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Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Separation of Follicular Cells and Oocytes in Ovarian Follicles of Zebrafish
Published on: April 18, 2021
Protocol for culture of zebrafishdeveloping ovaries as an ex vivo system for investigating early oogenesis and
Amal Shawahny1, Yoel Bogoch1, Yaniv M Elkouby1
1Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine, Ein-Kerem Campus, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel; Institute for Medical Research - Israel-Canada (IMRIC), Ein-Kerem Campus, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.
Abstract:
A fundamental understanding of early oogenesis is lacking, and zebrafish serve as an excellent model for investigation, based largely on in vivo approaches. We present a protocol for long-term zebrafish ovary culture that supports physiological early oogenesis ex vivo, enabling new experimental approaches. We outline procedures for culture plate and media preparation, ovary dissection, embedding-media-free mounting, and culture handling. In addition, we describe workflows for ovary evaluation and rapid functional assays. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Shawahny et al.1.

