Abstract:

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare recessive autosomal or X-linked genetic disease caused by the mutations of the FA genes. The FA genes are involved in the homologous recombination repair processes of damaged interstrand crosslinks in DNA. Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is commonly observed in female FA patients and in mice of experimental FA models with serious deficiency of germ cells, suggesting that FA genes could play an important role(s) in follicle development in mammals. Studies have showed that FA genes play significant functions in promoting the proliferation of primordial germ cell, maintaining normal meiosis of the oocytes, participating in the gonadotropin regulation of oocytes and granular cell growth, and other aspects of regulation of follicular development. In this review, we summarize the roles and molecular mechanisms of FA genes in the development of mammalian follicle, which may provide some insights on the genetic basis for the etiology of POI.

Key words: Fanconi anemia genes, follicle development, homologous recombination, cell division