Hyaluronic acid synthesis and gap junction endocytosis are necessary for normal expansion of the cumulus mass.

The application of a quantitative videographic technique has provided an opportunity to compare the quantitative volumetric expansion of cultured oocyte complexes (COCs) to quantitative changes in gap junction down-regulation and hyaluronic acid synthesis and to investigate the effects of physiological agents that influence these processes. Results of these experiments support the idea that the down-regulation of cumulus gap junctions is required for the initial phase of cumulus cell disaggregation and confirm earlier reports that hyaluronic acid synthesis plays a major role in additional expansion of the cumulus. These studies also provide evidence that the degree of expansion observed in culture lacking substrates of hyaluronic synthesis is significantly attentuated when compared with expansion occurring in vivo and that the failure of cultured complexes to expand maximally can be overcome by the addition of substrates of hyaluronic acid synthesis to the culture medium.