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Transcription factor TFIID, composed of TBP and TAFII subunits, is a central component of the RNA polymerase II machinery. Here, we report that the tissue-selective TAFII105 subunit of TFIID is essential for proper development and function of the mouse ovary. Female mice lacking TAFII105 are viable but infertile because of a defect in folliculogenesis correlating with restricted expression of TAFII105 in the granulosa cells of the ovarian follicle. Gene expression profiling has uncovered a defective inhibin-activin signaling pathway in TAFII105-deficient ovaries. Together, these studies suggest that TAFII105 mediates the transcription of a subset of genes required for proper folliculogenesis in the ovary and establishes TAFII105 as a cell type-specific component of the mammalian transcriptional machinery.

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