BECN1 and cyst: To determine whether the defects in cyst breakdown and follicle assembly occurring in the ovaries of starved animals were associated to changes in processes such as oxidative stress, autophagy and apoptosis, we analyzed the mRNA level and/or proteins of the anti-oxidative enzymes GPX1, SOD1, CLRX1 and TXNRD1, of apoptotic Bax and major proteins such as BCL2 and BAX and of the autophagic proteins LC3-2 and BECLIN1.