FSH and LH receptors are differentially expressed in cumulus cells surrounding developmentally competent and incompetent mouse fully grown antral oocytes.
Cumulus cells (CCs) maintain strict functional relationships with the enclosed antral oocyte and are thought to reflect its developmental competence. Several studies have described a correlation between CC gene expression and oocyte quality. Herein, we tested whether CC-specific FSH and LH receptors (FSHR and LHR, respectively) are differentially expressed in CCs enclosing developmentally competent or incompetent oocytes. To this end, mouse fully grown cumulus-oocyte complexes were isolated and their CCs and oocytes analysed separately. Based on their chromatin organisation, oocytes were classified as those with a surrounded nucleolus (SN) or a non-surrounded nucleolus (NSN), the former being developmentally competent, whereas the latter arrest at the 2-cell stage. The CCs were then analysed to compare the pattern of expression of the Fshr and Lhr genes and their proteins. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that only Lhr is significantly differentially expressed. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that both FSHR and LHR proteins are significantly upregulated in CCs surrounding oocytes arrested at the 2-cell stage, reflecting their developmental incompetence.
Laboratorio di Biologia dello Sviluppo, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Giulia
G
Vigone
Laboratorio di Biologia dello Sviluppo, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Valeria
V
Merico
Laboratorio di Biologia dello Sviluppo, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Carlo Alberto
CA
Redi
Istituto di Genetica Molecolare-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Giuliano
G
Mazzini
Laboratorio di Biologia dello Sviluppo, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie 'Lazzaro Spallanzani', Università degli Studi di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Silvia
S
Garagna
Sezione di Anatomia, Istologia ed Embriologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Biotecnologiche e Traslazionali, Università degli Studi di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Maurizio
M
Zuccotti
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D054885:Cumulus Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D051379:Mice; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D011962:Receptors, FSH / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011974:Receptors, LH / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D002843:Chromatin; D011962:Receptors, FSH; D011974:Receptors, LH