In humans and domestic mammals, pivotal processes in ovary development, including primordial follicle assembly, occur prenatally. These events are essential for determining fertility in adult life; however, they remain poorly understood at the mechanistic level. In mammals, the SLITs (SLIT1, SLIT2 and SLIT3) and their ROBO (ROBO1, ROBO2, ROBO3/RIG-1 and ROBO4/MAGIC ROBO) receptors regulate neur...

the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of follicle stimulating hormone (fsh) on survival, activation and growth of ovine primordial follicles using histological studies. pieces of ovine ovarian cortex were obtained and cultured for 6 days in minimum essential medium supplemented with or without fsh (50 ng/ml). these fragments were then process to be used for histology compar...

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) is a cytokine produced not only by various cells of the immune system, but also by various cells in the reproductive system. We have demonstrated that oocytes are an important source of TNF and that the onset of oocytic TNF expression occurs around birth. TNF receptors are localized on oocytes, granulosa cells and interstitial cells allowing for the possibility...

Physiologically, the size of the primordial follicle pool determines the reproductive lifespan of female mammals, while its establishment largely depends on a process of germline cyst breakdown during the perinatal period. The mechanisms regulating this process are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling is crucial for germline cyst breakdown and ...

The female germline comprises a reserve population of primordial (non-growing) follicles containing diplotene oocytes arrested in the first meiotic prophase. By convention, the reserve is established when all individual oocytes are enclosed by granulosa cells. This commonly occurs prior to or around birth, according to species. Histologically, the 'reserve' is the number of primordial follicles...

BACKGROUND The stage of folliculogenesis at which the human zona pellucida (ZP) is initiated and the cells responsible for the origin of the ZP continue to be controversial. This study characterizes the development of the ZP during human folliculogenesis using ovarian samples donated from patients requesting ovarian storage. METHODS Follicles (from n = 18 patients, 14-40 years old) within fre...

BACKGROUND c-erbB2, a proto-oncogene coding epidermal growth factor receptor-like receptor, also as a chemosensitivity/prognosis marker for gynecologic cancer, may be involved in initiation of growth of rat primordial follicles. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role and signal pathway of c-erbB2 in onset of rat primordial follicle development. METHODS The expression of c-erb...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on survival, activation and growth of ovine primordial follicles using histological studies. Pieces of ovine ovarian cortex were obtained and cultured for 6 days in Minimum Essential Medium supplemented with or without FSH (50 ng/mL). These fragments were then process to be used for histology compar...

The formation of primordial follicles involves the interaction between the oocytes and surrounding somatic cells, which differentiate into granulosa cells. Estradiol-17ß (E) promotes primordial follicle formation in vivo and in vitro; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The expression of an ERBB3-binding protein 1 (EBP1) is downregulated in 8-day old hamster ovaries concur...

BACKGROUND The growth pattern of the smallest ovarian follicles in humans is still incompletely documented. Using follicle hemispheres in thick histological sections, morphometric changes of primordial to primary follicles and possible age-related effects were evaluated. METHODS In ovarian sections from 25 females aged 4-39 years a total of 1122 primordial, transitory or primary follicles wer...