BACKGROUND Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF9), a member of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family and the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta superfamily, has recently been implicated in the biological control of cancer cell behaviour. It has also been implicated in the development and spread of solid cancer. However, the role of GDF9 in kidney cancer remains to be investigated. In t...

In order to study the regulation of the growth differentiation factor-9 (gdf9) gene in a primitive teleost with semelparous life history, we cloned a cDNA encoding shortfinned eel Gdf9, expressed a partial peptide in Escherichia coli, and raised an antiserum to evaluate changes in Gdf9 expression during its pituitary homogenate-induced reproductive cycle. The effects of in vivo and in vitro exp...

STUDY QUESTION Do any mutations in growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) have a role in diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) in young women? SUMMARY ANSWER The GDF9 p.R146C mutation may be a source of DOR in some young women. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY DOR affects 10% of women under 37 years of age and is associated with accelerated expenditure of follicles. GDF9 is an oocyte-secreted factor that p...

The TGF-β superfamily is the largest family of secreted proteins in mammals, and members of the TGF-β family are involved in most developmental and physiological processes. Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), oocyte-secreted paralogs of the TGF-β superfamily, have been shown genetically to control ovarian physiology. Although previous studies found ...

Growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF9) is an oocyte secreted paracrine factor essential for mammalian ovarian folliculogenesis. Like other members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) superfamily, GDF9 is synthesized as a prepropeptide which needs processing by furin-like proteases to result in an active mature protein. We have previously characterized a preparation of unpurified re...

The oocyte-secreted polypeptide growth factors, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15, also known as GDF9B) have both been shown to be essential for ovarian follicular growth and function. The effects of murine (m) and ovine (o) GDF9 as well as oBMP15, alone or together, on 3H-thymidine uptake and progesterone and inhibin production by granulosa cells f...

CONTEXT Genes from the ovarian bone morphogenetic signaling pathway (GDF9 and BMP15) are critical for normal human fertility. We previously identified a deletion mutation in GDF9 in sisters with spontaneous dizygotic (DZ) twins, but the prevalence of rare GDF9 variants in twinning families is unknown. OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate the frequency of rare variants in GDF9 in families w...

BACKGROUND Oocyte secreted factors (OSFs), including growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), play an important role in the process of follicular development and oocyte maturation. Since OSFs are expressed in oocytes and cumulus granulosa cells, the aim of the present study was to explore whether the expression levels of GDF9 and BMP15 mRNAs in cumulus g...

A loss of function mutation in growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) in sheep causes increased ovulation rate and infertility in a dosage-sensitive manner. Spontaneous dizygotic (DZ) twinning in the human is under genetic control and women with a history of DZ twinning have an increased incidence of multiple follicle growth and multiple ovulation. We sequenced the GDF9 coding region in DNA sam...

BACKGROUND It has been reported that calf oocytes are less developmentally competent than oocytes obtained from adult cows. Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth and differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) play critical roles in folliculogenesis, follicular development and ovulation in mammalian ovaries. In the present study, we attempted to compare the expression patterns of BMP15 and GDF9 ...