title: Expression of adrenergic receptors in mouse preimplantation embryos and ovulated oocytes.
abstract: Epinephrine and norepinephrine can play an important role in basic developmental processes such as embryogenesis and morphogenesis, regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. We showed that beta-adrenergic receptors can mediate the effects of catecholamines on preimplantation embryos in our previous work. In the present study, we designed specific oligonucleotide primers which can distinguish among all members of the alpha-adrenergic receptor family, and showed (using RT-PCR) that the alpha2C-adrenergic receptor is transcribed in ovulated oocytes, 8- to 16-cell morulae and expanded blastocysts. We did not detect the alpha2C-adrenoceptor transcript in 4-cell embryos. Our immunohistochemical study showed the presence of alpha-2C-adrenoceptor protein in ovulated oocytes, 8- to 16- cell embryos and blastocysts, but the signal in 4-cell embryos was weak, and probably represents remaining protein of maternal origin. We did not detect any other alpha-adrenergic receptor in preimplantation embryos and oocytes. Exposure of mouse preimplantation embryos to the alpha2-adrenergic agonist UK 14 304 led to significant reduction of the embryo cell number, and the effect was dose dependent. Our results suggest that epinephrine and norepinephrine could affect the embryo development in the oviduct via adrenergic receptors directly and support the opinion that maternal stress can influence the embryo even in very early pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Soltésovej 4, 04001 Kosice, Slovakia. cikos@saske.sk
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cikos
authors.forename: Pavol
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rehák
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Czikková
authors.forename: Jarmila
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veselá
authors.forename: Juraj
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koppel
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068438:Brimonidine Tartrate; D002452:Cell Count; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009028:Morula / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010060:Ovulation / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018341:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D011810:Quinoxalines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D018341:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2; D000068438:Brimonidine Tartrate