Before being able to fully participate in the processes associated with its function as a female gamete, the oocyte needs to undergo a range of changes to achieve its mature form. These morphological, biochemical and metabolomic processes are induced by the somatic tissues surrounding the oocyte, through the expression of specific transcription and growth factors. The maturation of the oocyte is highly important for the proceedings that lead to successful fertilization, early embryonic development and implantation. Domestic pigs were used as models for our study, with the cumulus-oocyte complexes obtained from the ovaries that were recovered at slaughter. After shedding of the cumulus, oocytes were assessed with BCB test, with the viable ones chosen to undergo in vitro maturation. With the use of expression microarrays, we analyzed gene expression before and after IVM and detected major changes in both genes that were proven to be associated with oocyte maturation before (FOS, VEGFA, CHRDL1, TGFBR3, FST, INSR, ID1, TXNIP, SMAD4, MAP3K1, EIF2AK3 and KIT) and genes not previously linked with reproduction associated processes (MYO1E, PHIP, KLF10 and SHOC2). All the genes were briefly described, with consideration of possible involvement of the newly discovered elements of the transcriptome in the process of oocyte maturation.

Department of Anatomy Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poznan Poland

Department of Histology and Embryology Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poznan Poland

Department of Human Morphology and Embryology Wroclaw University of Medical Sciences Wroclaw Poland

Department of Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poznan Poland

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital and Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Pathophysiology Poznań University of Medical Sciences Poznan Poland

Division of Anatomy and Histology University of Zielona Góra Zieloga Góra Poland

Division of Perinatology and Women's Diseases Poznan University of Medical Sciences Poznan Poland

Veterinary Center Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Torun Poland

Genes regulating hormone stimulus and response to protein signaling revealed differential expression pattern during porcine oocyte in vitro maturation, confirmed by lipid concentration

Transcriptomic analysis of expression of genes regulating cell cycle progression in porcine ovarian granulosa cells during short-term in vitro primary culture

New markers for regulation of transcription and macromolecule metabolic process in porcine oocytes during in vitro maturation