BACKGROUND The Hippo signaling pathway, a highly conserved cell signaling system, exists in most multicellular organisms and regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. It has been reported that the members of Hippo signaling are expressed in mammalian ovaries, but the exact functions of this pathway in primordial follicle development remains unclear. METHODS To analyze the ...

In a sexually mature female, primordial follicles continuously leave the arrested pool and undergo the primordial to primary follicle transition. The oocytes increase in size and the surrounding squamous pre-granulosa cells become cuboidal and proliferate to form a layer of cuboidal cells around the growing oocyte. This development of the primordial follicle commits the follicle to undergo the ...

Five Murrah buffaloes were studied ultrasonographically to record the biometry of the ovarian structures and superovulatory response during superovulation (SOV) following follicle ablation. Transvaginal ultrasound-guided follicle aspiration / ablation (FA) was done at the middle of the oestrous cycle (day 10) on follicle of over 10 mm diameter, using 5.0 MHz convex-array intravaginal transducer...

Background: Because the ovarian follicle pool is established in utero, adverse exposures during this period may be especially impactful on the size and health of the initial follicle endowment, potentially shaping trajectories of ovarian follicle loss and the eventual onset of menopause. Building on a robust literature linking socioeconomic status (SES) and menopausal timing, the current study ...

Hair follicles have characteristic sizes corresponding to their cycle-specific stage. However, how the anagen hair follicle specifies its size remains elusive. Here, we showed that in response to prolonged ectopic Wnt10b-mediated β-catenin activation, regenerating anagen hair follicles grew larger in size. In particular, the hair bulb, dermal papilla and hair shaft became enlarged, while the fo...

The size of mature oocytes is similar across mammalian species, yet the size of ovarian follicles increases with species size, with some ovarian follicles reaching diameters>1000-fold the size of the enclosed oocyte. Here we show that the different follicular sizes can be explained with diffusion-based limitations on the thickness of the hormone-secreting granulosa layer. By analysing published...

BACKGROUND This review focuses on the possibility of improving the outcome of human IVF by studying the follicles where oocytes grow by ultrasound techniques. A comprehensive analysis of bi-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) assessment of the follicle size and volume is presented. METHODS Published reports from the year 1999 to 2014 analyzing the relationship between ...

Life history theory predicts that there should be an inverse relationship between offspring size and number, because individuals cannot simultaneously maximize both when resources are limited. Although extensively studied in avian species, the occurrence determinants of reproductive tradeoffs oviparous reptiles far less understood, particularly parthenogenetic species. We this trade-off Colorad...

Follicular fluid (FF) accumulates in the antrum of the ovarian follicle and provides the microenvironment for oocyte development. FF plays an important role in follicle growth and oocyte maturation. The FF provides a unique window to investigate the processes occurring during buffalo follicular development. The observed low quality of buffalo oocytes may arise from the poor follicular microenvi...