The formation of testes or ovaries in the mammalian embryo is critical in determining sexual identity and the ability to reproduce. Recent studies have begun to illuminate the cellular signalling events required for development of functional testes.

Follicle growth in the mammalian ovary is coordinately controlled by multiple factors to sustain periodic ovulation. In this study, we investigated the role of progesterone on follicle growth in the mouse ovary. As the concentration of progesterone changes during the estrus cycle, we cultured the sliced mouse ovary in a medium containing 10 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml, and 1 μg/ml progesterone. Progestero...

Background Luteinizing hormone (LH) is a heterodimeric glycoprotein composed of alpha and beta subunits.This hormone is secreted from the pituitary gland. LH, in women triggers Menstrual cycle and ovulation. In men, LH stimulates production of testosterone, which plays a specialized role in sperm production. Up to day, LH hormone have produced in different ways such as codon optimization and al...

Inhibitor of differentiation (Id) proteins act during embryogenesis and development to repress gene transcription required for lineage commitment, while promoting cell growth. Growth factors belonging to the TGFbeta superfamily of signaling molecules, notably the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and activin, can regulate Id expression in these tissues. Id expression and function in adult phys...

Folliculogenesis is the process of development of ovarian follicles that ultimately results in the release of fertilizable oocytes at ovulation. This is a complex program that involves the proliferation and differentiation of granulosa cells. Granulosa cells are necessary for follicle growth and support the oocyte during folliculogenesis. Genes that regulate the proliferation and differentiatio...

BACKGROUND Existing dogma that a female is born with fixed number of eggs was challenged by the detection of stem cells in adult mammalian ovary. Data has accumulated in support of ovarian stem cells (OSCs) proliferation, maintenance in culture, formation of germ cell nests and differentiation into oocytes and primordial follicle assembly using different strategies. RESULTS Flow cytometry ana...

BACKGROUND HTRA3 is a recently identified member of the mammalian serine protease family HTRA (high temperature requirement factor A). In both the rodent and the human HTRA3 is transcribed into two mRNA species (long and short) through alternative splicing. We have previously shown that HTRA3 is expressed in the mature rat ovary and may be involved in folliculogenesis and luteinisation. HTRA3 i...

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells represent the predominant platform in biopharmaceutical industry for the production of recombinant biotherapeutic proteins, especially glycoproteins. These glycoproteins include oligosaccharide or glycan attachments that represent one of the principal components dictating product quality. Especially important are the N-glycan attachments present on many recombi...

SMA-DMSO complex (RISUG) is a potent anti fertility compound developed by Prof.S.K Guha at IITKharagpur.It has been fabricated as a male contraceptive which works by lowering the pH of vas deference in males and hence damaging the sperms.Cytotoxicity of SMA-DMSO was assessed using COMET assay whereby concentration of SMA-DMSO ranging from .001 M to 1 M was tested for inducing any significant ...

Mammalian oocytes and spermatozoa derive from fetal cells shared by the sexes. These primordial germ cells (PGCs) migrate to the developing somatic gonad, giving rise to oocytes or spermatozoa. These opposing sexual fates are determined not by the PGCs’ own sex chromosome constitution (XX or XY), but by the sexual identity of the fetal gonad that they enter. We asked whether PGCs undergo a deve...