Bioscientifica Proceedings

In domestic ruminants the parenchyma of the corpus luteum consists of two subpopulations of steroidogenic cells commonly referred to as small and large luteal cells. These cells differ not only in size and structural characteristics, but also in functional properties. During the mid-luteal phase of the oestrous cycle approximately 60% of the corpus luteum is occupied by steroidogenic cells. Although the steroidogenic capacity of these cells declines as pregnancy advances, ...

Abstract unavailable© 1981 Journals of Reproduction & Fertility Ltd...

The physiological mechanisms controlling ovulation rate in mammals involve a complex exchange of endocrine signals between the pituitary gland and the ovary, and a localized exchange of intraovarian hormones between the oocyte and its adjacent somatic cells. The discoveries in sheep of mutations in bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and bone morphogenetic protein receptor type IB (BMPR-IB) together with recent findings on the physiological effects of growth differentiation ...