github link
Accession IconSRP099303

Retinoic acid signaling is dispensable for somatic development and function of the developing ovary

Organism Icon Mus musculus
Sample Icon 10 Downloadable Samples
Technology Badge IconIllumina HiSeq 2500

Submitter Supplied Information

Description
Retinoic acid (RA) is a potent inducer of cell differentiation and plays an essential role in sex-specific germ cell development in the mammalian gonad. RA is essential for male gametogenesis and hence fertility. However, RA can also disrupt sexual cell fate in somatic cells of the testis, promoting transdifferentiation of male Sertoli cells to female granulosa-like cells when the male sexual regulator Dmrt1 is absent. The feminizing ability of RA in the somatic testis suggests that RA might normally play a role in somatic cell differentiation or cell fate maintenance in the ovary. To test for this possibility we disrupted RA signaling in somatic cells of the early fetal ovary using three genetic strategies and one pharmaceutical approach. We found that deleting all three RA receptors (RARs) in the XX somatic gonad at the time of sex determination did not significantly affect ovarian differentiation, follicle development, or female fertility. Transcriptome analysis of adult triple mutant ovaries revealed remarkably little effect on gene expression in the absence of somatic RAR function. Likewise, deletion of three RA synthesis enzymes (Aldha1-3) at the time of sex determination did not masculinize the ovary. A dominant-negative RAR transgene altered granulosa cell proliferation, likely due to interference with a non-RA signaling pathway, but did not affect granulosa cell specification or fertility. Finally, culture of fetal XX gonads with an RAR antagonist blocked germ cell meiotic initiation but did not disrupt sex-biased gene expression. We conclude that RA signaling, although crucial in the ovary for meiotic initiation, is not required for granulosa cell specification, differentiation, or reproductive function. Overall design: Ovaries from six week old mice with five replicates in each of two genotypes were analyzed by RNA-Seq
PubMed ID
Total Samples
10
Submitter’s Institution
No associated institution

Samples

Show of 0 Total Samples
Filter
Add/Remove
Accession Code
Title
Age
Specimen part
Cell line
Subject
Processing Information
Additional Metadata
No rows found
Loading...