Human Blepharophimosis/ptosis/epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) type I is an autosomal dominant disorder associated with premature ovarian failure (POF) caused by mutations in FOXL2, a winged-helix/forkhead domain transcription factor. Although it has been shown that FOXL2 is expressed in adult ovaries, its function during folliculogenesis is not known. Here, we show that the murine Foxl2 gen...

In the mammalian ovary, great interest in the expression and function of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family has been recently generated from evidence of their critical role in determining folliculogenesis and female fertility. Despite extensive work, there is a need to understand the cellular sites of expression of these important regulatory molecules, and how their gene expression cha...

In the mouse ovary, the primordial follicle pool is established through a diverse array of signaling pathways and tissue remodeling events. Growth arrest specific gene two (GAS2) is a highly conserved cytoskeleton-associated protein whose in vivo function remains unclear. In Drosophila, loss of the GAS2 homolog, Pigs, results in infertility. We demonstrate herein that, in the mouse ovary, GAS2 ...

BACKGROUND Human follicular fluid (HFF) provides a key environment for follicle development and oocyte maturation, and contributes to oocyte quality and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome. METHODS To better understand folliculogenesis in the ovary, a proteomic strategy based on dual reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled to matrix-assisted laser desorption/io...

Keeping the intact germinal vesicle (GV) is essential for maintaining the capacity of mammals including human. It is maintained by very complex procedures along with folliculogenesis and is a critical step for getting competent oocyte. So far, a few mechanisms involved in folliculogenesis are known but GV arrest mechanisms are largely unrevealed. Cyclic AMP, a adenosine derived substance, have ...

The mare ovary is unique in its anatomical structure; however, the signalling pathways responsible for physiological processes, such as follicular activation, remain uncharacterised. This provided us with the impetus to explore whether signalling molecules from important folliculogenesis pathways, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activ...

The Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) syndrome is a very heterogeneous clinical disorder due probably to the complex genetic networks controlling human folliculogenesis. Clinical subgroups of POF patients whose aetiology of ovarian failure is based on the same genetic factors are therefore difficult to establish. Some experimental evidence suggests that these genes might be clustered on the femal...

It has been revealed that multiple cohorts of tertiary follicles develop during some animal estrous cycle and the human menstrual cycle. To reach developmental competence, oocytes need the support of somatic cells. During embryogenesis, the primordial germ cells appear, travel to the gonadal rudiments, and form follicles. The female germ cells develop within the somatic cells of the ovary, gran...

The avian inner perivitelline layer (IPVL), a homologous structure to the mammalian zona pellucida, is deposited between the granulosa cells and the oocyte cell membrane during folliculogenesis. The glycoprotein meshwork of the IPVL forms a 3-dimensional matrix and possesses important functions in the fertilization process: it contributes to the binding of avian spermatozoa to the oocyte and in...