Regulation of Ovulation in the Domestic Hen

排卵是动物界的普遍现象。然而，人们对这一过程知之甚少。众所周知，由脑下垂体产生的一种激素--黄体生成素(LH)会引起卵泡壁的一系列变化，从而导致卵泡壁的破裂和卵子或卵子的释放。卵泡壁由一层厚的基质组成，它必须被降解才能排卵。为了促进排卵，卵泡壁有一个特殊的区域，称为柱头，其中的纤维平行排列。根据对其他物种的研究，假设酶，如组织纤溶酶原激活剂和胶原酶，要么解离或降解柱头区域的纤维。本研究的目的是测定卵泡中这两种关键酶在排卵过程中的活性。从这些研究中获得的知识将促进对黄体生成素引起卵泡壁的时间控制变化的机制的理解，从而使排卵发生在可预测的时间。//

Ovulation is a universal phenomenon in the animal kingdom. However, this process is poorly understood. It is known that a hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), produced by the pituitary induces a number of changes in the follicular wall which results in a rupture of this wall and release of the egg or ovum. The follicular wall consists of a thick matrix which must be degraded to permit ovulation. To facilitate ovulation, the follicular wall has a specialized region called a stigma in which the fibers are arranged in a parallel manner. Based on studies in others species, it is hypothesized that enzymes, such as tissue plasminogen activator and collagenase, either dissociate or degrade the fibers in the stigma region. The purpose of this study is to measure the activities of these two key enzymes in the follicle as it ap- proaches ovulation. Knowledge obtained from these studies will promote an understanding of the mechanisms by which LH brings about time controlled changes in the follicular wall so that ovulation occurs at a predictable time. //