Validation of reference genes for gene expression studies in bovine oocytes and cumulus cells derived from maturation.

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a valuable tool for gene expression studies and it is necessary to choose an ideal endogenous reference gene for data normalization. This work studied a set of reference genes in oocytes and cumulus cells of COCs (Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes) that are suitable for relative gene expression analyses after maturation (IVM) in bovine. Immature COCs were collected from ovaries of Nelore cattle () and submitted to IVM.