title: Polo-like kinase 4 regulates spindle and actin assembly in meiosis and influence of early embryonic development in bovine oocytes.
abstract: PLK4, a polo-like kinase (PLK) family member that accumulates in the cytoplasm, has been identified as a crucial regulator of centriole formation. PLK4 also controls several essential cellular functions, including cytokinesis and gene expression. In this study, we investigated the expression and function of PLK4 during bovine oocyte meiotic maturation and subsequent embryo development. The PLK4 mRNA was detected in bovine oocytes at all developmental stages during meiotic maturation. Immunofluorescence staining showed that PLK4 protein exhibited a dynamic localization pattern in the oocyte cytoplasm during meiotic maturation, and fluorescence immunostaining markedly increased in metaphase II. When an interfering double-stranded RNA targeting PLK4 was injected into germinal vesicle-stage oocytes, PLK4 transcript levels decreased significantly in metaphase II oocytes (P < 0.05). The PLK4 knockdown caused spindle defects and chromosome misalignment and considerably reduced the amount of cortical and cytoplasmic actin. PLK4 was localized in the cytoplasm of early embryos, and PLK4 knockdown in germinal vesicle-stage oocytes led to failure in the early development of in vitro fertilized embryos (P < 0.05). Taken together, these results indicated that PLK4 plays crucial roles in bovine oocyte meiotic maturation and subsequent early embryo development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ming-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: nhkim@cbnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Nam-Hyung
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: xscui@cbnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Xiang-Shun
authors.initials: XS
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000196:embryology*; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology; D008540:Meiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
keywords: Bovine; Embryo development; Oocyte meiotic maturation; PLK4