Aberrant expression of maternal Plk1 and Dctn3 results in the developmental failure of human in-vivo- and in-vitro-matured oocytes

Abstract

Fertilisation is the first step in embryonic development, and dynamic changes of key genes may potentially improve assisted reproduction techniques efficiency during this process. Here, we analysed genes that were differentially expressed between oocytes and zygotes and focused on cytokinesis-related genes. Plk1 and Dctn3 were identified as showing dramatic changes in expression during fertilisation and were suggested to play a key role in inducing aneuploidy in zygotes and 8-cell embryos. Moreover, we found that maternal Plk1 and Dctn3 were expressed at lower levels in in vitro matured oocytes, which may have contributed to the high ratio of resulting embryos with abnormal Plk1 and Dctn3 expression levels, thereby reducing the developmental competence of the resulting embryos. Furthermore, the overexpression of Dctn3 can silence Plk1 expression, which suggests a potential regulation mechanism. In conclusion, our present study showed that aberrant expression of Plk1 and Dctn3 increases embryo aneuploidy and developmental failure, particularly in in vitro matured oocytes. Our results facilitate a better understanding of the effects of oocyte maternal gene expression on embryonic development and can be used to improve the outcome of assisted reproduction techniques.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics of Human Oocytes: Environment-Driven Metabolic Competition and Compensatory Mechanisms During Oocyte Maturation

“…As described in our previous study (14), total RNA was extracted from single oocytes using the SMARTer Ultra Low RNA kit for Illumina sequencing. Synthetic cDNA was used for quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) with an ABI 7500 PCR machine.…”

“…Protein localization was assessed via the immunofluorescence method following methods described in our previous study (14). Briefly, oocytes were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and then washed three times with 0.05 M glycine in PBS.…”

“…siRNA injection was carried out as described previously (14). In brief, siRNA powders and negative control siRNA (ncRNA) were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. [ACAT1, sc-96390 (human) and sc-108039 (mouse); HADHA, sc-75220 (human) and sc-75221 (mouse); NNT, sc-91738 (human) and sc-150013 (mouse); DPYD, SC-45326; ncRNA SC-37007].…”

Broad‐complex, tramtrack, and bric‐à‐brac (BTB) proteins: Critical regulators of development

“…Failure to execute these steps during development can result in birth defects and infertility, while defects in these processes later in life have been linked to numerous diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. The Broad‐complex, Tramtrack and Bric‐à‐brac/poxvirus and zinc finger (BTB/POZ) family of proteins has been widely studied due to its vital role in multiple developmental and disease contexts, including lymphocyte development, axon guidance, gonad morphogenesis, and leukemia (Arama et al, ; Bayarmagnai et al, ; Fan et al, ; Gates et al, ; Ito et al, ; Ko et al, ; Lim, ; Sadler et al, ; Siggs et al, ; Weyers et al, ).…”

Single cell profiling of transcriptomic changes during in vitro maturation of human oocytes

“…It is extremely important to learn about the nature of this variability of oocyte quality. The quality of oocytes is profoundly affected by gene expression during oocyte growth 10,11 . As a result, the gene expression pattern of MII oocytes with a high developmental capacity seems different from that with a low developmental ability 12,13 .…”