title: A fork in the road to fertility.
abstract: Haploinsufficiency of FOXL2, a new forkhead transcription factor, causes blepharophimosis/ptosis/epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES), a rare developmental disorder affecting the eyelid and sometimes the ovary. A new study implicates FOXL2 as the first human gene required for the maintenance of ovarian follicles. The discovery of FOXL2 may provide insight into the causes of idiopathic premature ovarian failure, a disease that burdens many infertile couples.
authors.affiliation: McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Prueitt
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Zinn
mesh_terms: D016569:Blepharophimosis / Q000235:genetics; D001763:Blepharoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D000074842:Forkhead Box Protein L2; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000235:genetics*; D016649:Primary Ovarian Insufficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D013577:Syndrome; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C421604:FOXL2 protein, human; D000074842:Forkhead Box Protein L2; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors