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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Three-dimensional Reconstruction of the Vascular Architecture of the Passive CLARITY-cleared Mouse Ovary
Published on: December 10, 2017
The ovary: basic biology and clinical implications
Joanne S Richards1, Stephanie A Pangas
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA. joanner@bcm.tmc.edu
Abstract:
The classical view of ovarian follicle development is that it is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, in which gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) controls the release of the gonadotropic hormones follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), and that ovarian steroids exert both negative and positive regulatory effects on GnRH secretion. More recent studies in mice and humans indicate that many other intra-ovarian signaling cascades affect follicular development and gonadotropin action in a stage- and context-specific manner. As we discuss here, mutant mouse models and clinical evidence indicate that some of the most powerful intra-ovarian regulators of follicular development include the TGF-beta/SMAD, WNT/FZD/beta-catenin, and RAS/ERK1/2 signaling pathways and the FOXO/FOXL2 transcription factors.
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