AUTHOR=Regan Sheena L. P. , Knight Phil G. , Yovich John L. , Leung Yee , Arfuso Frank , Dharmarajan Arun 

TITLE=Granulosa Cell Apoptosis in the Ovarian Follicle—A Changing View

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2018.00061

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2018.00061

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<p>Recent studies challenge the previous view that apoptosis within the granulosa cells of the maturing ovarian follicle is a reflection of aging and consequently a marker for poor quality of the contained oocyte. On the contrary, apoptosis within the granulosa cells is an integral part of normal development and has limited predictive capability regarding oocyte quality or the ensuing pregnancy rate in <italic>in vitro</italic> fertilization programs. This review article covers our revised understanding of the process of apoptosis within the ovarian follicle, its three phenotypes, the major signaling pathways underlying apoptosis as well as the associated mitochondrial pathways.</p>