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Therefore, the primary role of KITL in this species may be to promote oocyte growth in follicles that have already received the signal(s) to activate. Similar to rabbits, exogenous KITL stimulated the growth of oocytes in cultured neonatal mouse ovaries, but the growth-promoting effects were more stage restricted, with only primordial and early primary follicles affected. Unlike rabbit ovarian cortical explants, recombinant mouse KITL induced primordial follicle activation and supported the development of multilayered follicles in mouse ovaries. All of these effects were antagonized by KITL-neutralizing antibody. These findings are consistent with earlier reports for rats and mice and support the hypothesis that KITL directly promotes primordial follicle activation and continued follicle development in rodents. The increased occurrence of secondary follicles in recombinant mouse KITL-treated ovaries also suggests that KITL may stimulate granulosa cell proliferation, as has been previously reported. The KITL/KIT interaction may be of greater reproductive significance in rodents than in other species.