title: Conserved molecular portraits of bovine and human blastocysts as a consequence of the transition from maternal to embryonic control of gene expression.
abstract: The present study investigated mRNA expression profiles of bovine oocytes and blastocysts by using a cross-species hybridization approach employing an array consisting of 15,529 human cDNAs as probe, thus enabling the identification of conserved genes during human and bovine preimplantation development. Our analysis revealed 419 genes that were expressed in both oocytes and blastocysts. The expression of 1,324 genes was detected exclusively in the blastocyst, in contrast to 164 in the oocyte including a significant number of novel genes. Genes indicative for transcriptional and translational control (ELAVL4, TACC3) were overexpressed in the oocyte, whereas cellular trafficking (SLC2A14, SLC1A3), proteasome (PSMA1, PSMB3), cell cycle (BUB3, CCNE1, GSPT1), and protein modification and turnover (TNK1, UBE3A) genes were found to be overexpressed in blastocysts. Transcripts implicated in chromatin remodeling were found in both oocytes (NASP, SMARCA2) and blastocysts (H2AFY, HDAC7A). The trophectodermal markers PSG2 and KRT18 were enriched 5- and 50-fold in the blastocyst. Pathway analysis revealed differential expression of genes involved in 107 distinct signaling and metabolic pathways. For example, phosphatidylinositol signaling and gluconeogenesis were prominent pathways identified in the blastocyst. Expression patterns in bovine and human blastocysts were to a large extent identical. This analysis compared the transcriptomes of bovine oocytes and blastocysts and provides a solid foundation for future studies on the first major differentiation events in blastocysts and identification of a set of markers indicative for regular mammalian development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vertebrate Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany. adjaye@molgen.mpg.de
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adjaye
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herwig
authors.forename: Thore C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Brink
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Greber
authors.forename: Smita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sudheer
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Groth
authors.forename: Joseph W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Carnwath
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lehrach
authors.forename: Heiner
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niemann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism*; D002417:Cattle / Q000235:genetics*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D023121:RNA, Messenger, Stored / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D023121:RNA, Messenger, Stored