| First Author | Dierich A | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 23 | Pages | 13612-7 |
| PubMed ID | 9811848 | Mgi Jnum | J:50933 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1313058 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.95.23.13612 |
| Citation | Dierich A, et al. (1998) Impairing follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) signaling in vivo: targeted disruption of the FSH receptor leads to aberrant gametogenesis and hormonal imbalance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95(23):13612-7 |
| abstractText | Pituitary gonadotropins follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone stimulate the gonads by regulating germ cell proliferation and differentiation. FSH receptors (FSH-Rs) are localized to testicular Sertoli cells and ovarian granulosa cells and are coupled to activation of the adenylyl cyclase and other signaling pathways. Activation of FSH-Rs is considered essential for folliculogenesis in the female and spermatogenesis in the male. We have generated mice lacking FSH-R by homologous recombination. FSH-R-deficient males are fertile but display small testes and partial spermatogenic failure. Thus, although FSH signaling is not essential for initiating spermato-genesis, it appears to be required for adequate viability and motility of the sperms. FSH-R-deficient females display thin uteri and small ovaries and are sterile because of a block in folliculogenesis before antral follicle formation. Although the expression of marker genes is only moderately altered in FSH-R -/- mice, drastic sex-specific changes are observed in the levels of various hormones. The anterior lobe of the pituitary gland in females is enlarged and reveals a larger number of FSH- and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-positive cells. The phenotype of FSH-R -/- mice is reminiscent of human hypergonadotropic ovarian dysgenesis and infertility. |
