Conditional replacement of the mouse LH receptor with GFP, enabling imaging of cell migration during ovulation

Abstract

To facilitate the investigation of signaling by the luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR), we created a mouse line called Lhr-COIN. This line allows for the conditional replacement of the Lhr coding sequence with enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP), resulting in both a conditional knockout line and a reporter line. By breeding these mice with mice expressing Cre recombinase, we generated mice in which either one or both Lhr alleles were replaced with eGFP. Notably, mice in which one Lhr allele in the granulosa cells was replaced with eGFP exhibited normal LH responsiveness. This enabled live imaging of LH-induced migration of LH-receptor-expressing granulosa cells within preovulatory ovarian follicles. The Lhr-COIN mouse line holds significant potential for future research on LHR function and localization in the ovary and other tissues.