Mammalian eggs (oocytes) are formed during fetal life and establish associations with
somatic cells to form primordial follicles that create a store of germ cells (the primordial pool) …

Retinoic acid (RA), a metabolite of retinol (vitamin A), functions as a ligand for nuclear RA
receptors (RARs) that regulate development of chordate animals. RA-RARs can activate or …

Retinoic acid (RA) signalling has a central role during vertebrate development. RA
synthesized in specific locations regulates transcription by interacting with nuclear RA …

The requirement for vitamin A in reproduction was first recognized in the early 1900's, and its
importance in the eyes of develo** embryos was realized shortly after. A greater …

Organogenesis of the ovary is a highly orchestrated process involving multiple lineage
determination of ovarian surface epithelium, granulosa cells and theca cells. Although the …

In order to reveal the complex mechanism governing the mitotic/meiotic switch in female
germ cells at epigenomic and genomic levels, we examined the chromatin accessibility …

The divergence of distinct cell populations from multipotent progenitors is poorly understood,
particularly in vivo. The gonad is an ideal place to study this process, because it originates …

The active metabolite of vitamin A, retinoic acid (RA), is a powerful regulator of gene
transcription. RA is also a therapeutic drug. The oxidative metabolism of RA by certain …

Meiosis is differently regulated in males and females. In females, germ cells initiate meiosis
within a limited time period in the fetal ovary and undergo a prolonged meiotic arrest until …

Direct evidence for a role of endogenous retinoic acid (RA), the active metabolite of vitamin
A in the initial differentiation and meiotic entry of spermatogonia, and thus in the initiation of …