February 5, 1999

Jonathan Tilly, PhD

A research team based at the MGH has found that inactivation of a single gene in female mice can sustain ovarian function into advanced age. The report in the February issue of Nature Genetics describes how female mice in which a gene called Bax is inactivated do not experience the normal loss of ovarian cells that occurs throughout the animal’s lifetime. While these aged mice maintain a functioning supply of both oocytes (egg cells) and hormone-secreting granulosa cells, they do not ovulate or become pregnant under normal conditions. The research eventually may lead to new techniques for delaying menopause and reducing its associated health risks.

"The Bax-deficient mice retained hundreds of ovarian follicles [tiny sacs containing an oocyte surrounded by granulosa cells] at an age when the ovaries are usually barren," says Jonathan Tilly, PhD, director of the MGH Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology and the paper’s senior author. He notes that while prolonging ovarian function may potentially benefit women’s health, no technology currently exists to apply this research in humans. Right now the study’s most important benefit is the creation of an animal model in which to study the impact of an extended ovarian lifespan.

The study was led by Gloria Perez, DVM, PhD, and Rodolfo Robles, MD, both of the MGH Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology.