FIGURE 3.

Three-dimensional mapping of growing type 4 to type 8 follicles and corpora lutea. (A) Representative microCT image of T4-CL mapping procedure, performed through all ovary sections. Bar, 500 μm. (B) Volume rendering of T4–T8 follicles and CL present in the ovary, and virtual segmentation of the organ’s dorsal (D-I to D-IV) and ventral (V-I to V-IV) side into four equal sectors. (C) Histogram describing the distribution of each follicle type and corpora lutea into the four dorsal and ventral sectors of three ovaries from three different female mice. (D) Graphical model describing the trajectory of follicles recruitment and growth. Follicle recruitment (red circle) occurs simultaneously in the cortex of all the eight sectors in which the ovary was virtually segmented. Then, follicles initiate growth toward the medulla (red segment of the arrow), increasing their size until they re-emerge into the cortical region (yellow segment of the arrow) from where, as fully grown antral follicles, they could undergo ovulation.