Fig. 1

Observation of C. elegans oocytes by using Nomarski DIC microscopy. a Schematic representation of an adult hermaphroditic gonad. Oocytes mature and enter the spermatheca, where they are fertilized by the accumulated sperm. Embryos are pushed into the uterus and then laid through the vulva. b Representative DIC image of oocytes in a gonad. The dotted yellow line surrounds the oocytes. Scale bar 20 μm. c Examples of extracted images of the cytoplasmic texture in oocytes from Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 adults. Scale bar, 5 μm. d Cytoplasmic texture images and profile plots of Day 1 and Day 3 oocytes. The dotted black line indicates the position of the horizontal profile plot. Scale bar 5 μm