Follicle Wall

Abstract

During recent years, the follicular wall of growing reptilian and avian oocytes has been submitted to techniques of morphology, histochemistry, biochemistry including autoradiography and in vitro experiments and physiology. These studies have demonstrated conspicuous morphological, histochemical and biochemical changes in the follicle wall (Perry et al. 1978 a, b; Guraya 1978; Gilbert 1979; Parshad and Guraya 1984). These changes, related to the deposition of zona pellucida and yolk, and to secretion of steroid hormones during follicle growth and maturation, are of great current interest to determine the regulation of synthesis, transport and deposition of yolk, as well as to know the interrelationships of the follicle or granulosa cells and thecal cells for steroid hormone synthesis. Ultrastructural and histochemical differences related to metabolic and steroidogenic features in the follicular wall of maturing follicles in the ovaries of reptiles and birds have been clearly demonstrated. Little attempt has been made, however, to correlate, the results of various techniques applied to the follicle wall of developing and maturing oocytes in the ovaries of reptiles and birds.