BACKGROUND Oocyte maturation is under strict regulatory control, not only from intrinsic cellular processes, but also extrinsic influences. While the oocyte is directly connected to the surrounding cumulus cells (CCs) via a network of gap junctions facilitating communication and exchange of molecules, it is also influenced by the greater follicular environment. In order to produce an oocyte cap...

Previous studies relating hormone and cytokine concentrations in follicular fluid to oocyte fertilizability were flawed by the uncertainty about the actual oocyte maturity status at the time of recovery and by the possible contribution of the male factor to failures of conventional in-vitro fertilization. This is the first study in which oocyte maturity was assessed immediately after recovery a...

OBJECTIVE To compare cryopreservation of mature human oocytes with slow-rate freezing and vitrification and determine which is most efficient at establishing a pregnancy. DESIGN Prospective randomized. SETTING Academically affiliated, private fertility center. PATIENT(S) Consenting patients with concerns about embryo cryopreservation and more than nine mature oocytes at retrieval were ran...

BACKGROUND Non-invasive selection of developmentally competent human oocytes may increase the overall efficiency of human assisted reproduction and is regarded as crucial in countries where legal, social or religious factors restrict the production of supernumerary embryos. The purpose of this study was to summarize the predictive value for IVF success of morphological features of the oocyte th...

There is currently much interest in assisted reproduction techniques in the horse, however, many aspects of oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo development in the horse differ from those in other species. Because of the close attachment of the equine oocyte to the follicle wall, scraping of the follicle is the most effective method for oocyte recovery. A notable feature of equine oocyt...

BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest a role for luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotrophin receptor (LH/hCGR) signalling in the regulation of the oocyte-cumulus oophorus cell interplay. The present study aimed at assessing the LH/hCGR gene expression in cumulus cells (CCs) surrounding oocytes in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COS) before ICSI and to relate the ...

The development of ovarian follicles is a unique instance of a morphogenesis process still occurring during adult life and resulting from the interactions between somatic and germ cells. In mammals, the initiation of follicular development from the pool of resting follicles is characterized by an increase in the oocyte size concomitant with the surrounding somatic cells proliferating to build a...

In this study, to clarify the relationship between ovarian reserve and oocyte quality, cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected repeatedly by ovum pick-up (OPU) from cows with high and low antral follicle counts (AFCs) at short (3-4 days) and long (7 days) intervals, and COC morphologies and oocyte fertilizability were examined. The relationship between AFC and follicular growth after OPU...

During Drosophila oogenesis, organized microtubule networks coordinate the localization of specific RNAs, the positioning of the oocyte nucleus, and ooplasmic streaming events. We used mutations in mini spindles (msps), a microtubule-associated protein, to disrupt microtubule function during mid- and late-oogenesis, and show that msps is required for these microtubule-based events. Since endopl...