In the growing heifer calve, there is an early post-natal, gonadotrophin driven increase in ovarian antral follicle growth. The endocrine regulation of and reason for this initial stimulation of ovarian follicular development are not fully understood. This initial endocrine activity appears to be later held in check by negative feedback suppression mechanisms until the heifer is of a sufficient...

Characterizing the mechanisms underlying follicle development in the ovary is crucial to understanding female fertility and is an area of increasing research interest. The RNA binding protein Musashi is essential for post-transcriptional regulation of oocyte maturation in Xenopus and is expressed during ovarian development in Drosophila. In mammals Musashi is important for spermatogenesis and m...

The Wt1 gene encodes a nuclear transcription factor that is specifically expressed in ovarian granulosa cells. However, the physiological significance of Wt1 in ovarian follicle development remains elusive. In this study, we found that Wt1(+/R394W) mice were grossly normal, however, the females displayed severe reproductive defects. Only ∼15% of the Wt1(+/R394W) females became pregnant after ma...

Female fertility is determined in part by the size and development of the primordial follicle pool. The current study investigates the role of glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the regulation of primordial follicle development in the ovary. Ovaries from 4-day-old female rat pups were maintained in organ culture for 10 days in the absence (control) or presence of GDNF or kit ...

BACKGROUND This study tested factors affecting mouse follicle growth in vitro, to determine end-points marking follicle function in vitro. METHODS Pre-antral follicles (mean 137 microm) from B6CBF1 mice were cultured in a substrate-adherent system for < or = 14 days. FSH (0-1000 mIU/ml) day of HCG (1.5 IU/ml days 9-14) protein supplement [fetal calf serum (FCS) (x2) mouse serum (x2) hypogonad...

BACKGROUND Laboratory animals are commonly used for evaluating the physiological properties of the mammalian ovarian follicle and the enclosed oocyte. The use of different species to determine the morphological relationship between the follicle and oocyte has led to a recognizable pattern of follicular stages, but differences in follicle size, oocyte diameter and granulosa cell proliferation ar...

We have known for over 30 years that minoxidil stimulates hair growth, yet our understanding of its mechanism of action on the hair follicle is very limited. In animal studies, topical minoxidil shortens telogen, causing premature entry of resting hair follicles into anagen, and it probably has a similar action in humans. Minoxidil may also cause prolongation of anagen and increases hair follic...

objective: in vitro ovarian follicle culture provides a tool to investigate folliculogenesis and may be used as an assisted reproductive technology )art(. this study aims to compare survival and development rates in mouse ovarian follicles after two and three dimensional in vitro cultures. methods: preantral follicles were isolated from the ovaries of 14-day old female mice and cultured in α-m...

Purpose: To analyze the correlation between lead follicle size at hCG trigger and IVF outcome. Methods: A review of all patients undergoing their first IVF cycle between 1/2005-12/2009 was performed. Four groups were evaluated (<18 mm, 18 18.9 mm, 19 19.9 mm and ≥20 mm), based on the mean diameter of the two largest follicles on day of ovulation trigger (OT); cycle parameters and outcomes were ...