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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.
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