Analysis of gene expression levels in ovaries of wild-type and ABCG5/G8 knockout mice

A heterodimer of ATP-binding cassette transporters G5 and G8 (ABCG5/G8) functions as a lipid exporter in the intestine. Homozygous ABCG5/G8 knockout female mice exhibit infertility under normal chow diet conditions due to impaired folliculogenesis and poor egg quality. Interestingly, this infertility was restored by changing the diet from a chow diet (CD) to a vegetable oil-free diet (VOFD). To elucidate mechanisms underlying the diet-induced infertiility in ABCG5/G8 KO mice, RNA-seq analyses were conducted and found that multiple genes potentially involved in the reproductive system and embryogenesis, in addition to those involved in sterol biosynthesis, were down regulated in the ovaryes from CD-fed infertile KO mice compared to those from fertile CD-fed wild-type mice and VOFD-fed KO mice. Overall design: RNA-seq analyses were conducted to analyze differences in gene expression in the ovaries of CD-fed fertile wild-type mice, CD-fed infertile KO mice, and VOFD-fed fertile KO mice.