Polyploid cells in the mouse ovary

Abstract

Cell ploidy in the ovarian follicle and corpus luteum was investigated by DNA in situ hybridization to a reiterated, chromosome 3 transgene in mice that were hemizygous for the transgene. This approach was first validated by analysis of mouse kidney, pancreas and liver control tissues, which contain different frequencies of polyploid nuclei. Polyploid nuclei (with multiple hybridization signals) were seen in histological sections of both ovarian follicles and corpora lutea. The frequency of polyploid nuclei in follicles showed no consistent relationship with age (between 6 weeks and 10 months) but polyploid nuclei were significantly more abundant in corpora lutea than follicles (6.3% vs. 2.5%). This implies that production of polyploid cells is more closely associated with differentiation of ovarian follicles into corpora lutea than with the age of the female. Polyploidy tended to be more frequent in corpora lutea of mice that had mated even if they did not become pregnant. This study has highlighted the presence of polyploid cells in the mouse ovarian follicle and corpus luteum and has identified mating as a possible trigger for polyploidy in the corpus luteum. Further work is required to determine the physiological role of polyploid ovarian cells in reproduction.

Euploidy in somatic cells from R6/2 transgenic Huntington's disease mice

“…Polyploid cells have been found in several murine tissue including vascular smooth muscle [13], ovaries [14], cardiomyocytes [15], colonic fibroblasts [16], liver cells, bladder epithelial cells, uterine decidua cells, trophoblasts, and megakaryocytes [17]. Our study supports that polyploidy is a normally occurring phenomenon in many murine tissues and shows that skeletal muscle cells may have an unusually high frequency of polyploid cells.…”

Cell type-specific characterization of nuclear DNA contents within complex tissues and organs

“…Finally, it should also be noted the flow cytometric method should be equally applicable to transformable non-plant species, including mammals. The relevance of endoreplication to mammalian development, both under normal and abnormal circumstances, is increasingly evident [ 55 , 56 ], and the ability to accurately chart its occurrence within specific cell types should prove important in the analysis of development as well as of specific disease states.…”