Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Oocytes develop in cysts of interconnected cells that undergo breakdown and become surrounded individually by granulosa cells to form primordial follicles. Mechanisms controlling cyst breakdown and primordial follicle formation are not well understood but cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) may a play role. Our model is that CAMs keep oocytes in cysts and must be down regulated for primordial follicles to form. A second set of CAMs would then be necessary for interact...