The discovery, Woodruff said, will enable researchers to understand how nurse cells (granulosa cells), the cells that support and surround the maturing egg, communicate with the egg.

• 伍德乐夫说，这项发现能使研究员们了解营养细胞（颗粒细胞），也就是支撑和环绕逐渐成熟的卵的细胞，如何与卵细胞联系。