Differentially regulated genes in Esr2-mutant rat granulosa cells.

RNA seq analyses were performed in granulosa cells (GCs) collected from gonadotropin treated ESR2 mutant rats. Data obtained from a null mutant with Esr2 exon 3 deletion (?3) and another DNA binding domain (DBD) mutant with exon 4 deletion (?4) were compared to that of wildtype (WT) rats. The raw data were analyzed using CLC genomics workbench. High quality RNA-sequencing reads were aligned to the Rattus norvegicus genome. Differentially expressed genes in ?3 or ?4 Esr2-mutant GCs were identified based on the following criteria: FDR p-Value =0.05 and an absolute fold change of 2. Fewer differentially expressed genes were identified in ?3 compared to the ?4 mutant group. As both of the mutant groups demonstrated a common phenotype of ovulation failure, differentially expressed genes common to both in ?3 and ?4 mutant rats were emphasized and further analyzed in the companion article “ESR2 regulates granulosa cell genes essential for follicle maturation and ovulation” (Khristi et al., 2018).