Cellular Dormancy News Today

<p>The accumulation of misfolded or damaged proteins in long-lived, non-dividing cells like neurons are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. A study in the journal <em>Cell </em>finds that the build-up of these toxic proteins also influences oocyte quality and female fertility. The researchers discovered that mouse oocytes have specialised structures which roam the cytoplasm and act like a clean-up crew which captu...

Oocytes are immature egg cells that develop in almost all female mammals before birth. The propagation of future generations depends on this finite reserve of cells surviving for many years without incurring damage.