CINXE.COM

Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry” | Newsroom - McGill University

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" xmlns:og="http://ogp.me/ns#" xmlns:article="http://ogp.me/ns/article#" xmlns:book="http://ogp.me/ns/book#" xmlns:profile="http://ogp.me/ns/profile#" xmlns:video="http://ogp.me/ns/video#" xmlns:product="http://ogp.me/ns/product#"> <head profile="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab"><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.mcgill.ca:80/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454","20180414042112","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1523679672"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" /> <!-- End Wayback Rewrite JS Include --> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"CollegeOrUniversity","name":"McGill University","url":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/https:\/\/www.mcgill.ca","sameAs":["https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McGillUniversity","https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/edu\/mcgill-university-10890","https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/plus.google.com\/+mcgilluniversity","https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/twitter.com\/mcgillu","https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mcgillu\/","https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/mcgilluniversity"]}</script> <meta name="description" content="Canadian researchers are decoding the secrets of how ova grow and stay fertile In humans and other mammals, the female reproductive cells – the eggs or oocytes – need nourishment in order to grow and remain fertile. It is known that the egg gets its food from little arm-like feeding tubes (called filopodia) that jut out from tiny cells surrounding the egg and must poke through a thick wall coating the egg in order to feed it. Until recently, scientists did not really understand when and how those feeding tubes were constructed. Now, a team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by scientist Dr. Hugh Clarke has found out who calls the shots when it is mealtime for the growing egg, how that cell-to-cell message is communicated and how the feeding tubes themselves are generated. It turns out the egg is in charge and its communication skills are highly sophisticated. When it’s time to get food, the egg sends signals to the tiny surrounding cells to make the feeding tubes, and as it grows and needs more nourishment, it signals them to make even more tubes. These findings, which push the scope of our understanding of female fertility, were published in the April 2 print edition of Current Biology. The study revealed that growth factors – especially one known as growth differentiation factor 9 – coming from the eggs drove the feeding tube multiplication and growth process, acting directly upon the genetic machinery of the follicle cells surrounding the egg. These discoveries put the spotlight directly on the egg itself, says Dr. Clarke. “It shows that the egg is playing an active role in creating the microenvironment that it needs to continue its development,” says Dr. Clarke, lead study author, who is also a senior scientist from the Child Health and Human Development Program at the RI-MUHC and a professor and research director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University. “We observed that the whole process of egg development and its interaction with its environment is not static. It's very dynamic,” adds first study author Stephany El-Hayek, who was a PhD student in Dr. Clarke’s lab at Glen site of the RI-MUHC at the time. The team also found that in older mice, the cells surrounding the egg produced fewer feeding tubes. Scientists know that the eggs of older women are less successful in producing healthy babies, but they don’t know the reason why. Dr. Clarke’s research offers a new possible explanation. Might it be because the cells surrounding the egg are not good at making enough feeding tubes as the egg grows older? The answer to that question, which Dr. Clarke’s team is now investigating, could one day lead to the possibility of increasing fertility or even retaining fertility longer into older age, says the researcher. “Understanding how the egg interacts with its environment will allow us to ensure that growing eggs retain their fertility,” says Dr. Clarke. “But it could also lead to developing techniques to grow healthy eggs in the laboratory in an effort to preserve fertility in women who have cancer,” says Dr. Clarke. About the study The study Mammalian oocytes locally remodel follicular architecture to provide the foundation for germ line-soma communication was co-authored by Stephany El-Hayek, Qin Yang, Laleh Abbassi, Greg FitzHarris, and Hugh J. Clarke. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.039 This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R21HD086407), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). About the Research Institute of the MUHC The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The Institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care within its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 420 researchers and close to 1,200 research trainees devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Its research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). www.rimuhc.ca ILLUSTRATION: The image shows a growing oocyte in the middle, which is very large with a bright green rim, surrounded by many small red follicle cells whose nuclei are stained blue. The thin bright-green hair-like structures between them are the feeding tubes, which grow out from the follicle cells when they receive signals from the oocyte. This image was captured by using confocal microscopy at the Imaging Platform of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada. (CREDIT: Dr. Qin Yang, Research Associate, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre)"/> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (http://drupal.org)"/> <link rel="image_src" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/channels/image/img_5065.png"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454"/> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/node/36759"/> <meta property="og:type" content="website"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Newsroom"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry”"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454"/> <meta property="og:description" content="In humans and other mammals, the female reproductive cells – the eggs or oocytes – need nourishment in order to grow and remain fertile. It is known that the egg gets its food from little arm-like feeding tubes (called filopodia) that jut out from tiny cells surrounding the egg and must poke through a thick wall coating the egg in order to feed it. Until recently, scientists did not really understand when and how those feeding tubes were constructed. Now, a team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by scientist Dr. Hugh Clarke has found out who calls the shots when it is mealtime for the growing egg, how that cell-to-cell message is communicated and how the feeding tubes themselves are generated. It turns out the egg is in charge and its communication skills are highly sophisticated. When it’s time to get food, the egg sends signals to the tiny surrounding cells to make the feeding tubes, and as it grows and needs more nourishment, it signals them to make even more tubes. These findings, which push the scope of our understanding of female fertility, were published in the April 2 print edition of Current Biology. The study revealed that growth factors – especially one known as growth differentiation factor 9 – coming from the eggs drove the feeding tube multiplication and growth process, acting directly upon the genetic machinery of the follicle cells surrounding the egg. These discoveries put the spotlight directly on the egg itself, says Dr. Clarke. “It shows that the egg is playing an active role in creating the microenvironment that it needs to continue its development,” says Dr. Clarke, lead study author, who is also a senior scientist from the Child Health and Human Development Program at the RI-MUHC and a professor and research director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University. “We observed that the whole process of egg development and its interaction with its environment is not static. It's very dynamic,” adds first study author Stephany El-Hayek, who was a PhD student in Dr. Clarke’s lab at Glen site of the RI-MUHC at the time. The team also found that in older mice, the cells surrounding the egg produced fewer feeding tubes. Scientists know that the eggs of older women are less successful in producing healthy babies, but they don’t know the reason why. Dr. Clarke’s research offers a new possible explanation. Might it be because the cells surrounding the egg are not good at making enough feeding tubes as the egg grows older? The answer to that question, which Dr. Clarke’s team is now investigating, could one day lead to the possibility of increasing fertility or even retaining fertility longer into older age, says the researcher. “Understanding how the egg interacts with its environment will allow us to ensure that growing eggs retain their fertility,” says Dr. Clarke. “But it could also lead to developing techniques to grow healthy eggs in the laboratory in an effort to preserve fertility in women who have cancer,” says Dr. Clarke. About the study The study Mammalian oocytes locally remodel follicular architecture to provide the foundation for germ line-soma communication was co-authored by Stephany El-Hayek, Qin Yang, Laleh Abbassi, Greg FitzHarris, and Hugh J. Clarke. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.039 This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R21HD086407), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). About the Research Institute of the MUHC The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The Institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care within its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 420 researchers and close to 1,200 research trainees devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Its research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). www.rimuhc.ca ILLUSTRATION: The image shows a growing oocyte in the middle, which is very large with a bright green rim, surrounded by many small red follicle cells whose nuclei are stained blue. The thin bright-green hair-like structures between them are the feeding tubes, which grow out from the follicle cells when they receive signals from the oocyte. This image was captured by using confocal microscopy at the Imaging Platform of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada. (CREDIT: Dr. Qin Yang, Research Associate, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre)"/> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2018-04-09T10:20:16-04:00"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/channels/image/img_5065.png"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="300"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="300"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@McGillU"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry”"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="In humans and other mammals, the female reproductive cells – the eggs or oocytes – need nourishment in order to grow and remain fertile. It is known that the egg gets its food from little arm-like feeding tubes (called filopodia) that jut out from tiny cells surrounding the egg and must poke through a thick wall coating the egg in order to feed it. Until recently, scientists did not really understand when and how those feeding tubes were constructed. Now, a team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by scientist Dr. Hugh Clarke has found out who calls the shots when it is mealtime for the growing egg, how that cell-to-cell message is communicated and how the feeding tubes themselves are generated. It turns out the egg is in charge and its communication skills are highly sophisticated. When it’s time to get food, the egg sends signals to the tiny surrounding cells to make the feeding tubes, and as it grows and needs more nourishment, it signals them to make even more tubes. These findings, which push the scope of our understanding of female fertility, were published in the April 2 print edition of Current Biology. The study revealed that growth factors – especially one known as growth differentiation factor 9 – coming from the eggs drove the feeding tube multiplication and growth process, acting directly upon the genetic machinery of the follicle cells surrounding the egg. These discoveries put the spotlight directly on the egg itself, says Dr. Clarke. “It shows that the egg is playing an active role in creating the microenvironment that it needs to continue its development,” says Dr. Clarke, lead study author, who is also a senior scientist from the Child Health and Human Development Program at the RI-MUHC and a professor and research director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University. “We observed that the whole process of egg development and its interaction with its environment is not static. It's very dynamic,” adds first study author Stephany El-Hayek, who was a PhD student in Dr. Clarke’s lab at Glen site of the RI-MUHC at the time. The team also found that in older mice, the cells surrounding the egg produced fewer feeding tubes. Scientists know that the eggs of older women are less successful in producing healthy babies, but they don’t know the reason why. Dr. Clarke’s research offers a new possible explanation. Might it be because the cells surrounding the egg are not good at making enough feeding tubes as the egg grows older? The answer to that question, which Dr. Clarke’s team is now investigating, could one day lead to the possibility of increasing fertility or even retaining fertility longer into older age, says the researcher. “Understanding how the egg interacts with its environment will allow us to ensure that growing eggs retain their fertility,” says Dr. Clarke. “But it could also lead to developing techniques to grow healthy eggs in the laboratory in an effort to preserve fertility in women who have cancer,” says Dr. Clarke. About the study The study Mammalian oocytes locally remodel follicular architecture to provide the foundation for germ line-soma communication was co-authored by Stephany El-Hayek, Qin Yang, Laleh Abbassi, Greg FitzHarris, and Hugh J. Clarke. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.039 This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R21HD086407), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). About the Research Institute of the MUHC The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The Institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care within its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 420 researchers and close to 1,200 research trainees devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Its research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). www.rimuhc.ca ILLUSTRATION: The image shows a growing oocyte in the middle, which is very large with a bright green rim, surrounded by many small red follicle cells whose nuclei are stained blue. The thin bright-green hair-like structures between them are the feeding tubes, which grow out from the follicle cells when they receive signals from the oocyte. This image was captured by using confocal microscopy at the Imaging Platform of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada. (CREDIT: Dr. Qin Yang, Research Associate, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre)"/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/channels/image/img_5065.png"/> <meta property="og:locale:alternate" content="fr_FR"/> <meta property="og:video:width" content="300"/> <meta property="og:video:height" content="250"/> <title>Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry” | Newsroom - McGill University</title> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_cYKZHeWJjkIQCar2uUQXasqPZR_Qg2TbCJ3_TqYm72M.css" media="all"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_Be0jLa-O0urYfOMATJtAuiI00MuZjN2jpVZNVFwBS28.css" media="all"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_rZMrWfkbtnvhf4X3DFUklpmddFSTN26sKnHe8-pSdk0.css" media="all"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_ImdWY07Gig7jtGSZSDVUIo4CL-7C2BGMIPv-eHR1LvQ.css" media="all"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_eWogsfwXahhlBJQKWO7ZiPe5NRJtISziATD3gEvwJH4.css" media="all"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_X1KJdfQABekGwYdOLTfYN7XKPOo9_0-pADhDFMKzzgc.css" media="print"/> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112cs_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/css/css_kb_4AcbzgDzF-zABTMZgtkO1COyeAZdx_7PwBdMqNvU.css" media="screen and (max-width: 680px)"/> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/sites/all/libraries/modernizr/modernizr.js?p73duf"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_Aho1aZuSCFDyYlDlyGmeWdUFuG1VQdFUVzA92-8wsOk.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/sites/all/libraries/mediaelement/build/mediaelement-and-player.min.js?v=2.1.6"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- document.createElement( "picture" ); //--><!]]> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_f_BpsloZtITWNBq8h8TQNh4SUGlZKD__yTkMLSN2_t8.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_ZpRdlWFEfXvpBrk8L9ehY8GSFUwW9b9wMMaoqmNA6O8.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); //--><!]]> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_I8yX6RYPZb7AtMcDUA3QKDZqVkvEn35ED11_1i7vVpc.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,"script","//web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js","ga");ga("create", "UA-26739495-1", {"cookieDomain":"auto"});ga("require", "displayfeatures");ga("set", "anonymizeIp", true);ga("send", "pageview"); //--><!]]> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_uAXXpIisLEF6SCIniLFX_nKOgXxaGLbNwEyCgprNzW0.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_p4SkpHS1CC5xiJ7tkje9G4AEX1oMArX96wxkBm4x1Hw.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- jQuery.extend(Drupal.settings, {"basePath":"\/newsroom\/","pathPrefix":"","ajaxPageState":{"theme":"moriarty","theme_token":"7qlG7wGSm_GGq6BpVYeDayuEmQnSktNNSHikO7dulOQ","js":{"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/picture\/picturefill2\/picturefill.min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/picture\/picture.min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_wysiwyg_and_text_formats\/js\/components-bundle.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/modernizr\/modernizr.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/jquery_update\/replace\/jquery\/1.5\/jquery.min.js":1,"misc\/jquery.once.js":1,"misc\/drupal.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/mediaelement\/build\/mediaelement-and-player.min.js":1,"0":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/spamspan\/spamspan.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/channels\/js\/channels.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/colorbox\/jquery.colorbox-min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/js\/colorbox.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/styles\/default\/colorbox_style.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/js\/plugins.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/js\/editor_widgets.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/tablesorter\/jquery.tablesorter.min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_search\/js\/solr_presentation.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/patched\/media_colorbox\/media_colorbox.js":1,"1":1,"\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180414042112\/http:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/google_analytics\/googleanalytics.js":1,"2":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_wysiwyg_and_text_formats\/js\/riot.min.js":1,"misc\/autocomplete.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/search_api_autocomplete\/search_api_autocomplete.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/jquery.hoverIntent.minified.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/sfsmallscreen.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/supposition.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/superfish.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/supersubs.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/superfish\/superfish.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/js\/menu_receiver.js":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/moriarty\/js\/mcgill_menus.js":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/moriarty\/js\/presentation.js":1},"css":{"modules\/system\/system.base.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.menus.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.messages.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/mediaelement\/build\/mediaelementplayer.min.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ldap\/ldap_user\/ldap_user.css":1,"modules\/aggregator\/aggregator.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/date\/date_api\/date.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/date\/date_popup\/themes\/datepicker.1.7.css":1,"modules\/field\/theme\/field.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/google_appliance\/theme\/google_appliance.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/logintoboggan\/logintoboggan.css":1,"modules\/node\/node.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/picture\/picture_wysiwyg.css":1,"modules\/search\/search.css":1,"modules\/user\/user.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/views\/css\/views.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/channels\/css\/channels_base.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/styles\/default\/colorbox_style.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ctools\/css\/ctools.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ldap\/ldap_servers\/ldap_servers.admin.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_aggregator\/css\/mcgill_aggregator.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/font-awesome\/css\/font-awesome.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/mcgill-extra-icons-font\/mcgill-extra-icons-font.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/css\/menu_receiver.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_assets\/css\/editor_widgets.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_featured_content\/mcgill_featured_content.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_google_appliance\/css\/mcgill_google_appliance.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_media_nivo_slider\/css\/mcgill_nivo.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_profiles\/mcgill_profiles_displays\/css\/mcgill_profiles_displays_extras.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_search\/css\/mcgill_search.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_pages\/css\/restricted_page.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/channels\/channels_events_search\/css\/channels_events_search.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/twitter_pull\/twitter-pull-listing.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/search_api_autocomplete\/search_api_autocomplete.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/courses\/courses.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/mcgill\/mcgill_service_links\/css\/service_links_modified.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/css\/superfish.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/css\/superfish-smallscreen.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/moriarty\/css\/style.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/moriarty\/css\/print_moriarty.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/moriarty\/css\/small_screen_moriarty.css":1}},"colorbox":{"opacity":"0.85","current":"{current} of {total}","previous":"\u00ab Prev","next":"Next \u00bb","close":"Close","maxWidth":"98%","maxHeight":"98%","fixed":true,"mobiledetect":true,"mobiledevicewidth":"480px"},"better_exposed_filters":{"views":{"chancon":{"displays":{"block_1":{"filters":[]}}}}},"googleanalytics":{"trackOutbound":1,"trackMailto":1,"trackDownload":1,"trackDownloadExtensions":"7z|aac|arc|arj|asf|asx|avi|bin|csv|doc|exe|flv|gif|gz|gzip|hqx|jar|jpe?g|js|mp(2|3|4|e?g)|mov(ie)?|msi|msp|pdf|phps|png|ppt|qtm?|ra(m|r)?|sea|sit|tar|tgz|torrent|txt|wav|wma|wmv|wpd|xls|xml|z|zip"},"urlIsAjaxTrusted":{"\/newsroom\/channels\/news\/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454":true},"superfish":{"1":{"id":"1","sf":{"animation":{"opacity":"show"},"speed":"fast"},"plugins":{"smallscreen":{"mode":"window_width","breakpoint":680,"breakpointUnit":"px","accordionButton":"0","title":"Main menu"},"supposition":true,"supersubs":true}}}}); //--><!]]> </script> </head> <body class="html not-front not-logged-in one-sidebar sidebar-second page-node page-node- page-node-36759 node-type-channel-news i18n-en page channel-item secondary-images-0 horizontal-nav no-vert-nav"> <!-- Header --> <div id="global-nav" class="transition clearfix"> <!-- Include quicklinks_path if its set and if remove_branding isn't --> <div id="global-nav-container" class="clearfix"> <div id="block-menu-menu-popular-tools" class="block block-menu quick-tools"> <div class="content"> <ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://outlook.com/mcgill.ca" title="">Email</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://portal.office.com/" title="">OFFICE 365</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://horizon.mcgill.ca/pban1/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin" title="">Minerva</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://mycourses2.mcgill.ca/Shibboleth.sso/Login">myCourses</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://mymcgill.mcgill.ca/">myMcGill</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://ask.mcgill.ca/">AskMcGill</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://maps.mcgill.ca/" title="">Maps</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/directory/staff">Staff directory</a></li> </ul> </div></div> <div id="block-menu-menu-quicklinks" class="block block-menu quick-links"> <div class="content"> <ul class="menu"><li class="first expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">Column 3</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first last expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">About us</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/about/">About McGill</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/about/administration">Administration &amp; Governance</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/admissions/">Admissions</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://aoc.mcgill.ca/">Alumni Resources</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/campus-life/">Campus Life</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/hr/workingmcgill">Employment Opportunities</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/faculties/">Faculties &amp; Departments</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://community.mcgill.ca/" title="">McGill in the Community</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/research/">Research &amp; Innovation</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/tls/">Teaching &amp; Learning</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">Column 2</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">For faculty &amp; staff</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/staff">Faculty &amp; Staff Home Page</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/hr/">Human Resources</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/apo/">Academic Personnel Office</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/library/">Libraries</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/it/">IT Services</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/financialservices" title="">Financial Services</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/hr-webforms/staffdevelopment">Staff Development</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/staff/directory" title="">Directory of Resources</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="last expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">What&#039;s new</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/">News</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/events">Events</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://publications.mcgill.ca/reporter/">McGill Reporter</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/about/intro/publications">Other Publications</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> <li class="last expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">Column 1</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first last expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/" class="active">For students</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/students">Students’ Home Page</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/study/">Programs &amp; Courses</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/library/">Libraries</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-fees/tuition-and-fees">Tuition &amp; Fees</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/studentaid/">Financial Aid</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgillathletics.ca/">Athletics</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/importantdates/">Important Dates</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/caps/">Career Planning</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/it/">IT Services</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/students/directory">Directory of Resources</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/ask">AskMcGill</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> </div></div> </div> <!--End global nav container --> </div> <!-- End global nav --> <div id="header" class="mcgill-brand shift-slogan"> <div id="header-inner" class="inner"> <!-- Global Navigation toggle. --> <!-- Only include if remove_branding isn't true --> <a id="explore-mcgill" tabindex="4" title="Explore McGill University" href="#">Quick Links</a> <a id="mcgill-logo" tabindex="2" accesskey="1" title="return to McGill University" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/"> <span id="university-name" class="offscreen">McGill University</span> </a> <!-- Strap Links --> <div id="accessibility"> <ul class="links"><li class="fr first last"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/fr/channels/news/linstar-des-nouveau-nes-les-ovules-envoient-des-signaux-lorsquils-sont-affames-286454" class="language-link" lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Fr</a></li> </ul> </div> <!-- End strap links --> <div id="title-box" class="title-box-alt site-name-display-on"> <!-- Logo or Banner image --> <a id="site-name" href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/">Newsroom</a> <!-- Faculty-title for /study --> <p id="slogan">Media Relations Office</p> </div> <!-- Search --> <div id="strap-search"> <form class="mcgill-search-form container-inline" action="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454" method="post" id="search-api-page-search-form" accept-charset="UTF-8"><div><div class="form-item form-type-textfield form-item-keys-4"> <label class="element-invisible" for="edit-keys-4">Enter your keywords </label> <input placeholder="Search" class="auto_submit form-text form-autocomplete" data-search-api-autocomplete-search="search_api_page_local_search" type="text" id="edit-keys-4" name="keys_4" value="" size="15" maxlength="128"/><input type="hidden" id="edit-keys-4-autocomplete" value="http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/index.php?q=search_api_autocomplete/search_api_page_local_search/-" disabled="disabled" class="autocomplete"/> </div> <input type="hidden" name="id" value="4"/> <input type="submit" id="edit-submit-4" name="op" value="Search" class="form-submit"/><input type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-D-qmhqCIMIbPvP162a5iVU_6Le8syzyFuqW6nheA200"/> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="search_api_page_search_form"/> </div></form> </div> </div> </div> <!-- End header --> <div id="navigation" class="clearfix"> <div class="inner"> <h2 class="offscreen">Main navigation</h2> <div id="block-superfish-1" class="block block-superfish"><ul id="superfish-1" class="menu sf-menu sf-main-menu sf-horizontal sf-style-none sf-total-items-11 sf-parent-items-0 sf-single-items-11"><li id="menu-0-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/" class="sf-depth-1">Home</a></li><li id="menu-847-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/journalists" class="sf-depth-1">For Journalists</a></li><li id="menu-833-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/faculty-students-and-staff" title="" class="sf-depth-1">For Faculty, Students and Staff</a></li><li id="menu-822-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/experts" class="sf-depth-1">Experts</a></li><li id="menu-1227-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/multimedia" class="sf-depth-1">Multimedia</a></li><li id="menu-826-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/socialmedia" class="sf-depth-1">Social media</a></li><li id="menu-835-1" class="middle odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/contacts" class="sf-depth-1">Contact us</a></li><li id="menu-1616-1" class="middle even sf-item-8 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/more-news" class="sf-depth-1">More news...</a></li><li id="menu-1570-1" class="middle odd sf-item-9 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/article/around-campus/nsercs-science-action-contest-open-voting" class="sf-depth-1">NSERCs Science, Action! contest: open for voting!</a></li><li id="menu-1230-1" class="middle even sf-item-10 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/share-your-research" class="sf-depth-1">Share your research</a></li><li id="menu-1404-1" class="last odd sf-item-11 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/spring-2017-hondoc-bios" class="sf-depth-1">Spring 2017 HonDoc bios</a></li></ul></div> </div> </div> <div id="highlighted" class="clearfix"> </div> <!-- End highlighted page block area --> <div id="container" class="clearfix"> <div class="breadcrumb"> <a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/">Home</a> </div> <div id="inner-container"> <div id="tabs"> </div> <div id="top-page"> </div> <!-- End top page block area --> <h1 id="page-title" class=" "> Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry” </h1> <div id="main-column"> <div id="top-content"> </div> <!-- End top content block area --> <div id="content"> <div id="content-inner"> <div class="region region-content"> <div id="block-system-main" class="block block-system region-content"> <div class="block-inner"> <div class="content"> <div id="node-36759" class="channel-item node node-channel-news channels-official channels-distributed"> <div class="channels-title"><h2>News</h2></div> <div class="content channels channel-item channel_news"> <div class="dek"><div class="field field-name-field-dek field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Canadian researchers are decoding the secrets of how ova grow and stay fertile </div></div></div></div> <div class="news-field"> <div class="field field-name-field-published-date field-type-datestamp field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date first"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">9</span><span class="month">Apr</span><span class="year">2018</span></div></div></div></div></div> <div class="service-links"><ul class="links"><li class="service-links-facebook first"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A//www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454&amp;t=Like%20babies%2C%20eggs%20send%20signals%20when%20%E2%80%9Chungry%E2%80%9D" title="Share on Facebook" class="service-links-facebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i class="fa"></i> <span class="screen-reader-text">Facebook</span></a></li> <li class="service-links-twitter"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A//www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454&amp;text=Like%20babies%2C%20eggs%20send%20signals%20when%20%E2%80%9Chungry%E2%80%9D" title="Share this on Twitter" class="service-links-twitter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i class="fa"></i> <span class="screen-reader-text">Twitter</span></a></li> <li class="service-links-google-plus"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A//www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454" title="Share this on Google+" class="service-links-google-plus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i class="fa"></i> <span class="screen-reader-text">Google+</span></a></li> <li class="service-links-linkedin last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A//www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454&amp;title=Like%20babies%2C%20eggs%20send%20signals%20when%20%E2%80%9Chungry%E2%80%9D&amp;summary=%0D%0A%09&amp;source=Newsroom" title="Publish this post to LinkedIn" class="service-links-linkedin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i class="fa"></i> <span class="screen-reader-text">LinkedIn</span></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="channels-body-images"> <div class="field field-name-field-primary-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/channels/image/img_5065.png" title="Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry”" class="colorbox" rel="gallery-node-36759-FTvigdfICAs"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/styles/medium_landscape__320/public/channels/image/img_5065.png?itok=0yViR-82" width="320" height="316" alt="" title=""/></a></div></div></div> </div> <div class="channels-summary"><div> </div></div> <span>In humans and other mammals, the female reproductive cells – the eggs or oocytes – need nourishment in order to grow and remain fertile. It is known that the egg gets its food from little arm-like feeding tubes (called filopodia) that jut out from tiny cells surrounding the egg and must poke through a thick wall coating the egg in order to feed it. Until recently, scientists did not really understand when and how those feeding tubes were constructed.</span> <p>Now, a team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) led by scientist Dr. Hugh Clarke has found out who calls the shots when it is mealtime for the growing egg, how that cell-to-cell message is communicated and how the feeding tubes themselves are generated. It turns out the egg is in charge and its communication skills are highly sophisticated. When it’s time to get food, the egg sends signals to the tiny surrounding cells to make the feeding tubes, and as it grows and needs more nourishment, it signals them to make even more tubes. </p> </div> <div> <div> <div> <p>These findings, which push the scope of our understanding of female fertility, were published in the April 2 print edition of Current Biology.</p> <p>The study revealed that growth factors – especially one known as growth differentiation factor 9 – coming from the eggs drove the feeding tube multiplication and growth process,  acting directly upon the genetic machinery of the follicle cells surrounding the egg. These discoveries put the spotlight directly on the egg itself, says Dr. Clarke.</p> <p>“It shows that the egg is playing an active role in creating the microenvironment that it needs to continue its development,” says Dr. Clarke, lead study author, who is also a senior scientist from the Child Health and Human Development Program at the RI-MUHC and a professor and research director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University.</p> <p>“We observed that the whole process of egg development and its interaction with its environment is not static. It's very dynamic,” adds first study author Stephany El-Hayek, who was a PhD student in Dr. Clarke’s lab at Glen site of the RI-MUHC at the time.</p> <p>The team also found that in older mice, the cells surrounding the egg produced fewer feeding tubes. Scientists know that the eggs of older women are less successful in producing healthy babies, but they don’t know the reason why. Dr. Clarke’s research offers a new possible explanation.</p> <p>Might it be because the cells surrounding the egg are not good at making enough feeding tubes as the egg grows older? The answer to that question, which Dr. Clarke’s team is now investigating, could one day lead to the possibility of increasing fertility or even retaining fertility longer into older age, says the researcher.  </p> <p>“Understanding how the egg interacts with its environment will allow us to ensure that growing eggs retain their fertility,” says Dr. Clarke. “But it could also lead to developing techniques to grow healthy eggs in the laboratory in an effort to preserve fertility in women who have cancer,” says Dr. Clarke.</p> <p><strong>About the study</strong><br/><span>The study </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982218302240" target="_blank"><em>Mammalian oocytes locally remodel follicular architecture to provide the foundation for germ line-soma communication</em></a><span> was co-authored by Stephany El-Hayek, Qin Yang, Laleh Abbassi, Greg FitzHarris, and Hugh J. Clarke. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.039" target="_blank">doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.039</a></p> <p>This work was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; <span>Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R21HD086407), the Canadian Institutes of </span><span>Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).</span></p> <p><strong>About the Research Institute of the MUHC</strong><br/><span>The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is a world-renowned biomedical and healthcare research centre. The Institute, which is affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, is the research arm of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) – an academic health centre located in Montreal, Canada, that has a mandate to focus on complex care within its community. The RI-MUHC supports over 420 researchers and close to 1,200 research trainees devoted to a broad spectrum of fundamental, clinical and health outcomes research at the Glen and the Montreal General Hospital sites of the MUHC. Its research facilities offer a dynamic multidisciplinary environment that fosters collaboration and leverages discovery aimed at improving the health of individual patients across their lifespan. The RI-MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS). </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.rimuhc.ca/" target="_blank">www.rimuhc.ca</a></p> <hr/><p><em>ILLUSTRATION: The image shows a growing oocyte in the middle, which is very large with a bright green rim, surrounded by many small red follicle cells whose nuclei are stained blue. The thin bright-green hair-like structures between them are the feeding tubes, which grow out from the follicle cells when they receive signals from the oocyte. This image was captured by using confocal microscopy at the Imaging Platform of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada.<br/> (CREDIT: Dr. Qin Yang, Research Associate, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre)</em></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="channels-container"> <div class="channels-contact vcard"> <h3>Contact Information</h3> <div class="field field-name-field-person-name field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Contact:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Julie Robert</div></div></div> <div class="field field-name-field-organization-name field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Organization:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">McGill University Health Centre</div></div></div> <div class="field field-name-field-email field-type-email field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Email:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="spamspan"><span class="u">julie.robert</span> [at] <span class="d">muhc.mcgill.ca</span></span></div></div></div> <div class="field field-name-field-work-phone field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Office Phone:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">514-843-1560</div></div></div> <div class="field field-name-field-cell-phone field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Mobile Phone:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">514-971-4747</div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="mcgill-tags"> <div class="field categories links-inline"> <div class="categories"><div class="field field-name-field-category field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Category:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div class="item-list"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first last"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://mcgill.ca/channels/section/press_releases/channel_news">News releases</a></li> </ul></div></div></div></div></div> </div> <div class="field source-site source-inline"> <div class="field field-name-field-source-site field-type-link-field field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Source Site:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom" title="Source site - /newsroom" class="source-site-link">/newsroom</a></div></div></div> </div> <div class="field terms terms-inline"> <div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/category/tags/eggs">eggs</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/category/audience/external">External</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/category/tags/faculty-medicine">Faculty of Medicine</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/category/tags/frqs">frqs</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/category/tags/hugh-clarke">hugh clarke</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/taxonomy/term/2576">muhc</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/taxonomy/term/2740">NSERC</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/category/tags/ri-muhc">RI-MUHC</a></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="bottom-content"> </div> <!-- End bottom content block area --> </div> <!-- main column --> <div id="sidebar-column"> <h2 class="offscreen">Related Content</h2> <div class="region region-sidebar-second"> <div id="block-views-chancon-block-1" class="block block-views region-sidebar_second"> <div class="block-inner"> <div class="content"> <div class="view view-chancon view-id-chancon view-display-id-block_1 channel-item-supp-content view-dom-id-9731fe36bfa2ddf11176d3fbab43bfc0"> <div class="view-content"> <div> <div class="views-field views-field-changed"> <span class="views-label views-label-changed">Last updated: </span> <span class="field-content">04/09/2018 - 10:20</span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-block-22564" class="block block-block full-width region-sidebar_second"> <div class="block-inner"> <h3>Media Relations Office</h3> <div class="content"> <h5><span class="spamspan"><span class="u">info.communications</span> [at] <span class="d">mcgill.ca</span></span></h5> <h4>514-398-6693</h4> <h5><a href="//web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/contacts">Media relations directory</a></h5> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-bean-twitter" class="block block-bean region-sidebar_second block-bean-twitter-pull mode-full"> <div class="block-inner"> <h3>Twitter</h3> <div class="content"> <!-- Exception for relevant block - it distrupts zebra styling.. --> <div class="entity entity-bean bean-twitter-pull clearfix"> <div class="content"> </div> </div> <div class="twitter-widget"> <a class="twitter-timeline" data-dnt="true" data-chrome="transparent,noborders, noheader" data-height="200" data-width="500" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://twitter.com/@McGillU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" data-tweet-limit="3"> Tweets by @McGillU </a><script async src="//web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-channels-8" class="block block-channels full-width region-sidebar_second"> <div class="block-inner"> <h3>News</h3> <div class="content"> <div class="item-list"><ul class="channelblock"><li class="channel-item channel_news no-image first"><h2><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/mcgill-researchers-get-22m-cfi-funding-286570">McGill researchers to get $2.2M in CFI funding</a></h2><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date date-container"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">11</span> <span class="month">Apr</span> <span class="year">2018</span> </div></div></li> <li class="channel-item channel_news has-image"><div class="primary-image"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/protecting-young-adults-sexual-health-286457"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/styles/secondary_images_thumbnail__45x45__/public/channels/image/mobile-phone.jpg?itok=GhuEYXzL" width="45" height="45" alt=""/></a></div><h2><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/protecting-young-adults-sexual-health-286457">Protecting young adults’ sexual health</a></h2><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date date-container"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">9</span> <span class="month">Apr</span> <span class="year">2018</span> </div></div></li> <li class="channel-item channel_news has-image last"><div class="primary-image"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454" class="active"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/styles/secondary_images_thumbnail__45x45__/public/channels/image/img_5065.png?itok=kgzRKcbY" width="45" height="45" alt=""/></a></div><h2><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/babies-eggs-send-signals-when-hungry-286454" class="active">Like babies, eggs send signals when “hungry”</a></h2><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date date-container"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">9</span> <span class="month">Apr</span> <span class="year">2018</span> </div></div></li> </ul></div><div class="link-list"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels_item/8" class="view-more">View more</a><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels_item/8/rss" class="rss"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/misc/feed.png" alt=""/></a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-channels-7" class="block block-channels full-width region-sidebar_second"> <div class="block-inner"> <h3>Experts</h3> <div class="content"> <div class="item-list"><ul class="channelblock"><li class="channel-item channel_news no-image first"><h2><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/usa-donald-trumps-administration-265309">Experts: Donald Trump&#039;s Administration</a></h2><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date date-container"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">23</span> <span class="month">Jan</span> <span class="year">2017</span> </div></div></li> <li class="channel-item channel_news has-image"><div class="primary-image"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/epilepsy-research-and-care-neuro-286089"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/styles/secondary_images_thumbnail__45x45__/public/channels/image/purple_day_logo.png?itok=7DVuntO0" width="45" height="45" alt=""/></a></div><h2><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/epilepsy-research-and-care-neuro-286089">Epilepsy research and care at The Neuro</a></h2><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date date-container"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">26</span> <span class="month">Mar</span> <span class="year">2018</span> </div></div></li> <li class="channel-item channel_news has-image last"><h2><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/expert-march-our-lives-286149">Expert: March for our Lives</a></h2><div class="custom-multi-date"><div class="multi-date date-container"><span class="label">Published: </span><span class="day">23</span> <span class="month">Mar</span> <span class="year">2018</span> </div></div></li> </ul></div><div class="link-list"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels_item/7" class="view-more">View more</a><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels_item/7/rss" class="rss"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112im_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/misc/feed.png" alt=""/></a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <!-- End sidebar-column --> </div> <!-- inner container --> <div id="bottom-page"> </div> <!-- End bottom page block area --> <div id="top-page-link" class="transition"> <a href="#">top of page</a> </div> </div> <!-- End container --> <!-- Footer --> <!-- Footer --> <div id="footer"> <div id="footer-inner"> <h2 class="offscreen">Department and University Information</h2> <!--page_footer_contact_info is used by study --> <div id="contact-info"> <h2>Media Relations Office</h2> James Administration Building<br/> 845 Sherbrooke Street West<br/> Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G4<br/> <br></br> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/contacts">Contact info</a><br/> </div> <!-- Footer branding image --> <div id="footer-branding"> <!-- Footer call to action --> </div> <div id="footer-nav"> <ul class="menu"><li class="first expanded"><a class="nolink">Column 1</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first last expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/">Events</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/events/">See all events</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/events/?group=group_lectures_conferences">Seminars, lectures and conferences</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/events/?group=group_arts_culture">Music and performance</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/events/?group=group_exhibitions">Exhibitions, launches and receptions</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/channels/events/?group=group_macdonald_campus">Macdonald campus</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> <li class="expanded"><a class="nolink">Column 2</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first last expanded"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.archives.mcgill.ca/resources/index.htm">Archival resources</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/photos" title="">Photos (current)</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.archives.mcgill.ca/reference/refserv.htm" title="">Reference services including photo archives</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> <li class="last expanded"><a class="nolink">Column 3</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/">McGill facts</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/about/">About McGill</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts/">Quick facts</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/about/history/">History</a></li> <li class="leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/about/administration">Administration</a></li> <li class="last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/maps">Campus Map</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="last expanded"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/">Student Information</a><ul class="menu"><li class="first last leaf"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.ssmu.mcgill.ca/">Students&#039; Society of McGill University</a></li> </ul></li> </ul></li> </ul> </div> <!-- Renders follow site block if available --> <div id="footer-follow"> <div class="follow-links clearfix site"><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-facebook"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.facebook.com/McGillUniversity/" class="follow-link follow-link-facebook follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on Facebook">Facebook</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-twitter"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.twitter.com/mcgillu" class="follow-link follow-link-twitter follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on Twitter">Twitter</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-youtube"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.youtube.com/user/mcgilluniversity" class="follow-link follow-link-youtube follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on YouTube">YouTube</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-googleplus"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://plus.google.com/+mcgilluniversity/posts" class="follow-link follow-link-googleplus follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on Google Plus">Google Plus</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-linkedin"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=10890" class="follow-link follow-link-linkedin follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-mcgill-blogs"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://publications.mcgill.ca/" class="follow-link follow-link-mcgill-blogs follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on McGill Publications">McGill Publications</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-instagram"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.instagram.com/mcgillu" class="follow-link follow-link-instagram follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on Instagram">Instagram</a> </div><div class="follow-link-wrapper follow-link-wrapper-more"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/socialmedia" class="follow-link follow-link-more follow-link-site" title="Follow Newsroom on More">More</a> </div></div> </div> </div> <!-- End footer-inner --> </div> <!-- End footer --> <div id="sub-footer"> <div id="sub-footer-inner"> <a id="mcgill-watermark" title="return to McGill University" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112/https://www.mcgill.ca/"><span id="university-watermark" class="offscreen">McGill University</span></a> <div id="copyright"> Copyright &copy; 2018 McGill University </div> <div id="sign-in"><a href="/web/20180414042112/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/user/login?destination=node/36759" title="Site Maintenance">Sign in (site maintenance)</a></div> </div> <!-- End sub-footer-inner --> </div> <!-- End sub-footer --> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_7Ukqb3ierdBEL0eowfOKzTkNu-Le97OPm-UqTS5NENU.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20180414042112js_/http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/js/js_vV1M7upLdbHIggfk94_8t9Ga0Q4ehtnPFlwy2rgC_R8.js"></script> </body> </html> <script id="f5_cspm">(function(){var f5_cspm={f5_p:'COKIKNJCGKLPNCAGFAFGCKMPEPCJDMPKECDFMFBHGJJCJDKJGFCAFJBILNPHOPMPFEJBBMONAALDALKGCCIANCCJAABLEAFIHKHJNDALGGLAKFHCJBPLINBLHCCGBPFA',setCharAt:function(str,index,chr){if(index>str.length-1)return str;return str.substr(0,index)+chr+str.substr(index+1);},get_byte:function(str,i){var s=(i/16)|0;i=(i&15);s=s*32;return((str.charCodeAt(i+16+s)-65)<<4)|(str.charCodeAt(i+s)-65);},set_byte:function(str,i,b){var s=(i/16)|0;i=(i&15);s=s*32;str=f5_cspm.setCharAt(str,(i+16+s),String.fromCharCode((b>>4)+65));str=f5_cspm.setCharAt(str,(i+s),String.fromCharCode((b&15)+65));return str;},set_latency:function(str,latency){latency=latency&0xffff;str=f5_cspm.set_byte(str,40,(latency>>8));str=f5_cspm.set_byte(str,41,(latency&0xff));str=f5_cspm.set_byte(str,35,2);return str;},wait_perf_data:function(){try{var wp=window.performance.timing;if(wp.loadEventEnd>0){var res=wp.loadEventEnd-wp.navigationStart;if(res<60001){var cookie_val=f5_cspm.set_latency(f5_cspm.f5_p,res);window.document.cookie='f5avr0840947753aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa='+encodeURIComponent(cookie_val)+';path=/';} return;}} catch(err){return;} setTimeout(f5_cspm.wait_perf_data,100);return;},go:function(){var chunk=window.document.cookie.split(/\s*;\s*/);for(var i=0;i<chunk.length;++i){var pair=chunk[i].split(/\s*=\s*/);if(pair[0]=='f5_cspm'&&pair[1]=='1234') {var d=new Date();d.setTime(d.getTime()-1000);window.document.cookie='f5_cspm=;expires='+d.toUTCString()+';path=/;';setTimeout(f5_cspm.wait_perf_data,100);}}}} f5_cspm.go();}());</script><!-- FILE ARCHIVED ON 04:21:12 Apr 14, 2018 AND RETRIEVED FROM THE INTERNET ARCHIVE ON 04:42:32 Dec 20, 2024. JAVASCRIPT APPENDED BY WAYBACK MACHINE, COPYRIGHT INTERNET ARCHIVE. ALL OTHER CONTENT MAY ALSO BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT (17 U.S.C. SECTION 108(a)(3)). --> <!-- playback timings (ms): captures_list: 0.537 exclusion.robots: 0.025 exclusion.robots.policy: 0.015 esindex: 0.012 cdx.remote: 21.836 LoadShardBlock: 424.488 (3) PetaboxLoader3.datanode: 133.555 (4) PetaboxLoader3.resolve: 263.116 (2) load_resource: 241.375 -->

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10