic protein receptor B 1 (BMPRB1), influence dizygotic (DZ) twinning rates in sheep. To date, only variants in GDF9 and BMP15, but n...

BACKGROUND Excessive nerve growth factor (NGF) is commonly found in the follicular fluid of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Furthermore, oocytes from PCOS patients exhibit lower developmental competence. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between excessive NGF and low oocyte competence in vitro. METHODS Excessive NGF was added to mouse cumulus oocyte comp...