Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction Tissue remodelling, and deposition of extracellular matrix and basement membrane are critical processes in the formation and development of ovarian follicles. Collagen is a major component of the ECM. Though there is substantial literature concerning the breakdown of collagen in the ovary, little attention has been given to the processes of collagen formation and deposition. Lysyl oxidase (LO) is critical in this process, being the enzyme responsible for the final...

CTGF is a heparin-binding multi-domain growth factor, stimulated by TGF- beta, and implicated as a paracrine regulator of mitosis, angiogenesis, cellular taxis and remodelling of the extracellular matrix in diverse epithelial cell layers. To examine the roles of CTGF in the ovarian paracrine system, we studied rat granulosa cell CTGF gene expression both in vitro and in vivo. Untreated granulosa cell monolayers from DES-treated immature rats expressed abundant ap...