Abstract
Various investigations of prophase of the first meiotic division of female mice showed different results with respect to the appearance of those stages during ovarian development. It was not clear up to now whether in oocytes, in addition to the dictyotene stage, there exists a diffuse diplotene stage as can be found during male meiosis.
In this study the morphology of meiotic prophase stages was compared in preparations of oocytes with and without hypotonic pretreatment. There appears to be a strong effect of hypotonic treatment on the morphology of different meiotic prophase stages and there is a striking resemblance with meiotic stages from male material which was treated similarly. From the results of hypotonically untreated ovarian material it was obvious that early desynaptic stages could be confused with pachytene.
In addition, it was demonstrated that there exists a diffuse (diplotene) stage with a duration of approximately 3 days before dictyotene stage. The possible function of the diffuse stage is discussed.
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Dietrich, A.J.J. The influence of hypotonic treatment on the morphology of meiotic stages II. Prophase of the first meiotic division of female mice up to dictyotene. Genetica 70, 161–165 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122182
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122182