Figure 2.
Deletion of ESR1 in the pituitary gland altered the HPG-axis. (A) ESR1 expression in pituitary glands from PgrCreEsr1KO compared to Esr1f/f adult females (n = 3 mice/genotype). β-actin was used as a loading control for each sample. (B) Serum LH levels from ovary-intact females at 8 to 9 weeks of age in randomly cycling females (n = 20–25 mice/genotype). ***P < .001, significantly different from Esr1f/f; unpaired 2-tailed Student’s t-test. (C) Vaginal smear in PgrCreEsr1KO compared to Esr1f/f females at the age of 47 to 64 days old (n = 7–10 mice/genotype). Three representative animals shown for each group. (D) H&E staining of cross-sections of ovaries from adult Esr1f/f and PgrCreEsr1KO females. Representative images are shown (n = 4 mice/genotype). Scale bar = 1 mm. (e) Number of total oocytes ovulated in the oviduct after gonadotropin treatment at 5 to 7 weeks of age (n = 13 mice/genotype). Each data point represents one biological replicate. Abbreviations: E, estrus; D, diestrus; M, metestrus; ns; not significantly different from Esr1f/f females; P, proestrus.