Examining the role of ER ⍺ and β in ovarian granulosa cell transdifferentiation in aged ovaries

To examine the role of estrogen receptors (ERs) on ovarian function in aged animals and indentify genes that may contribute to ovarian transdifferentation in ovaries lacking both ER⍺ and Erβ. Gene expression was examined in single knockout and double knockout ovaries and identified genes that were different in each. Among the three knockout animals examined, only 43 genes were shared among the Ex3⍺ERKO, Ex3βERKO and Ex3⍺βERKO compared to the control. The Ex3⍺ERKO ovaries had 645 genes differentially expressed, the Ex3βERKO had 94 genes differentailly expressed and the Ex3⍺βERKO had the most differentially expressed with 2,193 genes compared to control ovaries which had one allele of each ER. Ovaries were collected from year old mice and homogenized in TRIzol. Total RNA was isolated following manufacturers procedures.