Fig. 2.
Reproductive cyclicity in wild-type and PgrΔ136E1 null female rats. (A) Representative estrous cycle profiles of wild-type (+/+) and PgrΔ136E1 null (−/−) female rats. Estrous cycles were monitored for 7 wk by daily inspection of vaginal cytology (D, diestrus; P, proestrus; E, estrus). The graphs also indicate when males were introduced. Red points indicate the presence of sperm in the vaginal lavage. (B) Cyclic changes in hormone concentrations in wild-type (Upper) and PgrΔ136E1 null (Lower) female rats. Blood was collected from 8–10-wk-old females at 0800 h on the first day of diestrus (D; n = 6/genotype), proestrus (P8; n = 6/genotype), and estrus (E; n = 6/genotype), and also at 2000 h on proestrus (P20; n = 14/genotype). Serum LH, FSH, estradiol, and progesterone were measured. (C) Cyclic changes in uterine weight in wild-type and PgrΔ136E1 null rats. Uteri were collected from 8-wk-old female rats, weighed (n = 6/group), and analyzed histologically (Fig. S4). (D and E) Cyclic changes in activity patterns in wild-type and PgrΔ136E1 null rats. Representative activity patterns during estrous cycles (D) and quantification of relative activity during each stage of the estrous cycle (E; n = 9/genotype) Results are presented as mean ± SEM. Different letters above bars signify differences between means (P < 0.05).