The vertebrate nuclear hormone receptor steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1; NR5A1) controls reproductive development and regulates the transcription of steroid-modifying cytochrome P450 genes. We find that the SF1-related Drosophila nuclear hormone receptor HR39 is also essential for sexual development. In Hr39 mutant females, the sperm-storing spermathecae and glandular parovaria are absent or defect...

Mature mammalian spermatozoa are quiescent in the male reproductive tract. Upon ejaculation and during their transit through the female reproductive tract, they undergo changes that enable them to fertilize the egg. During this process of capacitation, they acquire progressive motility, develop hyperactivated motility, and are readied for the acrosome reaction. All of these processes are regula...

Many phthalate ester plasticizers are classified as peroxisome proliferators (PP), a large group of industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals. Like PP, exposure to some phthalates increases hepatocyte peroxisome and cellular proliferation, as well as the incidence of hepatocellular adenomas in mice and rats. Most effects of PP are mediated by three nuclear receptors called peroxisome proliferator...

Lysozyme-like proteins (LYZLs) belong to the class of c-type lysozymes and are not well characterized in many species including the rat. In this study, using in silico and molecular biology techniques, we report the identification, cloning and characterization of rat Lyzl4 gene and also determine the expression pattern of Lyzl1, Lyzl3 and Lyzl6. The rat Lyzl genes were found to be distributed o...

Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is characterized by uterine and vaginal canal aplasia in normal karyotype human females and is a syndrome with poorly defined etiology. Reproductive toxicity of phthalate esters (PEs) occurs in rat offspring exposed in utero, a phenomenon that is better studied in male offspring than females. The current study reports female reproductive tract malf...