Fig. 2: FSH exerts its inhibitory effects on various endometrial stem cell functions through its cognate receptor FSHR.

A schematic summary of the role of FSH receptor (FSHR) in regulating the FSH-induced inhibitory effects on endometrial stem cells is shown (a). Endometrial stem cells were treated with 30 IU/ml FSH alone or were concomitantly transfected with an shRNA specifically targeting FSHR. The subsequent decrease in cell growth was analyzed with MTT assays (b). The GEO database (https://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/geo/) was used to assess the relationship between FSHR levels and several conditions of stem cells (c). The inhibitory effects of FSHR knockdown on FSH-mediated changes in migration ability were also measured by Transwell assays (d) and western blotting for MMP-2 and MMP-9 (e). The abolishing effects of FSHR depletion on the roles of FSH in inhibiting adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation were assessed by oil red O staining and alizarin red S staining, respectively (f). β-Actin was used as an internal control. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). *p < 0.05; **p < 0.005; and ***p < 0.001 (two-sample t test).