Single‐cell RNA‐sequencing of retrieved human oocytes and eggs in clinical practice and for human ovarian cell atlasing

Abstract

With the advancement of single‐cell separation techniques and high‐throughput sequencing platforms, single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq) has emerged as a vital technology for understanding tissue and organ systems at cellular resolution. Through transcriptional analysis, it is possible to characterize unique or rare cell types, interpret their interactions, and reveal novel functional states or shifts in developmental stages. As such, this technology is uniquely suited for studying the cells within the human ovary. The ovary is a cellularly heterogeneous organ that houses follicles, the reproductive and endocrine unit that consists of an oocyte surrounded by hormone‐producing support cells, as well as many other cell populations constituting stroma, vasculature, lymphatic, and immune components. Here we review studies that have utilized scRNA‐seq technology to analyze cells from healthy human ovaries and discuss the single‐cell isolation techniques used. We identified two overarching applications for scRNA‐seq in the human ovary. The first applies this technology to investigate transcriptional differences in oocytes/eggs from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments to ultimately improve clinical outcomes. The second utilizes scRNA‐seq for the pursuit of creating a comprehensive single‐cell atlas of the human ovary. The knowledge gained from these studies underscores the importance of scRNA‐seq technologies in unlocking a new biological understanding of the human ovary.

Aging hallmarks of the primate ovary revealed by spatiotemporal transcriptomics

“…Ovarian aging compromises fertility and causes multiple pathological conditions, and unveiling mechanisms of ovarian aging is therefore of both scientific and clinical importance. Pioneering studies of single-cell transcriptomic analyses have dissected the cellular and molecular features of ovarian aging with single-cell accuracy ( Ben Yaakov et al, 2023 ; Cai et al, 2022 ; Isola et al, 2023 ; Lengyel et al, 2022 ; Machlin and Shikanov, 2022 ; Mishina et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2020 ; Wei et al, 2023 ; Yuan et al, 2021 ). However, biases introduced by digestion steps and the absence of spatial information presents challenges for the use of single-cell omics to determine accurate age-dependent changes corresponding to its spatial locus.…”

Systematic review of mRNA expression in human oocytes: understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying oocyte competence

“…This switch involves the repression of mRNAs that are highly active in quiescent oocytes and the activation of mRNAs that were repressed. In the recent years, the use of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology has contributed to investigating transcriptional differences in oocytes [ 6 ]. Through the present systematic review, authors aim to identify quantitative differences in transcriptome of human oocytes that may link to patient demographics that could affect oocyte competence.…”