title: The effect of VEGF on the temporal-spatial change of alpha-tubulin and cortical granules of ovine oocytes matured in vitro.
abstract: The effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the temporal-spatial change of alpha-tubulin and cortical granules (CGs) in ovine oocytes matured in vitro were studied using human recombinant VEGF(165) at 5 ng/ml in maturation media. Immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy and orcein staining were used to evaluate cell cycle-dependent modifications in nuclear configuration, quality of the metaphase II oocytes, microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) translocation, temporal and spatial redistribution of alpha-tubulin and CGs in ovine oocytes undergoing in vitro maturation. The percentage of oocytes that reached metaphase II (M-II) in the VEGF-treated and the control groups were 87.08% and 80.03% (P=0.077) at 18 h and 87.42% and 83.89% (P=0.28) at 24h, respectively. The percentages of oocytes displaying a normal distribution of alpha-tubulin and chromosomes in M-II increased significantly (P=0.015) in the VEGF group (77.50%) compared to the control (62.60%). The percentage of oocytes with CGs transfering completely in cortex was significantly higher (P=0.002) in the VEGF group (79.24%) than in the control group (60.97%). VEGF promoted the MTOCs domains to disappear from the cortex and stimulated assembly of alpha-tubulin around chromosome domains when germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) was commencing. In conclusion, VEGF may improve the quality of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of ovine oocytes in vitro by its effect on temporal and spatial translocation or redistribution of alpha-tubulin and CGs and on the normal distribution of nuclear configuration.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, 2 Yuanmingyuan xilu, Haidian district, Beijing 100193, PR China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Hailing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Youzhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012756:Sheep; D018411:Spodoptera; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution / Q000187:drug effects; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014404:Tubulin; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A