Abstract
Sections of bovine ovaries fixed in Bouin's fluid or methanol-acetic acid and embedded in paraffin were incubated with chicken polyclonal antibodies to HPLC-purified zona glycoproteins ZP3α and ZP3β. Oocytes of primordial follicles as well as of primary follicles showed weak labelling with anti-ZP3α and anti-ZP3β. No immunostaining could be observed in the follicle cells. The ZP of primary follicles displayed distinct immunoreactivity for both ZP3α and ZP3β. In secondary follicles, distinct labelling with anti-ZP3β and weak labelling with anti-ZP3α could be seen in the oocyte. The ZP showed immunoreactivity with antibodies to ZP3α and ZP3β. Both antibodies labelled single follicle cells. In tertiary follicles, the oocytes were weakly labelled with anti-ZP3α and anti-ZP3β. Some granulosa cells showed staining for ZP3α and ZP3β. The ZP displayed strong immunoreactivity for ZP3β and ZP3α. Cells of the corona radiata were strongly immunopositive for ZP3α and ZP3β. Similar histotopography of immunoreactive cells could be seen in preovulatory follicles. The characteristic pattern observed for the distribution of ZP3α and ZP3β strongly suggests that in the porcine ovary both the oocyte and the follicle cells contribute to the synthesis of the ZP, perhaps in sequence.
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Sinowatz, F., Amselgruber, W., Töpfer-Petersen, E. et al. Immunocytochemical characterization of porcine zona pellucida during follicular development. Anat Embryol 191, 41–46 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00215296
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00215296