Superovulation alters embryonic poly(A)-binding protein (Epab) and poly(A)-binding protein, cytoplasmic 1 (Pabpc1) gene expression in mouse oocytes and early embryos

Abstract

Embryonic poly(A)-binding protein (EPAB) and poly(A)-binding protein, cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1) play critical roles in translational regulation of stored maternal mRNAs required for proper oocyte maturation and early embryo development in mammals. Superovulation is a commonly used technique to obtain a great number of oocytes in the same developmental stages in assisted reproductive technology (ART) and in clinical or experimental animal studies. Previous studies have convincingly indicated that superovulation alone can cause impaired oocyte maturation, delayed embryo development, decreased implantation rate and increased postimplantation loss. Although how superovulation results in these disturbances has not been clearly addressed yet, putative changes in genes related to oocyte and early embryo development seem to be potential risk factors. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of superovulation on Epab and Pabpc1 gene expression. To this end, low- (5IU) and high-dose (10IU) pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) were administered to female mice to induce superovulation, with naturally cycling female mice serving as controls. Epab and Pabpc1 gene expression in germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes, MII oocytes and 1- and 2-cell embryos collected from each group were quantified using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Superovulation with low or high doses of gonadotropins significantly altered Epab and Pabpc1 mRNA levels in GV oocytes, MII oocytes and 1- and 2-cell embryos compared with their respective controls (P<0.05). These changes most likely lead to variations in expression of EPAB- and PABPC1-regulated genes, which may adversely influence the quality of oocytes and early embryos retrieved using superovulation.

The p38 MAPK signalling pathway is required for glucose metabolism, lineage specification and embryo survival during mouse preimplantation development

“…During preimplantation development, embryos go through major alterations in their maternal environment, metabolic needs, cell number and degree of lineage segregation (Fleming et al, 2004;Oron and Ivanova, 2012). The variety of GLUTs present in embryos allows them flexibility to adapt to these changes (Leppens-Luisier et al, 2001;Purcell and Moley, 2009).…”

“…These complex processes are regulated by a number of dynamic cell-signalling pathways. Disruption of these processes and the interactions within these pathways can impact the developmental potential and/or the survival of the embryo (Oron and Ivanova, 2012). Therefore, determining the intracellular signalling pathways that regulate early embryogenesis is crucial for understanding the biological requirements for a healthy pregnancy.…”

Gonadal transcriptome analysis of wild contaminated female European eels during artificial gonad maturation

“…Concerning genes that were positively correlated with GSI, previous studies carried out in male and female mice showed that the pabpc1 gene is involved in gametogenesis (Ozturk et al, 2012(Ozturk et al, , 2014. Stable mRNA during the multi-step differentiation from germ cells to gametes is particularly important, and pabpc1 plays a role in both mRNA stability and longevity (Féral et al, 2001).…”

The poly(A)-binding protein genes, EPAB, PABPC1, and PABPC3 are differentially expressed in infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia

“…We stored the Dig-labeled and Dig-unlabeled EPAB probes at −20°C until use. The RNA ISH method applied here was modified from our previous works [26,34]. Then, we evaluated the stained sections with a bright-field microscope (Zeiss) to detect the EPAB mRNA localization in the testicular biopsy samples with hyposperm.…”

“…The qRT-PCR reaction was employed to quantitatively characterize expression levels of the EPAB, PABPC1, and PABPC3 genes in the testicular biopsy samples and isolated SC and RS fractions as detailed previously [32,34]. The sequences and localizations of the EPAB, PABPC1, PABPC3, and β-ACTIN primers were presented in Supplementary Table 1.…”