DCRC’s January 20 webinar addresses the roles of FSH on the growth and survival of preantral follicles

Register for the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council’s (DCRC) next webinar – Deciphering the roles of FSH in the ovary beyond antral folliculogenesis – set for Jan. 20, starting at 2 p.m. Central time (Chicago time). Anna Denicol, University of California, Davis associate professor in the department of animal science, will lead the free, one-hour webinar.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is essential for the growth of ovarian antral follicles in every follicular wave. Moreover, FSH is widely used to stimulate follicle growth in multiple ovulation-embryo transfer (MOET) and ovum pick-up (OPU) procedures. While antral follicles are known to be dependent on FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH) for growth and ovulation, much less is known about the hormonal control of early follicles, named preantral follicles due to the absence of the antral cavity. For a long time, the dogma has been that preantral follicles are hormone-independent and instead only respond to local (largely unknown) factors. However, recent research has uncovered several roles of FSH on the growth and survival of preantral follicles.

Why is this important and what are the potential implications for cattle assisted reproduction? First, understanding how the growth of preantral follicles is regulated will fill in long-lasting knowledge gaps in ovarian biology. Second, knowing when and how FSH acts on preantral follicles will allow us to fine tune ovarian stimulation protocols to maximize the yield of oocytes used for assisted reproduction.

During this webinar, Denicol will discuss past and current work to decipher some of the potential roles of FSH in preantral folliculogenesis in cattle, as well as the development of an FSH-deficient sheep model using CRISPR/Cas9

technology to study the impact of FSH during fetal and pre-pubertal development of the reproductive system and on reproductive function.

Go to: https://bit.ly/DCRCJan20Web to register for this DCRC webinar. If you are a DCRC member and cannot attend the live program, you may access the webinar at www.dcrcouncil.org by Feb. 3.

Denicol earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, a master’s degree in preventive veterinary medicine at University of California-Davis, and a PhD in developmental biology from the University of Florida. After a two-year postdoc at Northeastern University, Denicol returned to UC-Davis in 2016.

The Denicol Lab focuses on oogenesis and development of ovarian follicles, starting from primordial germ cell specification in the early embryo to activation and growth of preantral follicles in the adult ovary. Within this area,

there is particular interest in the roles of FSH to regulate the formation of the ovarian reserve and early (preantral) folliculogenesis. The Denicol Lab also works on bovine embryonic stem cells and their differentiation potential into the female germline to enable assisted reproductive technologies using in vitro oogenesis.

Veterinarians may earn one Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) credit for attending this DCRC webinar. To learn more about this opportunity, contact JoDee Sattler (jodee@dcrcouncil.org).

For more information about DCRC’s webinars, e-mail Eduardo Oliveira, DCRC Education Committee chair, at: eduardo.oliveira@zoetis.com or e-mail DCRC at: jodee@dcrcouncil.org.

The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.