The relationship between oöcyte and follicle in the hen’s ovary as shown by electron microscopy

Abstract

In the adult hen each oöcyte is surrounded by a capsule of follicle cells and all the raw materials that enter the oöcyte must pass through this capsule. It is not surprising, therefore, that the morphological relationships between the follicle and the oöcyte are of a highly specialized nature. Several workers have studied them, mainly by light microscopy, but their findings have not been unanimous, largely because of difficulties in resolving fine details. For instance, although it has frequently been suggested that certain structures pass from the follicle cell into the oöcyte, these structures have been interpreted by different authors as Golgi bodies, as mitochondria or as fat drops. Similarly, there have been several different theories about the relationship between the cell membrane of the oöcyte, the zona radiata and the vitelline membrane.