Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Isolation and Characterization of Mouse Antral Oocytes Based on Nucleolar Chromatin Organization
Published on: January 7, 2016
Granulosa cell ligand NPPC and its receptor NPR2 maintain meiotic arrest in mouse oocytes
Meijia Zhang1, You-Qiang Su, Koji Sugiura
1State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Granulosa cells of mammalian Graafian follicles maintain oocytes in meiotic arrest, which prevents their precocious maturation. We show that mouse mural granulosa cells, which line the follicle wall, express natriuretic peptide precursor type C (Nppc) messenger RNA (mRNA), whereas cumulus cells surrounding oocytes express mRNA of the NPPC receptor NPR2, a guanylyl cyclase. NPPC increased cGMP levels in cumulus cells and oocytes and inhibited meiotic resumption in vitro. Meiotic arrest was not sustained in most Graafian follicles of Nppc or Npr2 mutant mice, and meiosis resumed precociously. Oocyte-derived paracrine factors promoted cumulus cell expression of Npr2 mRNA. Therefore, the granulosa cell ligand NPPC and its receptor NPR2 in cumulus cells prevent precocious meiotic maturation, which is critical for maturation and ovulation synchrony and for normal female fertility.
Related Concept Videos
Meiosis II
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
Negative Regulator Molecules
Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Oogenesis
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
Transducer Mechanism: Nuclear Receptors
About 48 different soluble family members of nuclear receptors are identified that can be divided into two main classes:
Abnormal Proliferation

