Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1987

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Biology

First Advisor

Nels H. Granholm Ph. D.

Abstract

The first study was conducted to determine whether the previously observed reproductive failures in aging obese lethal yellow (AY/a) females are due primarily to: (1) intrinsic defects within AY/a ovaries or (2) systemic defects extrinsic to AY/a ovaries such as sites within the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. A second experiment was conducted to assess uterine capacity in AY/a females. In order to accurately measure uterine capacity in AY/a females, it was necessary to separate uterine effects from embryo (AY/a) effects. Thus by conducting the appropriate ovary transplantations, one could test uterine capacity in AY/a females in the absence of AY/a embryos. This study was conducted to determine whether reproductive failures in aging, obese lethal yellow (AYjg) females are due primarily to defects within AYjg ovaries or to systemic defects which may operate outside the ovaries. Reciprocal ovary transplantation between control (g/a) and lethal yellow (AYjg) females provided an experimental system to test the reproductive potential not only of AYja ovaries in control (g/g) females but also of control {g/g) ovaries in mutant females. Results on reproductive performance of all four combinations of grafts between AY/a and a/a mice proved that AY- induced reproductive failures are not due to intrinsic ovarian lesions but rather to defects operating extrinsically to the ovary. The hypothalamo-pituitary axis is a likely site for this reproductive lesion.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Lethal mutation

Mice -- Genetics

Mice -- Reproduction

Ovaries -- Transplantation

South Dakota State University Theses

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

117

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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