Dkk2 gene regulates ovarian granulosa cell growth and female fertility through the Wnt signaling pathway

To understand the effect of the Dkk2 gene on mammalian follicle development, we generated Dkk2-deficient C57 mice by CRISPR/Cas9. Through a series of experimental studies, we found that deletion of the Dkk2 gene affected the reproductive ability of female mice. Further experiments demonstrated that deletion of the Dkk2 gene inhibited ovarian granulosa cell proliferation and promoted ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis thereby promoting follicular atresia in mice. In this study, we hypothesized that Dkk2 gene may regulate follicle development through the WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathway by the RNA-seq of ovarian tissues from Dkk2 knockout mice and wild-type mice. Overall, the Dkk2 gene has an important role in the fate of mouse follicles.