title: Molecular signature in human cumulus cells related to embryonic developmental potential.
abstract: Identification of criteria for embryo quality is required to improve the clinical outcome of in vitro fertilization. The aim of this study was to determine the gene expression profile of cumulus cells (CC) surrounding the oocyte as biomarkers for embryonic developmental potential. CCs from single oocytes were analysed using DNA microarrays. Gene expression profiles of CC surrounding the oocyte associated with good embryonic quality were analyzed. We observed that CCs issued from oocytes that developed into embryos with a good morphology had significantly different gene expression profile from those with bad morphology. These results were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. The gene expression profiling of human CC correlates with embryo potential. Our findings suggest anon-invasive approach, offering a new potential strategy for competent embryo selection.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China Institute of Reproductive Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China Institute of Reproductive Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China Institute of Reproductive Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China Institute of Reproductive Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhaolian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China Institute of Reproductive Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People's Republic of China caoyunxia6@126.com.
authors.forename: Yunxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D054885:Cumulus Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010062:Ovulation Induction; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: COC; cumulus cells; developmental potential; gene expression; oocyte quality