Female fertility and the zona pellucida
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Authors
Wassarman, Paul M
Litscher, Eveline S
Issue Date
2022-01-25
Type
Article
Language
en_US
Keywords
Zona Pellucida , Female Fertility
Alternative Title
Abstract
Fertility in female mammals, including mice and humans, is dependent on the presence of a zona pellucida (ZP) around growing oocytes and unfertilized eggs. A ZP is required to stabilize contacts between oocyte microvilli and follicle cell projections that traverse the ZP to form gap junctions that support the health of growing oocytes and developing follicles. In the absence of a ZP, due to inactivation or mutation of genes encoding ZP proteins, there is a loss of contacts between growing oocytes and neighboring follicle cells and a concomitant reduction in the production of ovulated eggs that results in female infertility.
Description
Citation
Wassarman, P. M., & Litscher, E. S. (2022). Female fertility and the zona pellucida. eLife, 11, e76106. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.76106
Publisher
eLife