The School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A question that has intrigued reproductive scientists for years is whether the female gamete participates in the proliferation and differentiation of the ovarian follicle. Our interest in the female gamete or germinal disc in the chicken stems from the discovery that the germinal disc region (germinal disc and its overlying granulosa cells) (GDR) is essential for proper follicular development. Our overall goal is to establish that the GDR is the proliferative center of the follicle, to determine the mechanism by which the GDR assumes that role, and to examine whether gonado-tropins influence the function of the GDR as a center of proliferation.

Our recent discovery of the presence of aromatase, the enzyme that converts androgens to estrogen and its mRNA in germ cells of male mice, rats, and roosters suggests that germ cells synthesize estrogen. A very exciting discovery was the localization of estrogen receptors in the epididymis of the rooster which indicated that the epididymis is a target for estrogen. Future studies will address the role of estrogen in regulating epididymal function and ultimately fertility. This research is being done in collaboration with David Bunick and Rex Hess.