Involvement of blood mononuclear cells in the infertility, age-associated diseases and cancer treatment

Figure 15 Fibroblasts steal the ZP3 sperm-binding protein from in vitro maturation treated oocyte-like cells. A: Untreated culture shows low perinuclear ZP3 in the oocyte-like cell and traces in the satellite cell (SC) and accompanying fibroblasts (FB); B: After hCG, the marked ZP3 staining is apparent, which is drained by FBs (red arrowheads); C: Adding sperm to OSC culture after IVM treatment caused that the sperm were binding to the fibroblasts (arrowheads) instead to the OLCs[46]. IVM: In vitro maturation; ZP3: Zona pellucida glycoprotein 3; OLCs: Oocyte-like cells.