Ovarian follicular development involves continual remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) forming the basement membrane and intercellular framework that support granulosa cell (GC) growth and differentiation. Insight into the molecular regulation of ovarian ECM remodelling is potentially translatable to tissue remodelling elsewhere in the body. We therefore studied the link between a gene...

BACKGROUND Assisted reproductive technologies allow to utilize a limited number of fully grown oocytes despite the presence in the ovary of a large pool of meiotically incompetent gametes potentially able to produce live births. In vitro folliculogenesis could be useful to recruit these oocytes by promoting their growth and differentiation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In vitro folliculogen...

In the present study, we established an in vitro culture system suitable for generating fertilizable oocytes from premeiotic mouse female germ cells. These results were achieved after first establishing an in vitro culture system allowing immature oocytes from 12-14 day-old mice to reach meiotic maturation through culture onto preantral granulosa cell (PAGC) monolayers in the presence of Activi...

This study investigated how Michauxia campanuloides affects the Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) expression in granulosa cells, ovarian histomorphology and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) rats. Rats were divided into control (C), treatment 1 (T 1) 2 2) groups. The rats T groups received aqueous extract of M. at doses 20 mg/kg/day 40 orally for 21 days, respectively. Serum TAC le...

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete a variety of cytokines and growth factors in addition to self-renewal and multiple forms of differentiation. Some of these secreted bioactive factors could improve meiotic maturation in vitro and subsequent embryo developmental potential. The aim of the present study was to determine whether in vitro maturation (IVM) of mouse oocyte with or without cumulus ...

A first step to elucidating the roles that steroids may play in the processes of ovarian development and early follicular growth is to identify the cell types that are likely to be receptive to steroids. Thus, cell types expressing receptors for oestrogen (alpha and beta form; ERalpha and ERbeta respectively), androgen (AR) and progesterone (PR) were determined by in situ hybridisation and immu...

The aim of this review is to summarize the interactions between the oocyte and its surrounding granulosa cells which are involved in the control of oocyte growth or apoptosis as well as those playing a key role in the ability of the oocyte to undergo nuclear (resumption as meiosis to reach the MII stage) or cytoplasmic maturation (ability to fertilize and develop to the blastocyst stage). The r...

The contribution of specific follicle populations to dimeric inhibin production and inhibin subunit mRNA expression by the rat ovary has been investigated in two model systems, granulosa cells isolated from 25-day-old diethylstilboestrol (DES)-treated rats and post-natal rat ovaries, dispersed in culture or whole ovaries, using specific two-site immunoassays and 'real time' PCR. Media from FSH-...

BACKGROUND We found previously that the expression of SET gene was up-regulated in polycystic ovaries. Evidences suggested that SET protein was essential for regulating both the promoter activity of CYP17A1 and the biological activity of P450c17. In this study, we explored whether SET regulated androgen production in preantral follicles. METHODS The mouse preantral follicles were cultured in ...