basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain found in factor in the germline alpha (FIGLA) and similar proteins
FIGLA, also termed FIGalpha, or Class C basic helix-loop-helix protein 8 (bHLHc8), or folliculogenesis-specific basic helix-loop-helix protein, or transcription factor FIGa, is a germ-cell-specific bHLH transcription factor expressed abundantly in female and less so in male germ cells. It is essential for primordial follicle formation and expression of many genes required for folliculogenesis, fertilization and early embryonic survival. FIGLA knockout mice cannot form primordial follicles and lose oocytes rapidly after birth, whereas male gonads are unaffected.