The dominant follicle: the final frontier in bovine oocyte development.

ABSTRACT: The acquisition of oocyte competence in cattle, encompassing both cytoplasmic and nuclear maturation, is essential for successful fertilization and embryonic development. This competence is progressively achieved during the latter stages of the oocyte growth phase and completed within the dominant follicle (DF). The unique hormonal and immunological environment of the DF during oestrous supports oocyte "capacitation," a process involving organelle reorganization, mRNA storage and meiosis resumption, which fully prepares the oocyte for fertilization. These changes differentiate oocytes from the DF from those of subordinate follicles, explaining why only oocytes from the DF mature and ovulate successfully. Despite advances in assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro maturation (IVM)

SUBMITTER: Latorraca LB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12490830 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature