Research Paper Volume 13, Issue 1 pp 1096—1119

The endothelial nitric oxide synthase/cyclic guanosine monophosphate/protein kinase G pathway activates primordial follicles

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Figure 5. The eNOS/cGMP/PKG pathway activated PFs via mTOR in preGCs. (A) The relative mRNA levels of mTOR in oocytes and somatic cells isolated from ovaries at 3 dpp. *** denotes statistical significance at p < 0.001. (B) The colocalization of mTOR and PKG was detected via immunofluorescence in neonatal ovaries at 3 and 7 dpp. Arrows indicate PFs and triangles indicate GFs. Scale bar, 40 μm. Ovaries at 1 dpp were treated with the vehicle, 8Br (10 μM), the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (Rapa) or 8Br + Rapa for six days (n=6). (C) The ovarian morphology and 9 (D) the numbers of PFs and GFs/the total number of follicles were analyzed. Scale bar, 40 μm. (E) Ovaries at 1 dpp were treated with the vehicle, 8Br (10 μM), the KIT inhibitor AX (5 μM) or 8Br + AX for six days (n=6). The numbers of PFs and GFs/the total number of follicles were analyzed. Different letters with the same color denote statistical significance at p < 0.001 (Red letters represent the proportions of PFs, while black letters represent the proportions of GFs).