Complementary DNAs encoding steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) have been isolated from different fish species, yet the relevance of StAR during gonadal cycle and more importantly in final oocyte maturation has not been assessed so far. A cDNA encoding StAR was isolated from the ovarian follicles of air-breathing catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Catfish StAR exhibited 55 to 72% identity at nucleotide level with other vertebrate orthologs. RT-PCR analysis of tissue distribution pattern demonstrated the presence of StAR mRNA in various tissues including gonads, kidney, liver, brain and intestine of catfish. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed high expression of StAR mRNA in the pre-spawning phase of ovary while it was low in preparatory, spawning and regressed phases. In testis, maximum expression was noticed during the preparatory phase. During human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-induced oocyte maturation, both in vitro and in vivo, StAR mRNA levels were augmented by 2 h and then declined gradually to reach basal levels by 12 h as that of saline-treated controls. Taken together, high level of expression during hCG-induced oocyte maturation vis-à-vis in spawning suggests a role for StAR, in addition to the steroidogenic enzyme genes in final oocyte maturation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2009.04.010 | DOI Listing |
Genes Cells
January 2025
Advanced Biological Information Research Division, INAMORI Frontier Research Center, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Preimplantation embryonic development is orchestrated by dynamic changes in the proteome and transcriptome, regulated by mechanisms such as maternal-to-zygotic transition. Here, we employed label-free quantitative proteomics to comprehensively analyze proteome dynamics from germinal vesicle oocytes to blastocysts in mouse embryos. We identified 3490 proteins, including 715 consistently detected across all stages, revealing stage-specific changes in proteins associated with translation, protein modification, and mitochondrial metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Obstet Gynaecol Res
January 2025
Reproductive Sciences and Technology Research Center, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a microfluidic culture system supplemented with follicular fluid meiosis-activating sterol (FF-MAS) on the maturation of immature oocytes in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Methods: A total of 438 germinal vesicle oocytes from 163 PCOS patients were included. Oocytes were divided into five groups: (1) cultured in static drops without FF-MAS, (2) cultured in static drops with FF-MAS, (3) cultured in a microfluidic device without FF-MAS, (4) cultured in a microfluidic device with FF-MAS for the first 2 h, and (5) cultured in a microfluidic device with FF-MAS for 24 h.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Animal Biotechnology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran.
Optimizing oocyte maturation and embryo culture media could enhance in vitro embryo production. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of supplementing one carbon metabolism (OCM) substrates and its cofactors (Cystine, Zinc, Betaine, B2, B3, B6, B12 and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate) in maturation and/or embryo culture media on the rate of blastocyst formation and pregnancy outcomes following the transfer of the resulting blastocysts in bovines. In the first experiment, 2537 bovine oocytes were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and then matured either in conventional maturation medium (IVM) or IVM supplemented with OCM substrates (Sup-IVM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Prolif
January 2025
Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Ovarian endometrioma (OEM), a particularly severe form of endometriosis, is an oestrogen-dependent condition often associated with pain and infertility. The mechanisms by which OEM impairs fertility, particularly through its direct impact on oocyte-cumulus cell (CC) communication and related pathways, remain poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of OEM on oocyte-CC communication and explores melatonin's therapeutic potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFF S Sci
January 2025
In-Vitro Fertilization Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Ein-Kerem Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Fairtility Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel.
Objective: To investigate the association between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and the rate of embryo development, using time-lapse monitoring systems (TLM), compared to a control group of women with mechanical (tubal) factor infertility.
Design: A retrospective case-control study conducted in a university affiliated IVF unit.
Patients: Women with PCOS undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments and those with non-PCOS controls with tubal factor infertility only.
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