Project description:Sex determination of the gonads begins with fate specification of gonadal supporting cells into either ovarian granulosa cells or testicular Sertoli cells. This process of fate specification hinges on a balance of transcriptional control. We discovered that the transcription factor RUNX1 is enriched in the fetal ovary in rainbow trout, turtle, mouse, and human. In the mouse, RUNX1 marks the supporting cell lineage and becomes granulosa cell-specific as the gonads differentiate. RUNX1 plays complementary/redundant roles with FOXL2 to maintain fetal granulosa cell identity, and combined loss of RUNX1 and FOXL2 results in masculinization of the fetal ovaries. To determine whether interplay between RUNX1 and FOXL2 occurs at the chromatin level, we performed genome-wide analysis of RUNX1 chromatin occupancy in E14.5 ovaries. The top de novo motif identified in RUNX1 ChIP-seq matched the RUNX motif. We found that RUNX1 chromatin occupancy was partially overlapping with FOXL2 chromatin occupancy in fetal ovaries.
Project description:We discovered that expression of the transcription factor RUNX1 is enriched in the fetal ovary in various vertebrate species. In the mouse, RUNX1 marks the supporting cell lineage and becomes granulosa cell-specific as the gonads differentiate. To understand the function of Runx1 during fetal development of the ovary, we ablated Runx1 specifically in the somatic cell lineage of the fetal ovaries using Sf1-Cre . We compared ovarian differentiation in wild type, Runx1 and Foxl2 single knockouts, and Runx1/Foxl2 double knockout ovaries. Transcriptome comparisons of newborn ovaries revealed that loss of Runx1 or Foxl2 affected a similar set of genes: 41% of the genes affected by the loss of Runx1 were also changed by the loss of Foxl2. Despite these transcriptomic changes, granulosa cell identity was maintained during fetal life in both Runx1 or Foxl2 single knockout ovaries. However, the combined loss of Runx1/Foxl2 resulted in masculinization of the ovaries during fetal life. To further characterize the impacts of the combined loss of Runx1 and Foxl2 on ovarian differentiation, we compared the transcriptome of Runx1/Foxl2 DKO newborn ovaries with the transcriptomes of control, Runx1, or Foxl2 single KO ovaries.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE12905: Foxl2 functions in sex determination and histogenesis throughout mouse ovary development, analyzed by Affymetrix arrays GSE12942: Foxl2 functions in sex determination and histogenesis throughout mouse ovary development, analyzed by Agilent arrays Refer to individual Series
Project description:Sex determination of the gonads begins with fate specification of gonadal supporting cells into either ovarian pre-granulosa cells or testicular Sertoli cells. This fate specification hinges on a balance of transcriptional control. Here we report that expression of the transcription factor RUNX1 is enriched in the fetal ovary in rainbow trout, turtle, mouse, goat, and human. In the mouse, RUNX1 marks the supporting cell lineage and becomes pre-granulosa cell-specific as the gonads differentiate. RUNX1 plays complementary/redundant roles with FOXL2 to maintain fetal granulosa cell identity and combined loss of RUNX1 and FOXL2 results in masculinization of fetal ovaries. At the chromatin level, RUNX1 occupancy overlaps partially with FOXL2 occupancy in the fetal ovary, suggesting that RUNX1 and FOXL2 target common sets of genes. These findings identify RUNX1, with an ovary-biased expression pattern conserved across species, as a regulator in securing the identity of ovarian-supporting cells and the ovary.
Project description:Partial loss of function of the transcription factor FOXL2 leads to premature ovarian failure in women. In animal models, Foxl2 is required for maintenance, and possibly induction, of female sex determination independently of other critical genes, i.e., Rspo1 and Wnt4. Here we report expression profiling of mouse ovaries that lack Foxl2 alone or in combination with Wnt4 or Kit/c-Kit, to identify ovarian targets of Foxl2 that, along with some testis genes, were dysregulated during embryonic development. Loss of one copy of Foxl2 revealed strong gene dosage sensitivity, with molecular anomalies that were milder but resembled ovaries lacking both Foxl2 alleles. Furthermore, a Foxl2 transgene disrupted embryonic testis differentiation and increased the levels of key female markers. The results, including a comprehensive principal component analysis of published microarray datasets 1) support the proposal of dose-dependent Foxl2 function and anti-testis action throughout ovary differentiation; and 2) identify candidate genes for a role in sex determination independent of FOXL2 (notably, the transcription factor, ZBTB7C) and in the generation of the ovarian reserve downstream of it (e.g., the cadherin-domain protein CLSTN2, or the sphingomyelin synthase, SGMS2). The gene inventory provides a framework to analyze the genetic bases of ovarian development and female fertility. Keywords: reference design Comparison of Foxl2+/+,+/- and -/- whole ovaries at 2 timepoints delineating follicle formation
Project description:Partial loss of function of the transcription factor FOXL2 leads to premature ovarian failure in women. In animal models, Foxl2 is required for maintenance, and possibly induction, of female sex determination independently of other critical genes, i.e., Rspo1 and Wnt4. Here we report expression profiling of mouse ovaries that lack Foxl2 alone or in combination with Wnt4 or Kit/c-Kit, to identify ovarian targets of Foxl2 that, along with some testis genes, were dysregulated during embryonic development. Loss of one copy of Foxl2 revealed strong gene dosage sensitivity, with molecular anomalies that were milder but resembled ovaries lacking both Foxl2 alleles. Furthermore, a Foxl2 transgene disrupted embryonic testis differentiation and increased the levels of key female markers. The results, including a comprehensive principal component analysis of published microarray datasets 1) support the proposal of dose-dependent Foxl2 function and anti-testis action throughout ovary differentiation; and 2) identify candidate genes for a role in sex determination independent of FOXL2 (notably, the transcription factor, ZBTB7C) and in the generation of the ovarian reserve downstream of it (e.g., the cadherin-domain protein CLSTN2, or the sphingomyelin synthase, SGMS2). The gene inventory provides a framework to analyze the genetic bases of ovarian development and female fertility. Keywords: reference design
Project description:The Foxl2 transcription factor is required for ovarian function during follicular development. Our approach to begin to understand Foxl2 function is through the identification of Foxl2 regulated genes in the ovary. Transiently transfected KK1 mouse granulosa cells were used to identify genes that are potentially regulated by Foxl2. KK1 cells were transfected in three groups (mock, activated, and repressed) and twenty-four hours later RNA was isolated and submitted for Affymetrix microarray analysis. Experiment Overall Design: To increase the potential of Foxl2 to alter gene expression levels of putative target genes, two fusions were constructed consisting of Foxl2 fused to the activation domain of the Herpes simplex virus VP16 transcription factor (Foxl2-VP16) and Foxl2 fused to the repression domain of the murine MAD transcription factor (Foxl2-MAD). Levels of gene expression were compared between mock transfected cells and those that were transfected with Foxl2-VP16 and Foxl2-MAD, respectively.
Project description:FOXL2 is a transcription factor essential for female fertility, expressed in somatic cells of the ovary, notably granulosa cells. In the mouse, Foxl2 deletion leads to partial sex reversal postnatally. However, deletion of the gene in 8-week-old females leads to granulosa to Sertoli cell transdifferentiation. We hypothesised that different outcomes of Foxl2 deletion in embryonic versus adult ovary may depend on a different role played across ovarian development. Therefore, we characterised the dynamics of gene expression and chromatin accessibility changes in purified murine granulosa cells across key developmental stages (E14.5, 1 and 8 weeks). We then performed genome-wide identification of FOXL2 target genes and on-chromatin interacting partners by ChIP-SICAP. We found that FOXL2 regulates more genes at postnatal stages, through the interaction with factors regulating primordial follicle activation (PFA), such as NR5A2, and others regulating steroidogenesis including AR and ESR2. As a proof of principle experiment, we chose one FOXL2 interactor, Ubiquitin specific protease 7 (USP7) and showed that deletion of this gene in granulosa cells leads to a blockage of PFA, impaired ovary development and sterility. Our study constitutes a comprehensive resource for exploration of the molecular mechanisms of ovarian development and causes of female infertility.
Project description:FOXL2 is a lineage determining transcription factor in the ovary, but its direct targets and modes of action are not fully characterized. Here, we explore the genomic targets of FOXL2. We found in particular that FOXL2 directly modulates Esr2 expression through a newly identified intronic element. Input DNA and FOXL2 ChIP