The mechanism by which rosiglitazone affects the progesterone biosynthetic pathway in undifferentiated human granulosa cells is unknown. In this study, we show that rosiglitazone activated the EGFR-ERK1/2 signalling pathway through PPARγ, which further increased STAR expression and progesterone production in human cumulus granulosa cells. These findings suggested that rosiglitazone may have unexpected side effects in granulosa cells, with implications for ovulation and fertility.

This paper describes a new regulator of female reproduction – the intracellular apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1. It can promote proliferation and alter the release of hormones and the response of porcine ovarian cells to the upstream hormonal regulators leptin and FSH. Therefore, this kinase and its regulators could be a new tool to control multiple ovarian functions.

Tissue engineering, with the application of whole-organ bio-scaffolds, provides new opportunities for organ regeneration and the treatment of currently incurable diseases. In this study, we introduced an efficient perfusion-based method to produce a naturally derived testis scaffold that closely resembles the properties of the native organ. The outcomes of this study could be employed in future investigations concerning the regeneration of testicular tissue.

The brain of the female sheep responds to the odour of a novel male within minutes by switching on the hormone system that controls ovulation. We have described the pattern of neuron activation that is responsible for this process and found the areas of the brain involved. The outcomes are relevant to the optimisation of fertility management in farm animals, wildlife and humans.

In sheep, the brain responds to acute increases in nutrition with increased ‘pulses’ of hormones responsible for fertility. We sought to identify the neurons responsible for this and identified kisspeptin neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. These data support the role of kisspeptin neurons acting as a hormone ‘pulse generator’, with implications for optimal fertility management.

The epidermal growth factor family is necessary for the regulation of multiple cellular processes required for mammalian reproduction. This study determined the localisation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB) family in cervical and vaginal cells. Expression of all ErbBs was higher in the luminal epithelium. These factors play an important role in stimulating the proliferation, differentiation and migration of epithelial cells.

Oestrogens and androgens regulate adenohypophyseal function during pregnancy. In this study, we investigated the relationship between serum levels of gonadal hormones and cell proliferation in pituitary pars distalis and pars tuberalis of non-pregnant and pregnant viscachas. Our results provide the morphological basis for discussing the likely role of gonadal steroids in the histophysiological variations of the pituitary in a rodent with unique reproductive characteristics compared with other mammals.

Finasteride may cause changes during the development of the male prostate; however, its effects on the female prostate are not known. In order to generate a comparative pattern, gerbils of both sexes were exposed to finasteride during the intrauterine period, and intersex differences were found. The female stroma proved to be more proliferative, and there was a greater thickening of the musculature around the prostatic alveoli in females than in males.

Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) is a non-conventional mode of inheritance likely resulting from the transmission of epigenetic factors between generations via the germline. The Mtrr^gt mouse line is a model of TEI and abnormal folate metabolism. We showed that Mtrr^gt mutants exhibit normal spermatogenesis and fertility. Therefore, we suggest that these parameters can be disregarded as confounders of the TEI mechanism in the Mtrr^gt model.

The DNA demethylation of foxl2 CpGI1 was correlated with the expression in flounder ovary differentiation. Foxl2 contributes to ovary differentiation by regulating the sex-dimorphic expression of cyp19a and dmrt1. The upregulation of foxl2 is not sufficient to induce male-to-female sex reversal in differentiated flounder testis.