Peroxiredoxin 4 secreted by cumulus cells ameliorates the maturation of oocytes in vitro.

Background: Peroxiredoxin 4 (Prdx4) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the only secretory member of the antioxidant Prdx family. Our previous studies demonstrated that Prdx4 in cumulus cells (CCs) ameliorated the maturation of oocytes in vitro and enhanced oocyte developmental competence by preventing CCs apoptosis caused by oxidative stress (OS) through gap junctions. In this study, we aimed to determine whether Prdx4 released by CCs can repair meiotic defects in mouse oocytes by co-culturing immature (germinal vesicle) oocytes with CCs from mature oocytes in the absence of gap junctions.

Results: The OS-induced meiotic defects in mouse oocytes were impeded by co-culture with CCs, as evidenced by the increased first polar body (PB1) extrusion rate and decreased ROS level. CCs increased Prdx4 expression and lowered IRE1α, Bip expression in HO-treated oocytes. After knockdown of Prdx4 expression in CCs, the rate of PB1 extrusion in the oocytes was significantly reduced to the level detected in HO group, and ER stress was not alleviated. CO-IP and immunofluorescence co-localization experiments demonstrated that Prdx4 interacted with PDIA6 in the oocytes and the Pearson's R value was 0.69 calculated using ImageJ.

Conclusions: Cumulus cells can promote the maturation of oocytes in vitro by secreting Prdx4 in a paracrine manner and serve as a promising therapeutic antioxidant for improving the quality of oocytes, especially aging oocytes, in clinical in vitro maturation (IVM).