Dental follicle stem cells are a group of cells possessing osteogenic, adipogenetic and neurogenic differentiations, but the specific mechanism underlying the multilineage differentiation remains still unclear. Great attention has been paid to bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP-9) due to its potent osteogenic activity. In the present study, rat dental follicle stem cells were isolated and purifi...

In the mammalian ovary, progressive activation of primordial follicles from the dormant pool serves as the source of fertilizable ova. Menopause, or the end of female reproductive life, occurs when the primordial follicle pool is exhausted. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying follicle activation are poorly understood. We provide genetic evidence that in mice lacking PTEN (phosphatase a...

Recent interest in the initial phases of ovarian follicular formation and development has lead to a number of publications in this area, most of which address the autocrine and paracrine factors involved in primordial follicle activation to primary follicle. Primordial follicle assembly (first step in follicle formation) determines the lifetime supply of primordial follicles and remains a poorl...

The mechanical properties and density of natural and synthetic extracellular matrices are known to affect cellular processes and regulate tissue formation. In this report, these factors were independently investigated for their role in ovarian follicle development. The matrix composition was controlled through decreasing the solids concentration or the molar mass of the encapsulating biomateria...

The arrest of meiotic prophase in mouse oocytes within antral follicles requires the G protein G(s) and an orphan member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, GPR3. To determine whether GPR3 activates G(s), the localization of Galpha(s) in follicle-enclosed oocytes from Gpr3(+/+) and Gpr3(-/-) mice was compared by using immunofluorescence and Galpha(s)GFP. GPR3 decreased the ratio of Galpha...

Hereditary hypertrichoses are a group of hair overgrowth syndromes that are extremely rare in humans. We have previously demonstrated that a position effect on TRPS1 is associated with hypertrichosis in humans and mice. To gain insight into the functional role of Trps1, we analyzed the late morphogenesis vibrissae phenotype of Trps1(Δgt) mutant mice, which is characterized by follicle degenerat...

Ovarian follicle response and corpus luteum formation following induction of ovulation using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues and luteinizing hormone (LH) in Bactrian camel were characterized. Bactrian camels with a mature follicle (13-19.6 mm) received: 1) natural porcine LH (25 mg, IV, n = 4), 2) Buserelin (20 μg, IV, n = 4) and 3) Alarelin (25 μg, IM, n = 4). Daily ultrasonogr...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) on ovarian follicles at three stages of development (emergence, dominance and early static phases) during the first follicular wave (FFW) in Holstein heifers. Heifers (n=20) were randomly assigned into four experimental groups (n=5 in each group). Heifers received eCG (500 IU; Folligon®; Intervet, H...

background: in vitro maturation (ivm) of oocytes reduces the costs and averts the side-effects of gonadotropin stimulation for in vitro fertilization (ivf). reliable ivm is an intellectual, scientific and clinical challenge with a number of potential applications. objective: the effect of hcg was evaluated on the timing and regulation of in vitro ovulation for the syrian mice oocytes in the pre...

ovarian follicle response and corpus luteum formation following induction of ovulation using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (gnrh) analogues and luteinizing hormone (lh) in bactrian camel were characterized. bactrian camels with a mature follicle (13-19.6 mm) received: 1) natural porcine lh (25 mg, iv, n = 4), 2) buserelin (20 μg, iv, n = 4) and 3) alarelin (25 μg, im, n = 4). daily ultrasonogr...