Analysis Tools
reproductive system
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• mutant females display normal estrous cycles and mating behavior relative to control littermates
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• adult day-1 pregnant female mutants display reduced ovarian weights relative to age-matched control littermates
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• unlike wild-type, mutant oviducts lack extensive coiling and appear more transparent under a dissecting microscope
• distended sac-like structures filled with clear fluid are observed at the end of the oviduct near the uterotubal junction
• oviducts of both immature and pregnant female mutants rupture easily, do not appear patent, and cannot be flushed
• mutant oviducts display a disorganized epithelial cell layer while the isthmus region is almost devoid of smooth muscle tissue
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• both untreated and eCG+hCG-treated immature (day 25) and adult day-1 pregnant female mutants display shorter oviducts that are less than one half the length of control littermates
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• mutant uteri appear more transparent than control uteri under a dissecting microscope
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• both eCG+hCG-treated immature and adult pregnant female mutants exhibit reduced numbers of uterine glands relative to control littermates
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• both eCG+hCG-treated immature and adult pregnant female mutants display a thinner myometrial layer relative to control littermates
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• both untreated and eCG+hCG-treated immature (day 25) female mutants show a significant reduction in the length and diameter of uterine horns relative to control littermates
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small uterus
(
J:142113
)
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• mutant uteri are hypotrophic, approximately two thirds the length of control littermates, and contain much less smooth muscle
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• adult day-1 pregnant female mutants display reduced uterine weights relative to age-matched control littermates
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• unlike embryos developing in wild-type females, embryos in mutant females fail to enter the uterus on day 4 of pregnancy, indicating disruption of oviductal transport; most are found in the upper one third of the oviduct instead of the uterus
• only a few embryos progress through the oviduct to the isthmus; however, these are mostly fragmented and some zonae pellucidae are lost
• in contrast, in vitro cultured pronuclear (day-1) embryos collected from mutant donors develop at a similar rate as those derived from wild-type females
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• female mutants exhibit decreased numbers of naturally ovulated cumulus-oocyte complexes relative to control littermates
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• immature eCG+hCG-treated female mutants display a reduced ovulation rate relative to similarly treated wild-type females
• immature mutant females given eCG alone (46 hrs) exhibit fewer large antral follicles in their ovaries than similarly treated control littermates
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• embryos collected from mutant females on day-3 of pregnancy appear developmentally delayed relative to control embryos
• embryos collected from mutant females on day-4 of pregnancy exhibit increased fragmentation and degeneration relative to control embryos
• however, in vitro fertilized oocytes derived from mutant donor mice are able to establish a pregnancy in wild-type recipients with normal fetal development up to at least E15
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• at day-6 and -7 of pregnancy, mutant females exhibit no evidence of implantation; in contrast, all wild-type females display 9.8 0.4 implantation sites per dam
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• mutant females fail to produce any offspring over a 5-month breeding period with adult wild-type males of known fertility
• in contrast, male mutants are able to sire multiple litters with wild-type females
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homeostasis/metabolism
| N |
• eCG+hCG-treated immature female mutants show no significant changes in estrogen levels relative to control littermates
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• on day-6 of pregnancy, mutant females show a slight (24%) decrease in serum progesterone levels relative to controls
• however, no significant changes in serum progesterone concentrations are noted through day-4 of pregnancy
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endocrine/exocrine glands
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• both eCG+hCG-treated immature and adult pregnant female mutants exhibit reduced numbers of uterine glands relative to control littermates
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• adult day-1 pregnant female mutants display reduced ovarian weights relative to age-matched control littermates
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