Open AccessFull-grown oocytes from Xenopus laevis resume growth when placed in culture
Author(s) -
Robin A. Wallace,
Ziva Misulovin,
Laurence D. Etkin
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.78.5.3078
Subject(s) - oocyte , xenopus , vitellogenesis , somatic cell , vitellogenin , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , follicle , andrology , ovary , in vitro , medicine , chemistry , endocrinology , embryo , biochemistry , gene
When most full-grown, follicle cell-invested oocytes fromXenopus laevis are placed in an appropriate culture medium, they resume growth and remain physiologically healthy for at least 2-3 weeks. Rates of growth by full-grown oocytesin vitro generally approximate and can even exceed the most rapid growth rate achieved by vitellogenic oocytesin vivo . Resumption of oocyte growth can be correlated with the loss of investing follicle cells, which under normal conditions appear to interfere with vitellogenin and nutrient access to the oocyte. The final size reached by the oocyte within the ovary is thus not an intrinsic property of the oocyte but is extrinsically imposed by the somatic environment.