Regulation of oogenesis by oocyte-specific gene networks

Abstract

Although, development of traditional and conditional transgenic knockout mice models has been critical in revealing how oocyte-expressed transcripts regulate oocyte growth and embryo development, many aspects concerning reproduction remain to be determined. Recent studies have demonstrated that oocyte-specific transcriptional regulators play essential roles in regulating various stages of oogenesis, folliculogenesis and early embryonic development. In this book chapter, we categorized and reviewed transcriptional regulators based upon their known function in germ cells: (1) those that are specifically expressed in the female germline and appear to function only in oocytes (Figla and Nobox); (2) those that are expressed in both male and female germline and affect both male and female fertility (Sohlh1 and Sohlh2); and (3) those that are highly expressed in germ cells, but show additional expression in other somatic tissues (Lhx8, Pou5f1 and Yy1). These investigations will provide insight into the regulation of mammalian fertility.