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Ovarian Function & Childhood Cancer
(van Dorp et al., Human Reprod 2014)
Genetic Variation and Age of Menopause
(He et al., Nature Genetics, 2011, Laven et al., Maturitas 2016)
 Genes affecting ovarian function seem to play a role during the process of ageing and as such are involved in both somatic cell and germ line ageing.
 Only SYCP2L is required for protein synthesis in the synaptonemal complex which zips together homologue chromosomes during the first meiotic division !!!!
 All the other SNP’s are referring to genes involved in ageing, DNA repair, DNA maintenance and replication. Hence, only ONE gene might be involved in folliculogenesis
 DNA repair of DSB might become less effective with increasing age and simultaneous accumulation of DSB might lead to loss of oocytes and diminished ovarian reserve
 Indeed it seems that in case the soma is diseased ovarian function is also much more compromised compared to that in healthy individuals of a similar age
 This suggest either an extra ovarian regulatory mechanism or that the gonad uses DNA repair mechanisms similar to those used for damage repair of the soma
 Hence fecundity as well as mortality should be interrelated with each other. Similarly menopause might constitute a proxy for this phenomenon
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