Study of Mechanical Properties of Mammalian Follicle Development Using Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0149-YJL)

Introduction

In mammalian development, folliculogenesis describes the progression of a number of small primordial follicles into large preovulatory follicles with functional oocytes in the ovaries. Upon activation, the primordial follicle transitions into primary state, when the surrounding somatic cells (granulosa cells (GCs)) become cuboidal and undergo extensive proliferation. It then develops into a secondary follicle with multiple layers of GCs, basal lamina, and a theca layer. This is followed by the formation of fluid-filled antral follicle, and ovulation where the oocyte is released from the ovary. While hormonal signaling is known to impact antral follicle formation onwards, early stages of preantral follicle development are known to rely on intra-follicular signaling. There is emerging evidence that mechanical stress imposed by the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a role in the oocyte development, such as the activation of primordial follicles.