Transcription factor GATA2 may potentiate follicle-stimulating hormone production in mice via induction of the BMP antagonist gremlin in gonadotrope cells.

ABSTRACT: Mammalian reproduction depends on the gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone, which are secreted by pituitary gonadotrope cells. The zinc-finger transcription factor GATA2 was previously implicated in FSH production in male mice; however, its mechanisms of action and role in females were not determined. To directly address GATA2 function in gonadotropes, we generated and analyzed gonadotrope-specific Gata2 KO mice using the Cre-lox system. We found that while conditional KO (cKO) males exhibited ∼50% reductions in serum FSH levels and pituitary FSHβ subunit (Fshb) expression relative to controls, FSH production was apparently normal in cKO females. In addition, RNA-seq analysis of purified gonadotropes from control and cKO males revealed a profound decre

SUBMITTER: Schang G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9251782 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature