Expression of ladybird-like homeobox 2 (LBX2) during ovarian development and folliculogenesis in the mouse.

The Ladybird-like homeobox gene 2 (Lbx2) belongs to the homeodomain-containing family of transcription factor that are known to play crucial role in various developmental processes. During early mouse embryogenesis, Lbx2 was shown to be expressed in the developing eye, brain and urogenital system. Although Lbx2 was detected in the testis and epididymis throughout development, no data was available regarding its expression in the female gonad. Here we have determined Lbx2 expression throughout mouse ovarian development by in situ hybridization. In contrast to the strong expression in the male fetal gonad, no Lbx2 signal could be detected in the fetal ovary. Soon after birth, however, Lbx2 expression was detected at different levels in various ovarian compartments (oocyte, granulosa cells, theca cells) where its expression was highly dynamic depending on the stage of follicular maturation. Our data would be consistent with a role for LBX2 in ovarian maturation and folliculogenesis.