02522naa a2200373 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400250006010000210008524501210010626000090022750000820023652014410031865000220175965300080178165300130178965300140180265300110181665300100182770000160183770000190185370000210187270000150189370000180190870000200192670000170194670000180196370000190198170000150200070000170201570000170203270000130204977300860206210179882019-10-31 2011 bl uuuu u00u1 u #d7 a10.1071/RD091612DOI1 aSCARAMUZZI, R.J. aRegulation of folliculogenesis and the determination of ovulation rate in ruminants (Review).h[electronic resource] c2011 aArticle history: Manuscript received 11 July 2009 // Accepted 5 October 2010. aThe paper presents an update of our 1993 model of ovarian follicular development in ruminants, based on knowledge gained from the past 15 years of research. The model addresses the sequence of events from follicular formation in fetal life, through the successive waves of follicular growth and atresia, culminating with the emergence of ovulatory follicles during reproductive cycles. The original concept of five developmental classes of follicles, defined primarily by their responses to gonadotrophins, is retained: primordial, committed, gonadotrophin-responsive, gonadotrophin-dependent and ovulatory follicles. The updated model has more extensive integration of the morphological, molecular and cellular events during folliculogenesis with systemic events in the whole animal. It also incorporates knowledge on factors that influence oocyte quality and the critical roles of the oocyte in regulating follicular development and ovulation rate. The original hypothetical mechanisms determining ovulation rate are retained but with some refinements; the enhanced viability of gonadotrophin-dependent follicles and increases in the number of gonadotrophinresponsive follicles by increases in the throughput of follicles to this stage of growth. Finally, we reexamine how these two mechanisms, which are thought not to be mutually exclusive, appear to account for most of the known genetic and environmental effects on ovulation rate aPRODUCCION ANIMAL aEWE aFOLLICLE aNUTRITION aOOCYTE aOVARY1 aBAIRD, D.T.1 aCAMPBELL, B.K.1 aDRIANCOURT, M.A.1 aDUPONT, J.1 aFORTUNE, J.E.1 aGILCHRIST, R.B.1 aMARTIN, G.B.1 aMCNATTY, K.P.1 aMCNEILLY, A.S.1 aMONGET, P.1 aMONNIAUX, D.1 aVIÑOLES, C.1 aWEBB, R. tReproduction, Fertility and Development, 2011, Volume 23, Issue 3, Pages 444-467.