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. 2017 May 15;127(6):2106–2117. doi: 10.1172/JCI90281

Figure 6. Sohlh1 overexpression with Gdf9 promoter–driven Cre rescues Sohlh1–/– fertility but not the primordial follicle reserve.

Figure 6

(A and B) Conditional expression of Sohlh1 from the CCS1 transgene with Gdf9-Cre rescued Sohlh1–/– folliculogenesis. Histology sections were stained with anti-NOBOX antibodies to identify oocyte nuclei. The WT ovary showed various stages of folliculogenesis, while the Sohlh1–/– ovary lacked oocytes at 5 weeks. CCS1 Sohlh1–/– mice showed normal folliculogenesis from primary to large antral follicles at 5 weeks and 8 months, but had an unusually low number of primordial follicles (n = 3 per group). (C) Primordial follicle numbers in WT and CCS1 Sohlh1–/– mice at 5 weeks and 8 months (n = 5 per group). (D and E) Fertility testing of CCS1 Sohlh1–/– mice over a period of 6 months (n = 3 per group). (F) Expression levels of Sohlh1, Sohlh2, mCherry, and Gdf9 in WT, Sohlh1-deficient (Sohlh1–/–), and Sohlh1–/–-rescued ovaries (CCS1 Sohlh1–/–). **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001, by 2-tailed Student’s t test. Data represent the mean ± SEM and are representative of at least 3 independent experiments.