Ova Looked

Female mammals' egg cells (oocytes) each develop enclosed in a follicle within the ovary, and now researchers studying that growth have discovered oocytes harbour a previously unnoticed compartment. Identified using a range of techniques including electron microscopy and gene activity analysis, dubbed the Zollo body (Zb), this transient entity contains RNAs (messages read off active gene sequences), and organelles (mitochondria, Golgi, and,endoplasmic reticulum). The Zb enhances the translation of proteins and growth of the oocyte, and if dissolved in lab experiments follicle and oocyte growth halts – providing further insight into mechanisms underlying female infertility. The video shows the Zb remodelling inside the oocyte (enclosed in its follicle) over 2.5 days.

Read the published research article here

Written by Lindsey Goff

Lindsey Goff

Editor-in-Chief

Formerly immunologist for Cancer Research UK, Lindsey has since moved into the field of scientific publishing. She looks after all BPoD editorial matters.

• Video from work by Noemi Zollo and colleagues
• Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, Université PSL, CNRS, INSERM, Paris, France
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Science Advances, August 2026