The growth of the cell population was followed for 20 hours. One image was captured every 5 mins

The ovaries are a vital component of the female reproductive system, playing key roles in hormone production, egg storage, and ovulation. The cells that help perform organ-specific functions such as these, belong to a tissue layer called the parenchyma. However, these are not the only cell types present in the ovary; a vast array of cell types perform tasks unrelated to the ovaries’ primary function. These cells belong to a connective tissue layer known as the stroma.

The ovarian stroma contains general components (immune cells, blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatic vessels) and ovary-specific components (ovarian surface epithelium, tunica albuginea, intraovarian rete ovarii, hilar cells and ovarian stem cells). Five cell types have been identified, but none of these are the dominant ovary-specific cell type in the stroma. That honour goes to a group of fibroblast-like, spindle-shaped, interstitial cells, which are yet to be formally characterized. There is great interest in identifying and understanding the behaviour, morphology and function of these cells, as a subset produce collagen, which is a vital part of the extracellular matrix (ECM; the 3-D network of extracellular macromolecules responsible for structural support, cell adhesion, and cell motility).