Abstract
Mammalian ovaries consist of follicles as basic functional units. Each follicle comprised an innermost oocyte and several surrounding flattened granulosa cells. Unlike males, according to the initial size of the primordial follicle pool and the rate of its activation and depletion, a female’s reproductive life has been determined early in life. Primordial follicles, once activated, will get into an irreversible process of development. Most follicles undergo atretic degeneration, and only a few of them could mature and ovulate. Although there are a lot of researches contributing to exploring the activation of primordial follicles, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. Thus, in this review, we collected the latest papers and summarized the signaling pathways as well as some factors involved in the activation of primordial follicles, hoping to lead to a more profound understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of primordial follicle activation.
Highlights
It is universally accepted that the total population of primordial follicles within the postnatal mammalian ovary will not increase and be used up gradually (McGee and Hsueh, 2000; Maidarti et al, 2020)
Other studies using a PTEN inhibitor have shown the activation of dormant primordial follicles due to enhancing Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling in mammals (Adhikari et al, 2012; Maidarti et al, 2019); a healthy baby has been born from a primordial follicle of a woman with premature ovarian failure (POF) (Kawamura et al, 2013)
The activation of primordial follicles is a complex but orchestrated process, which is regulated by multiple factors and pathways (Figure 2)
Summary
Mammalian ovaries consist of follicles as basic functional units. Each follicle comprised an innermost oocyte and several surrounding flattened granulosa cells. Unlike males, according to the initial size of the primordial follicle pool and the rate of its activation and depletion, a female’s reproductive life has been determined early in life. Primordial follicles, once activated, will get into an irreversible process of development. Most follicles undergo atretic degeneration, and only a few of them could mature and ovulate. There are a lot of researches contributing to exploring the activation of primordial follicles, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. In this review, we collected the latest papers and summarized the signaling pathways as well as some factors involved in the activation of primordial follicles, hoping to lead to a more profound understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of primordial follicle activation
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