Fig. 1.

Recombination and deletion of the Ctgf conditional allele in the uterus and ovary. A and B, PCR analyses for Ctgf cKO genotyping. Representative PCR images are shown. Flox/− and Flox/+ are abbreviated as F/− and F/+, respectively. C and D, Recombination of Ctgf-flox alleles in the genomic DNA from granulosa cells. E and F, Ctgf transcript levels measured in granulosa cells by real-time qPCR in WT (n = 3), control (n = 3), and both Ctgf cKO female mice (n = 3 for each genotype). Levels of Ctgf relative quantity (RQ) are shown relative to the WT. Ctgf expression is efficiently ablated in the granulosa cells of Ctgf cKO female mice. The data are shown as means ± sem. WT values were set to equal 1. *, P < 0.05; ***, P < 0.001 (vs. WT female mice). G, Representative Western blots of total CTGF protein levels in uterine tissues and granulosa cells from control and both Ctgf cKO female mice. Compared with WT and control female mice, CTGF was markedly lower or undetectable in both Ctgf cKO female mice.