Endothelial-derived angiocrine signals promote growth and survival of early follicles: an ex-vivo model

Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that endothelial cells (ECs) instructively participate in organ regeneration by producing tissue-specific angiocrine factors. Recently we demonstrated that ovarian ECs support early follicular development and survival via co-culture on a novel in vitro model of activated ovarian ECs. The precise mechanisms whereby ovarian ECs promote follicular growth, however, have yet to be established. We propose that ovarian endothelial cells support folliculogenesis through Notch signaling pathways.