Bioscientifica Proceedings

Summary. Follicular development during early lactation in the sow is characterized by a large population of small-sized follicles and a small population of medium-sized follicles. As lactation progresses there is a gradual shift in number of follicles into medium- or large-sized categories and the percentage of follicles classified as atretic declines. Weaning at birth often leads to aberrant follicular development, apparently because the positive feedbac...

In pigs, as in other species, fetal growth retardation is associated with reduced birth weight and increased risk of fetal and neonatal death. As there are few opportunities after birth to remedy the detrimental effects of low birth weight, it is important to understand both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with inadequate fetal growth and to determine when growth retarded fetuses deviate from the growth trajectory of their normal sized littermates. Inadequately ...

Since 35 years ago boar semen has been frozen and used for artificial insemination (Al). However, fertility of cryopreserved porcine sperm has consistently been low as boar sperm are more sensitive to cellular stress imposed by changing osmotic balance, oxidative stress, low-temperature exposure, cryo-protectant intoxication etc. and are less able to compensate for these deficiencies at commercially applicable dosages. Additionally, differences in sperm freezability amon...

A technology that allows for manipulating of oestrus and ovulation, and would then also allow for fixed-time insemination, can be of great benefit for swine farms that operate using sow batch management due, at least in part, to savings in labour and the production of large batches of evenly developed pigs. Thanks to the current knowledge on endocrine regulation of follicle development and ovulation, and the availability of numerous reproductively active substances such ...

Abstract unavailable© 2009 Society for Reproduction and Fertility...

Summary. Ultrasound imaging has shown that cattle exhibit 2 or 3 waves of follicular development during an oestrous cycle. The waves consist of the contemporaneous appearance, about every 7 days, of a group of follicles ≥ 5 mm in diameter. One follicle gradually becomes larger than the rest (i.e. dominant). There are several lines of evidence suggesting that the waves occur regularly under conditions of basal LH and FSH. (1) Cycles with 3 waves of follic...

Determining the stage- and tissue-specific patterns of gene expression shown by the embryo and fetus will provide information about the control of normal development. Identification of alterations in these patterns associated with specific abnormal phenotypes will also be informative regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. In addition, qualitative and quantitative changes in gene expression that deviate from the norm may provide a potential marker system for predicting ...

The development of technologies to grow and mature oocytes from the most abundant primordial follicles holds many attractions for clinical practice, animal production technology and research. However, despite much research attention, it has proved difficult to grow follicles from early stages to maturity in vitro, as relatively little is known about the biology of oogenesis. It is clear that throughout oocyte development in vivo, follicle cell support is fund...

Summary. Embryo-maternal communication, as well as recognition and establishment of pregnancy, is predominantly controlled by secretion of hormones and proteins. Furthermore, uterine fluid serves as a histotroph and contains factors essential for embryo development and elongation, making it a meaningful source for proteomic approaches of early embryonic development. The studies included in this review address the analysis of uterine fluid and endometrium durin...

Abstract. The purpose of this review is to illustrate the critical value of integration of both in vitro and whole animal approaches in order to make real progress in terms of understanding the underlying mechanisms controlling ovarian follicle development and also in utilising domestic ruminants as models for the human in the translational development of interventions to address infertility. In terms of mechanistic aspects, this review concentrates o...