How the ovarian reserve is established
Researchers define the epigenetic machinery that governs the establishment and function of the mammalian ovarian reserve, providing molecular insights into female reproductive health and lifespan, in a new study published in Nature Communications.
"In human females over the age of 35, you see a decline in fertility," said the lead researcher of the paper. "Our study may give us the foundation to understand how female fertility is established and maintained at the molecular level and why it declines with age."
When the ovarian reserve is established, all the oocytes in primordial follicles pause their development and can remain in such an arrested state for decades.
"The main question is how can these cells be maintained for decades,?said the researchers.g
Using mouse mutants, the team found that the pausing of this oocyte transition phase was mediated by a group of proteins called the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1).
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