The effects of follicle-stimulating hormone treatment on early meiotic oocytes of Podarcis sicula (Lacertilia).

The effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on early meiotic oocytes were studied by cytological, autoradiographic, and photometric techniques. In addition to regulating oogonial proliferation, oogenesis, and folliculogenesis, the hormone influenced germ cell number and the time course of early meiosis. FSH did not affect the timing of DNA replication and amplification and did not change the amount of rDNA accumulated in the nucleus by amplification. A genetic control mechanism for these processes is suggested.