Article: Effect of in vitro culture of mammalian embryos on the architecture of the zona pellucida.

The mammalian zona pellucida (zona) is composed of glycoprotein filaments organized in three layers that differ in their orientation and birefringence (1). Relative to the embryo, filaments of the inner zona are oriented radially, whereas filaments of the outer zona are oriented tangentially. The inner and outer layers are separated by a layer of minimal birefringence, suggesting random orientation of filaments in the mid-zona. Before implantation, the blastocyst must hatch from the zona. In vitro culture of embryos reduces their rate of implantation, which limits the effectiveness of in vitro fertilization for treatment of infertility in humans. We hypothesized that in ...

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