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Human Reproduction Update Advance Access originally published online on December 6, 2007
Human Reproduction Update 2008 14(2):179-192; doi:10.1093/humupd/dmm042
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Cytokine knockouts in reproduction: the use of gene ablation to dissect roles of cytokines in reproductive biology

Wendy V. Ingman1,3 and Rebecca L. Jones2

1 Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Research Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia 2 Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group, University of Manchester, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

3 Correspondence address. E-mail: wendy.ingman{at}adelaide.edu.au

Cytokines play many diverse and important roles in reproductive biology, and dissecting the complex interactions between these proteins and the different reproductive organs is a difficult task. One approach is to use gene ablation, or ‘knockout’, to analyse the effect of deletion of a single cytokine on mouse reproductive function. This review summarizes the essential roles of cytokines in reproductive biology that have been revealed by gene knockout studies, including development and regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gondal axis, ovarian folliculogenesis, implantation and immune system modulation during pregnancy. However, successful utilization of this approach must consider the caveats associated with gene ablation studies, e.g. embryonic lethality, systemic effects of cytokine ablation on local reproductive processes and the limited exposure to pathogens in mice housed in laboratory conditions. New sophisticated technology that temporally or spatially regulates gene ablation can overcome some of these limitations. Discoveries on the roles of cytokines in reproductive function uncovered by gene ablation studies can now be applied to improve in vitro fertilization for infertile couples and in the development of contraceptive therapies.

Key words: cytokines / gene ablation / animal model / IVF / contraception

Received on September 13, 2007; revised October 3, 2007; accepted on October 25, 2007


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