Estrogen receptor b controls MMP-19 expression in mouse ovaries during ovulation

摘要: Estrogen receptor beta (ERb/ESR2) has a central role in mouse ovaries, as ERb knockout (BERKO) mice are subfertile due to an increase in fibrosis around the maturing follicle and a decrease in blood supply. This has a consequence that these follicles rarely rupture to release the mature oocyte. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are modulators of the extracellular matrix, and the expression of one specific