Germ cell specific overactivation of WNT/βcatenin signalling has no effect on folliculogenesis but causes fertility defects due to abnormal foetal development.

ABSTRACT: All the major components of the WNT signalling pathway are expressed in female germ cells and embryos. However, their functional relevance in oocyte biology is currently unclear. We examined ovaries collected from TCFGFP mice, a well-known Wnt reporter mouse model, and found dynamic changes in the Wnt/βcatenin signalling activity during different stages of oocyte development and maturation. To understand the functional importance of Wnt signalling in oocytes, we developed a mouse model with the germ cell-specific constitutive activation of βcatenin using cre recombinase driven by the DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box protein 4 (Ddx4) gene promoter. Histopathological and functional analysis of ovaries from these mutant mice (Ctnnb1(ex3)cko) showed no defects in ovarian functions, oocytes, ovulatio

SUBMITTER: Kumar M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4893675 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature