The objective of the present study was to grow meiotically incompetent goat oocytes from early antral follicles in vitro and to render them competent to undergo germinal vesicle breakdown. Cumulus-oocyte complexes with pieces of parietal granulosa cells were isolated from follicles 0.35-0.45 mm in diameter using both mechanical and enzymatic methods. The cumulus-oocyte complexes were divided into two groups according to oocyte diameter (group A: < 95 microm; group B: > 95 microm) and cultured for 8 or 9 days on granulosa cell monolayers. Within 8 days of culture, the mean oocyte diameter increased from 86 +/- 0.4 microm to 95 +/- 0.7 microm in group Aand from 106 +/- 0.2 microm to 109 +/- 0.5 microm in group B. After 9 days of culture, the mean diameter of oocytes from groups A and B were 99 +/- 0.5 microm and 112 +/- 0.4 microm, respectively. The meiotic competence of oocytes grown in vitro was evaluated by in vitro maturation. Within 8 days of culture, only 3% of oocytes from group A and 6% of oocytes from group B acquired the ability to undergo germinal vesicle breakdown. After 9 days of culture, 7% of group A oocytes and 42% of group B oocytes were competent to resume meiosis. The expression of p34(cdc2) in oocytes grown in vitro was analysed by the western blot technique. During 9 days of culture, p34(cdc2) accumulated in both groups of growing oocytes, but its concentration was lower than in fully grown oocytes used as controls. The results showed for the first time that goat oocytes from early antral follicles can grow, accumulate p34(cdc2) and acquire the ability to resume meiosis, when cultured for 9 days on granulosa cell monolayers.