Polo-like kinase-1 regulates first cleavage of one-cell embryos in culture during assisted reproduction.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of polo-like kinase -1 (PLK1) in the first cleavage of a zygote in culture.


METHODS
This experiment took place in the Reproductive Medicine Center of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China, from 1st June 2009 to 20th November 2009. First, we detected the expression of PLK1 during the first zygotic division by using Western blotting, and then we reduced the expression of PLK1 during the first zygotic division by ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference (including 4 groups: PLK1 small interfering RNA (siRNA), siRNA control, mock transfection, and only zona pellucida (ZP) removal), finally we evaluated and compared the first cleavage rates of the 4 groups.


RESULTS
The expression of PLK1 peaked in the first M phase of zygotic cleavage (3 samples/group, 100 zygotes/sample). The relative amount of PLK1 of the mouse zygotes was reduced significantly after siRNA transfection. The first cleavage rate of the PLK1 siRNA group was significantly less than that of other groups (siRNA control, mock transfection, and only ZP removal, p=0.000).


CONCLUSIONS
The PLK1 plays a crucial role during the first cleavage of one-cell embryos, and the zygotes are unable to divide successfully without functional PLK1.
Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Yiqing
Y
Zhao
Jihui
J
Ai
Hanwang
H
Zhang
Guijin
G
Zhu
D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008938:Mitosis / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D015053:Zygote; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1