Protein tied to lifetime fertility

Aprotein in mouse ovaries regulates formation of the ovarian-follicle reserve, which comprises a mammal’s lifetime supply of egg cells and surrounding support cells. That's according to new study conducted by a U.S.-Canadian team. The discovery provides a foundation for further research regarding premature ovarian insufficiency and menopause in women and reproductive problems in dairy cows.

Discovery of the protein, called Steroidogenic factor 1 – SF-1, and identifying its role has implications for human and cattle reproductive health and success, said Camilla Hughes, who led the research as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Montreal. She’s now an assistant professor of reproductive biology in the Pennsylvania State University-College of Agricultural Sciences.