The oocyte has a remarkable and complex life history and it is only at the completion of a varied set of intracellular changes that this cell finally acquires its full capacity to support fertilisation and embryogenesis. In mammals, oogenesis is initiated early in fetal development and ends months to years later in the sexually mature adult. During their growth phase oocytes acquire a complex cytoplasmic organisation dependent both on the production of new gene products and organelles, and on the modification and redistribution of existing ones. The fidelity of replication of cytoplasmic organelles during oogenesis, especially mitochondria and their DNA molecules, is crucial as cytoplasmic inheritance of the zygote is mostly, if not exclusively, derived from the egg.
Key Words: Folliculogenesis, Human, Oocyte Growth
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