| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ovary |
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine,3 Program in Toxicology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
School of Pharmacy,4 University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53705
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that binds various environmental contaminants. Despite our knowledge regarding the role of the AhR in mediating toxicity, little is known about the physiological role of the AhR. Previous studies indicate that the AhR may regulate folliculogenesis, because AhR-deficient (AhRKO) mice have fewer preantral and antral follicles than wild-type (WT) mice during postnatal life. Thus, the first objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that AhR deficiency reduces the numbers of preantral and antral follicles by slowing growth and/or increasing atresia of follicles. Because alterations in follicular growth or atresia can affect the ability to ovulate, the second objective was to test whether AhR deficiency reduces the number of ovulated eggs. To test these hypotheses, follicular growth was compared in WT and AhRKO ovaries using morphometric techniques and by measuring the ability of the ovary and follicles to grow in response to eCG. Atresia was compared in WT and AhRKO ovaries using morphometric techniques, TUNEL assays, and 3'-end labeling of fragmented DNA. Ovulation was compared in WT and AhRKO mice by assessing the number of corpora lutea per ovary. The results indicate that follicular growth and ovulation were reduced in AhRKO ovaries compared to WT ovaries. The WT ovaries had a 1.5-fold increase in the number of preantral and antral follicles between Postnatal Days 32 and 45, were more responsive to eCG, and contained more corpora lutea than AhRKO ovaries. In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the incidence of atresia in WT and AhRKO ovaries. Taken together, these results suggest that the AhR may regulate growth, but not atresia, of preantral and antral follicles in the mouse ovary.
2 Correspondence: Jodi A. Flaws, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 660 West Redwood Street, Howard Hall 133, Baltimore, MD 21201. FAX: 410 706 1503; jflaws{at}epi.umaryland.edu
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  B. J. McMillan and C. A. Bradfield The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor sans Xenobiotics: Endogenous Function in Genetic Model Systems Mol. Pharmacol., September 1, 2007; 72(3): 487 - 498. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K. R. Barnett, D. Tomic, R. K. Gupta, K. P. Miller, S. Meachum, T. Paulose, and J. A. Flaws The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Affects Mouse Ovarian Follicle Growth via Mechanisms Involving Estradiol Regulation and Responsiveness Biol Reprod, June 1, 2007; 76(6): 1062 - 1070. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. Nestler, M. Risch, B. Fischer, and P. Pocar Regulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity in porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes in physiological and toxicological conditions: the role of follicular fluid Reproduction, May 1, 2007; 133(5): 887 - 897. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. S. Neal, J. Zhu, A. C. Holloway, and W. G. Foster Follicle growth is inhibited by benzo-[a]-pyrene, at concentrations representative of human exposure, in an isolated rat follicle culture assay Hum. Reprod., April 1, 2007; 22(4): 961 - 967. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Z. Shi, K. E. Valdez, A. Y. Ting, A. Franczak, S. L. Gum, and B. K. Petroff Ovarian Endocrine Disruption Underlies Premature Reproductive Senescence Following Environmentally Relevant Chronic Exposure to the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin Biol Reprod, February 1, 2007; 76(2): 198 - 202. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. N. Karman and S. A. Tischkau Circadian Clock Gene Expression in the Ovary: Effects of Luteinizing Hormone Biol Reprod, October 1, 2006; 75(4): 624 - 632. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 K.R. Barnett, C. Schilling, C.R. Greenfeld, D. Tomic, and J.A. Flaws Ovarian follicle development and transgenic mouse models Hum. Reprod. Update, September 1, 2006; 12(5): 537 - 555. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
U. A. Bussmann and J. L. Baranao Regulation of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Expression in Rat Granulosa Cells Biol Reprod, September 1, 2006; 75(3): 360 - 369. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. P. Curran, K. A. Miller, T. P. Dalton, C. V. Vorhees, M. L. Miller, H. G. Shertzer, and D. W. Nebert Genetic Differences in Lethality of Newborn Mice Treated In Utero with Coplanar versus Non-Coplanar Hexabromobiphenyl Toxicol. Sci., February 1, 2006; 89(2): 454 - 464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
U. A. Bussmann, L. E. Bussmann, and J. L. Baranao An Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist Amplifies the Mitogenic Actions of Estradiol in Granulosa Cells: Evidence of Involvement of the Cognate Receptors Biol Reprod, February 1, 2006; 74(2): 417 - 426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Baba, J. Mimura, N. Nakamura, N. Harada, M. Yamamoto, K.-i. Morohashi, and Y. Fujii-Kuriyama Intrinsic Function of the Aryl Hydrocarbon (Dioxin) Receptor as a Key Factor in Female Reproduction Mol. Cell. Biol., November 15, 2005; 25(22): 10040 - 10051. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P Pocar, B Fischer, T Klonisch, and S Hombach-Klonisch Molecular interactions of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and its biological and toxicological relevance for reproduction Reproduction, April 1, 2005; 129(4): 379 - 389. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. Tomic, K. P. Miller, H. A. Kenny, T. K. Woodruff, P. Hoyer, and J. A. Flaws Ovarian Follicle Development Requires Smad3 Mol. Endocrinol., September 1, 2004; 18(9): 2224 - 2240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
