Mammalian reproduction hinges upon the timely ovulation of a fully differentiated oocyte.
This event is the culmination of a complex and dynamic developmental relationship between …

The ovary, the female gonad, serves as the source for the germ cells as well as the major
supplier of steroid sex hormones. During embryonic development, the primordial germ cells …

Our current perspectives on the relationship between the oocyte and its surrounding somatic
cells are changing as we gain a greater understanding of factors regulating folliculogenesis …

The developmental competence of oocytes is acquired gradually during follicular
development, mainly through oocyte accumulation of RNA molecules and proteins that will …

In the mammalian ovary, each oocyte grows and develops within its own structural and
developmental niche—the follicle. Together with the female germ cell in the follicle are …

Growth and development of ovarian follicles require a series of coordinated events that
induce morphological and functional changes within the follicle, leading to cell differentiation …

Interaction between oocytes and granulosa cells is complex and involves both gap junctions
and paracrine signalling factors. Oocyte development in antral follicles is highly dependent …

The development of both the mammalian oocyte and the somatic cell compartments of the
ovarian follicle is highly coordinated; this coordination ensures that the ovulated oocyte is …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of follicles in the mammalian
ovary. The unresolved issues in follicular development are focused. Folliculogenesis …

The formation of the follicular antrum and follicular fluid has received scant attention from
researchers, yet both are important processes in follicular development. The central …