FOXO1, FOXO3, AND FOXO4 are differently expressed during mouse oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development.
Preimplantation embryo development is affected by its environment. FoxO transcription factors are regulated by PI3K/Akt signaling pathway that essentially supports growth and development. FoxO transcription factors are at the interface of crucial cellular processes, orchestrating programs of gene expression that regulate apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest, oxidative stress resistance, DNA repair, glucose metabolism, and differentiation. In the presence of growth factors, FoxO transcription factors are localized in the cytoplasm, whereas under stress conditions they move to the nucleus and trigger transcriptional activities of their target genes. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether FoxO transcription factors are present during in vivo oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development. Presence and localizations of FoxO1, FoxO3 and FoxO4 proteins have been determined with immunofluorescence staining. Our results have confirmed that FoxO1, FoxO3 and FoxO4 proteins are differentially expressed in prophase I, metaphase I, metaphase II oocytes, as well as in fertilized oocyte, 2-cell embryo, 4-cell embryo, 8-cell embryo, morula, and blastocyst. FoxOs translocate to nucleus in embryos with developmental delay. Our findings indicate that FoxO transcription factors are present during both oocyte and embryo in vivo maturation and provide fundamental knowledge that FoxOs may regulate in vitro embryo development under stress conditions.
Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Campus, 07070 Antalya, Turkey.
Nilay
N
Kuscu
Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Campus, 07070 Antalya, Turkey. Electronic address: cilerozenci@akdeniz.edu.tr.
Ciler
C
Celik-Ozenci
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D000071161:Forkhead Box Protein O1; D000071316:Forkhead Box Protein O3; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009866:Oogenesis; D013312:Stress, Physiological
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D000071161:Forkhead Box Protein O1; D000071316:Forkhead Box Protein O3; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C474033:FoxO3 protein, mouse; C525394:FoxO4 protein, mouse; C467200:Foxo1 protein, mouse
FoxO; Mouse; Oocyte; Preimplantation embryo development