Hanxue Zhang, Rainer B Lanz, Jimmy Dhillon, Paul D Soloway, Bo Shui, Yi Athena Ren
Endocrinology, Volume 166, Issue 7, July 2025, bqaf081
https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqaf081
The preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge orchestrates complex cellular and molecular events leading to ovulation. CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins α and β (C/EBPα/β) are transcription factors acutely induced by the LH surge and crucial for ovulation and granulosa cell luteinization. However, biological processes (BPs) and their regulatory mechanisms downstream of C/EBPα/β in the preovulatory ovary are not completely understood. To address this knowledge gap, we generated Cebpa/bfl/fl;Pgr-Cre mutants and compared them with Cebpa/bfl/fl;Cyp19a1-Cre mutant female mice: Cebpa/bfl/fl;Cyp19a1-Cre mutants have undetectable levels of C/EBPα/β throughout the preovulatory stages and do not ovulate, aligning with previous reports; and Cebpa/bfl/fl;Pgr-Cre mutants present gradual depletion of C/EBPα/β during the late preovulatory stage and a reduced ovulation rate. Comparison of these two models indicates that sustained expression of C/EBPα/β throughout the preovulatory stages is necessary for successful ovulation and provides a unique opportunity to interrogate gene regulatory mechanisms by C/EBPα/β during different preovulatory time windows and the effect of dysregulating C/EBPα/β on ovulation-associated BPs. Our study revealed that C/EBPα/β regulate gene expression and distinct biological functions such as vascular remodeling via dose- and preovulatory stage–dependent mechanisms. These findings shed new light on the intricate mechanisms of gene regulation by C/EBPα/β downstream of the LH surge.
We provide our journal authors with a variety of resources for increasing the discoverability and citation of their published work. Use these tools and tips to broaden the impact of your article.
Read our special collections of Endocrine Society journal articles, curated by topic, Altmetric Attention Scores, and Featured Article designations.