title: Glycolytic metabolites are critical modulators of oocyte maturation and viability.
abstract: The maturation of an oocyte into an egg is a key step in preparation for fertilization. In Xenopus, oocyte maturation is independent of transcription, being regulated at the level of translation and post-translational modifications of proteins. To identify factors involved in the maturation process we used two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis to compare the proteome of oocytes and eggs. Protein abundance changes were observed in multiple cellular pathways during oocyte maturation. Most prominent was a general reduction in abundance of enzymes in the glycolytic pathway. Injection into oocytes of the glycolytic intermediates glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate and glucose-6-phosphate prevented oocyte maturation. Instead, these metabolites stimulated ROS production and subsequent apoptosis of the oocyte. In contrast, all other metabolites tested had no effect on oocyte maturation and did not induce apoptosis. These data suggest that a subset of glycolytic metabolites have the capacity to regulate oocyte viability.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Molecular Genetics and the Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Lloyd
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilde
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000502:physiology*; D020543:Proteome / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D029867:Xenopus Proteins