Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2010
Capstone Advisor
Dr. Melissa Pepling
Honors Reader
Dr. John Belote
Capstone Major
Biology
Capstone College
Arts and Science
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Sciences and Engineering
Subject Categories
Biochemistry | Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology
Abstract
During embryogenesis in the mouse, primordial germ cells develop, move to the genital ridge of the embryo, and form germline cysts as the ovary develops. The cells in these cysts are linked by intercellular bridges. The cysts then undergo a breakdown process which ultimately results in primordial follicles, each of which consists of a single oocyte surrounded by somatic cells called granulosa cells. During this cyst breakdown process, approximately one-third of the original oocytes become enclosed in primordial follicles, the amount of which is representative of the number of eggs a female will have available to her during her reproductive life, while the other oocytes die. It has already been evidenced that introducing environmental estrogens into the female mouse during one of three critical time periods in development can alter oocyte development, thus limiting the female’s number of primordial follicles that can be used to reproduce. Because the cyst breakdown mechanism is conserved in other mammals; the mouse can be used as a model for studying germ cell development in humans, thus providing valuable insight into female reproductive disorders that may be caused by follicle depletion, such as primary amenhorrea and premature ovarian insufficiency. My area of research is to determine whether exogenous estrogens have an effect on cyst breakdown during the perinatal period. In order to accomplish this, neonatal mice were injected subcutaneously with two concentrations of three different estrogenic compounds on post-natal days 1-4 (PND1-4). These mice were dissected for their ovaries on PND5. After dissection, the ovaries were fixed, stained with an oocyte marker, and observed using a laser-scanning confocal microscope. The images were analyzed to characterize and quantify the follicles within the ovaries, and the results were compared to see if there was a difference between the amount of cyst breakdown and the progression of follicle development between the experimental groups and the control group. Additionally, materials that were used to prepare the injections of exogenous estrogens were separately tested on mice in order to test the effectiveness of the injection materials.
Recommended Citation
Karavan, Jenna Rose, "The Effect of Exogenous Estrogens on Primordial Follicle Assembly in Vivo" (2010). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 356.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/356
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
