title: Expression pattern of zygote arrest 1 (ZAR1), maternal antigen that embryo requires (MATER), growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) genes in ovine oocytes and in vitro-produced preimplantation embryos.
abstract: The expression patterns of four maternal effect genes (MEG), namely zygote arrest 1 (ZAR1), maternal antigen that embryo requires (MATER), growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), were determined in ovine oocytes and in vitro-produced preimplantation embryos. The existence of ZAR1 and MATER in ovine species has not been reported previously. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed on germinal vesicle and IVM MII oocytes, as well as in in vitro fertilised and cultured two-, four-, eight- and 12/16-cell embryos, morulae and blastocysts. Quantification of gene expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction showed the highest abundance of all transcripts analysed in the immature oocyte. During the following stages of preimplantation development, the mRNAs examined exhibited different patterns of expression, but often significant decreases were observed during maturation and maternal-embryonic transition. The transcription of the four genes did not resume with activation of the genome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, University of Sassari, Vienna, Sassari, Italy. dbebbere@uniss.it
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bebbere
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bogliolo
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ariu
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fois
authors.forename: Giovanni Giuseppe
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Leoni
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tore
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Succu
authors.forename: Fiammetta
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berlinguer
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naitana
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ledda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism*; D055430:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D055429:Growth Differentiation Factor 9 / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D055430:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004527:Egg Proteins; D055429:Growth Differentiation Factor 9; D012333:RNA, Messenger