Fig. 10. Loss of Fxna disrupts ovarian histogenesis and reduces follicular formation. Neonatal rat ovaries were exposed for 4 days in organ culture to LV-EGFP or LV-sh436. One ovary from each animal was treated with LV-EGFP and the contralateral ovary was treated with LV-sh436. The glands were then fixed, serially sectioned and stained as described in Materials and methods. (A,B) Low magnification view of a control ovary (A) and of a Fxna knock-down gland (B) showing immature regions. Primary follicles with normal appearance (arrows) are fewer in number in LV-sh436-treated ovaries. Scale bars, 100 µm. (C,D) Higher magnification images illustrating the presence of multiple primary follicles (one layer of granulosa cells; arrows) in control (LV-EGFP-treated) ovaries (C), and the disorganization of somatic and germ cells in Fxna knock-down ovaries treated with LV-sh436 (D). Note the aggregates of somatic cells not associated with oocytes (pair of arrows) and the clusters of oocytes encapsulated by a rim of somatic cells (arrows). Scale bars, 20 µm. (E) The number of naked oocytes is similar in Fxna-deficient (black bars) and control (white bars) ovaries (left), but the total number of follicles per ovary is decreased in Fxna knock-down ovaries (right). (F) The number of follicles at all stages of development (primordial, primary and secondary) is reduced in Fxna-deficient ovaries (black bars). Bars are mean±s.e.m. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of ovaries per group. ^*, P<0.01 versus LV-EGFP-treated group.