UNCOUPLING OF OOCYTE-FOLLICLE CELLS TRIGGERS REINITIATION OF MEIOSIS IN AMPHIBIAN OOCYTES

Reinitiation of meiosis has been triggered in vitro in oocytes of the anouran Xenopus laevis and the urodeles Pleurodeles waltlii and Ambystoma mexicanum by enzymatic, mechanical or manual defolliculation, without addition of hormone. By measuring changes in the membrane resistance and time constants, we also demonstrate the existence of an electrical polarized coupling between the oocyte and its follicle and show that progesterone breaks it definitively within the first two hours. These results are discussed in relation to mammalian maturation.