PMID- 12629678
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20040106
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 1552-4884 (Print)
IS  - 1552-4884 (Linking)
VI  - 271
IP  - 2
DP  - 2003 Apr
TI  - Connexin43 is expressed in mouse fetal ovary.
PG  - 360-7
AB  - Developmental studies have shown that connexin43 (Cx43) is expressed in the ovary 
      from the first day of life and throughout the rest of postnatal development. In 
      both mouse embryonic ovaries and testes, target-directed deletion of Cx43 gene 
      induces a significant decrease in germinal cells, but the exact mechanism 
      determining this reduction remains unknown. Moreover, recently we found that Cx43 
      is abundantly expressed in mouse testes from the earliest stages of its fetal 
      development. In the present work we investigate whether Cx43 transcript and 
      protein are expressed in mouse embryonic ovaries. Total RNA was analyzed with 
      specific Cx43 oligonucleotides in RT-PCR studies. A Cx43 PCR product was detected 
      in ovaries at 16.5 and 18.5 days postcoitum (dpc). Bands of 43-45 kDa, 
      characteristic of Cx43, were detected in immunoblots of total homogenates of 
      ovaries at 14.5 and 18.5 dpc. Cell type-specific expression of Cx43 was 
      investigated using double-labeled sections incubated with specific antibodies 
      against Cx43 and the enzyme 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3betaHSD) or a 
      germ cell nuclear antigen (GCNA1), which are cell markers of steroidogenic and 
      germinal cells, respectively. At 18.5 dpc, Cx43 was found in conglomerates of 
      3betaHSD-positive cells. Cx43 was also localized at homocellular junctions 
      between parenchyma pregranulosa cells, and at heterocellular junctions between 
      pregranulosa and germinal cells. At these two latter localizations, Cx43 was 
      traced back to 12.5 dpc. In conclusion, this study demonstrates for the first 
      time that from the earliest stages of embryonic ovary development, Cx43 is 
      expressed in principal cell types involved in control of female fertility. These 
      data suggest that the gap junctions formed with Cx43 between somatic and germinal 
      cells may be necessary for prenatal expansion of germinal cells at initial stages 
      of fetal gonadal development.
CI  - Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
FAU - Perez-Armendariz, E Martha
AU  - Perez-Armendariz EM
AD  - Unidad de Salud Reproductiva, UNISSER, Departamento de Medicina Experimental, 
      Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Hospital General 
      de Mexico, Mexico DF, Mexico. eperez@servidor.unam.mx
FAU - Saez, Juan C
AU  - Saez JC
FAU - Bravo-Moreno, J Francisco
AU  - Bravo-Moreno JF
FAU - Lopez-Olmos, Victoria
AU  - Lopez-Olmos V
FAU - Enders, George C
AU  - Enders GC
FAU - Villalpando, Irma
AU  - Villalpando I
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol
JT  - The anatomical record. Part A, Discoveries in molecular, cellular, and 
      evolutionary biology
JID - 101234285
RN  - 0 (Connexin 43)
RN  - 0 (DNA Primers)
RN  - 0 (RNA, Messenger)
RN  - EC 1.1.- (3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases)
SB  - IM
EIN - Anat Rec. 2003 Jul;273A(1):669
MH  - 3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases/metabolism
MH  - Animals
MH  - Connexin 43/genetics/*metabolism
MH  - DNA Primers/chemistry
MH  - Female
MH  - Fetus/*metabolism
MH  - *Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
MH  - Immunoenzyme Techniques
MH  - Mice/*metabolism
MH  - Ovary/*embryology/*metabolism
MH  - RNA, Messenger/metabolism
MH  - Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
MH  - Theca Cells/metabolism
EDAT- 2003/03/12 04:00
MHDA- 2004/01/07 05:00
CRDT- 2003/03/12 04:00
PHST- 2003/03/12 04:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2004/01/07 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/03/12 04:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1002/ar.a.10040 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2003 Apr;271(2):360-7. doi: 
      10.1002/ar.a.10040.