Canadian Health&Care; Mall

Primordial follicles are the stores of female gametes from which all mature eggs for ovulation and fertilization arise. The recruitment of primordial follicles into the growth phase is tightly controlled and likely involves the action of both stimulatory and inhibitory molecules. Although the exact mechanisms that regulate primordial follicle activation and the initiation of oocyte growth remain elusive, the study of rodent models has shown KITL and KIT to be involved in these processes. In order to determine whether KITL and KIT also are important during primordial follicle activation in another species, we first characterized the expressions of KITL and KIT during the initial wave of folliculogenesis in the rabbit. We then used an in vitro culture system for neonatal mouse ovaries and rabbit ovarian cortical explants to investigate the effect of recombinant mouse KITL on the regulation of follicle activation in these two animal species. The temporal expressions of KITL and KIT during follicle assembly and folliculogenesis has been investigated in primates, including the human, sheep, and mouse. However, this is the first report of their localization within the rabbit ovary.