Region-specific roles of oviductal motile cilia in oocyte/embryo transport and fertility†.

ABSTRACT: The physiological and clinical importance of motile cilia in reproduction is well recognized; however, the specific role they play in transport through the oviduct and how ciliopathies lead to subfertility and infertility are still unclear. The contribution of cilia beating, fluid flow, and smooth muscle contraction to overall progressive transport within the oviduct remains under debate. Therefore, we investigated the role of cilia in the oviduct transport of preimplantation eggs/embryos using a combination of genetic and advanced imaging approaches. We show that the region of the oviduct where cumulus-oocyte complex circling occurs, around the time of fertilization, is correlated with asymmetrical mucosal fold arrangement and non-radially distributed ciliated epithelium. Our results sugg

SUBMITTER: Scully DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11996758 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature