After in vitro maturation (IVM), isolation of the healthiest oocytes is 
essential for successful in vitro fertilization. As germinal vesicle (GV) 
oocytes resume meiosis through healthy or apoptotic pathways without discernable 
morphological criteria, we checked for an apoptotic element acting at the 
nucleus level. We hypothesized that caspase-6 with its corresponding substrate, 
lamin A/C, could be a potential target candidate, because caspase-6 is the only 
functional caspase for lamin A/C. We used immunohistochemistry methods, Western 
blots, and a specific caspase-6 inhibitor to determine the presence of lamin A/C 
and caspase-6 during oogenesis and in isolated oocytes. Our results demonstrated 
that these proteins were always present and that their distributions were 
related to oocyte maturity, determined by chromatin configuration and oocyte 
diameter. Caspase-6 inhibition slowed meiosis resumption suggesting the 
involvement of caspase-6 in the oocyte apoptotic pathway. Lamin A/C and 
caspase-6 could be valuable tools in the knowledge of oocyte in vitro destiny.