Hormonal control of oocyte maturation in crustaceans is reviewed. The bihormonal control of egg maturation is accomplished by the inhibitory neuropeptides originating in the X-organ/sinus gland neurosecretory system and a host of stimulatory hormonal factors secreted from various sources. Among the gonad stimulatory hormones, steroids play a pivotal role in the control of molting and reproducti...

Low and/or total failed fertilization following ICSI is a disappointing effect that some couples may face during their treatment which may have severe social and economic consequences for these infertile couples. This phenomenon has been mainly attributed to failed oocyte activation post ICSI. Researchers have regarded this failure due to the absence or deficiency of sperm associated to oocyte ...

Background: Oocyte maturation is usually defined as the period of progression from the first to the second meiotic arrest and involves coordinated nuclear and cytoplasmic modification. Ca2+ signals are known as important regulators of oocyte maturation. Extracellular Ca2+ is important for first polar body formation, normal meiosis kinetics, and for preserving the chromosome and spindle configur...

Background: Cryopreservation of oocytes is an effective technology in assisted reproductive technology. Although successful vitrification of gametes has been reported in several mammalian species, the survival is generally low. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on preantral follicle development after vitrifi...

BACKGROUND Oocyte maturation in lower vertebrates is triggered by maturation-inducing hormone (MIH), which acts on unidentified receptors on the oocyte surface and induces the activation of maturation-promoting factor (MPF) in the oocyte cytoplasm. We previously described the induction of oocyte maturation in fish by an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), diethylstilbestrol (DES), a nonsteroid...

Polyadenylation-induced translation is an important regulatory mechanism during metazoan development. During Xenopus oocyte meiotic progression, polyadenylation-induced translation is regulated by CPEB, which is activated by phosphorylation. XGef, a guanine exchange factor, is a CPEB-interacting protein involved in the early steps of progesterone-stimulated oocyte maturation. We find that XGef ...

If no fertilization occurs at an appropriate time after ovulation, oocyte quality deteriorates rapidly as a process called postovulatory aging. Because the postovulatory aging of oocytes has detrimental effects on embryo development and offspring, many efforts have been made to prevent oocyte aging. Here we showed that quercetin prevented the decline in oocyte quality during postovulatory aging...