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To determine whether oogonial proliferation and oocyte recruitment are under control of hypophyseal and/or ovarian factors, we carried out a series of investigations using Podarcis sicula, a lizard inhabiting the temperate lowlands of Europe in which oocyte recruitment occurs throughout the year, as animal model. Germinal beds containing oogonia and oocytes in prefollicular stages were cocultured with different ovarian compartments in presence/absence of FSH, and the effects of different treatments were evaluated by counting the number of prelepto‐leptotene oocytes. Results revealed that oocyte recruitment from the pool of oogonia is under the control of a factor released by follicle cells while FSH has an indirect effect on modulating oogonial proliferation. SDS‐PAGE analyses carried out on media conditioned by follicles suggest that the factor involved in the control of oocyte recruitment may be a small protein (about 21 kDa) and that its release is dependent on the period of the ovarian cycle but apparently not on the circulating levels of FSH. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 58:444–450, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is increasingly identified as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised, cancer and cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Knowledge on innate immune responses to S. maltophilia and its potential modulation is poor. The present work investigated the ability of 12 clinical S. maltophilia strains (five from CF patients, seven from non-CF patients) and one environmental strain to survive inside human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). The effects of the bacteria on maturation of and cytokine secretion by DCs were also measured. S. maltophilia strains presented a high degree of heterogeneity in internalization and intracellular replication efficiencies as well as in the ability of S. maltophilia to interfere with normal DCs maturation. By contrast, all S. maltophilia strains were able to activate DCs, as measured by increase in the expression of surface maturation markers and proinflammatory cytokines secretion.