Requirement of Tissue-Selective TBP-Associated Factor TAF II 105 in Ovarian Development

Abstract

Transcription factor TFIID, composed of TBP and TAF II subunits, is a central component of the RNA polymerase II machinery. Here, we report that the tissue-selective TAF II 105 subunit of TFIID is essential for proper development and function of the mouse ovary. Female mice lacking TAF II 105 are viable but infertile because of a defect in folliculogenesis correlating with restricted expression of TAF II 105 in the granulosa cells of the ovarian follicle. Gene expression profiling has uncovered a defective inhibin-activin signaling pathway in TAF II 105-deficient ovaries. Together, these studies suggest that TAF II 105 mediates the transcription of a subset of genes required for proper folliculogenesis in the ovary and establishes TAF II 105 as a cell type–specific component of the mammalian transcriptional machinery.