Ovarian Expression of Sox2 during Mouse Estrous Cycle

Abstract

The transcriptional factor Sox2 regulates the expression of some of the developmental genes, which are essential for the maintenance of pluripotency of stem cells. Sox2 also expresses in the female gamete during folliculogenesis, but its role remains ambiguous. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Sox2 in the mice ovarian tissue during different stage of estrous cycle. Adult National Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were considered as pro-estrous, estrous, met-estrous and di-estrous based on the cell type of the vaginal smear. Immunohistochemical staining of Sox2 marker was performed in mice ovarian tissue. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the expression of Sox2 in the cytoplasm of corpus luteum cells, stromal cells and oocyte. Our results suggest that adult mice ovaries accommodate cells carrying stem cell features.