A search for genes expressed more highly in mouse cumulus cells than mural granulosa cells by subtraction hybridization yielded Slc38a3. SLC38A3 is a sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporter having substrate preference for l-glutamate, l-histidine, and l-alanine. Detectable levels of Slc38a3 mRNA were found by in situ hybridization in granulosa cells of large preantral follicles, but level...

Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15) play important functions in follicular and oocyte development in many species. This study evaluated the dynamic expression of GDF-9 and BMP-15 in canine follicles cells using flow cytometry analysis. Follicular cells were removed from three sizes of antral follicles (small, medium and large) from ovaries of bitch...

Small ovarian size and low number of follicles are major causes of low reproductive potential in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). There is no tool through which reproductive performance of buffalo can be phenotyped. Therefore, aim of the present study was to develop a method on the basis of which reproductive performance of buffaloes can be phenotypically assessed. For this purpose two experiments we...

Follicle development is accompanied by proliferation of granulosa cells and increasing oocyte size. To obtain high-quality oocytes in vitro, it is important to understand the processes that occur in oocytes and granulosa cells during follicle development and the differences between in vivo and in vitro follicle development. In the present study, oocytes and granulosa cells were collected from e...

Localization of androgen receptor (AR) was investigated in ovarian follicles developing and undergoing atresia during pregnancy in the pig. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted on ovarian antral follicles isolated on different days of gestation: 10, 18, 32, 50, 70, and 90. Paraffin sections were also subjected to in situ DNA labeling. TUNEL staining revealed the presence of positive folli...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether luteal E(2) administration reduces size discrepancies of early antral follicles. DESIGN Prospective, crossover study. SETTING ART unit, Clamart, France. PATIENT(S) Sixty women and 120 cycles. INTERVENTION(S) On cycle day 3 (baseline day 3), all women underwent measurements of early antral follicles by ultrasound and serum FSH and ovarian hormones. From d...

In the ovary, Anti-Mulllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by the granulosa cells of early developing follicles. The aim of our study was to assess the value of the AMH as a test to predict ovarian damage in groups of infertile women. Ninety seven infertile women were divided into four groups: (G1=29) with regular menstrual cycle, (G2=30) with prolonged or irregular cycles, (G3=21) with secondary ...

This study was undertaken to determine whether fully grown oocytes isolated from the early antral follicles (2-8 mm size) of frozen-thawed buffalo ovaries are viable and can be rescued to undergo maturation, fertilization, and embryo development in vitro. Ovaries were cryopreserved just after being collected during slaughter from the local abattoir using in situ oocyte (ISO) cryopreservation. I...