Rete Petite

How much of our biology is forgotten? This video shows the rete ovarii (highlighted in red) a structure that has vanished not from life inside us, where it loops around the ovary (partially shown in green), but from many textbooks and research papers. Even the Wikipedia page is sparse. First recorded in early versions of Gray’s anatomy over 100 years ago, there are few clues to what this tiny appendage actually does. Perhaps it’s similar to the rete testes found in testicles? Researchers now find the rete ovarii is more complicated. Using sensitive light sheet microscopy to examine the structure in mice, together with proteomic (large-scale examination of proteins present) analysis, they find the rete ovarii pipes chemicals into the ovary itself, suggesting a role in developing and maintaining the ovary’s ideal conditions – its homeostasis. With laboratory techniques constantly improving, perhaps there are other important features inside us waiting to be (re)discovered?

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video from work by Dilara N Anbarci and colleagues
• Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in eLife (reviewed preprint), March 2025