Fig. 8. (A) Scattergram of widths of GCs on basal lamina on both day 12 and 21. Note reduction of widths from primordial to primary stage. Significant differences between means (horizontal lines) are marked. (B) Scattergram of GC width against GC height in follicles from primordial to the `new second layer' stage on both day 12 and 21. (C-G) Electron micrographs of basal lamina; gc, granulosa cell; o, oocyte; t, theca cell; white arrowheads indicate lamina densa; black arrowheads indicate hemidesmosomes; black arrows indicate collagen fibrils. (C) Day 21 primordial follicle. Note clear lamina densa (arrowheads). Scale bar: 2 µm. (D) Day 10 primordial follicle. Note occasional and sparse collagen fibrils (arrows). Scale bar: 500 nm. (E) Day 10 follicle at the primary plus stage. Basal lamina closely following GC indentations. Occasional multiple layers of lamina densa are visible (arrowheads), as are anchoring filaments (af) between hemidesmosome (black arrowhead) and lamina densa (see insert). Note more numerous collagen fibrils (arrows). Scale bar: 500 nm. (F) Day 21 multilayered follicle. Note thick layer of collagen fibrils (square bracket). Bar: 2 µm. (G) High power of collagen fibrils surrounding a day 21 primary follicle. Scale bar: 500 nm. (H) F-actin expression (red) in a day 21 primary-plus follicle, note strong cortical staining in theca cells. Nuclei are blue (DAPI). Scale bar: 30 µm.