title: Cloning of Porcine Pituitary Tumor Transforming Gene 1 and Its Expression in Porcine Oocytes and Embryos.
abstract: The maternal-to-embryonic transition (MET) is a complex process that occurs during early mammalian embryogenesis and is characterized by activation of the zygotic genome, initiation of embryonic transcription, and replacement of maternal mRNA with embryonic mRNA. The objective of this study was to reveal the temporal expression and localization patterns of PTTG1 during early porcine embryonic development and to establish a relationship between PTTG1 and the MET. To achieve this goal, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to clone porcine PTTG1. Subsequently, germinal vesicle (GV)- and metaphase II (MII)-stage oocytes, zygotes, 2-, 4-, and 8-cell-stage embryos, morulas, and blastocysts were produced in vitro and their gene expression was analyzed. The results revealed that the coding sequence of porcine PTTG1 is 609-bp in length and that it encodes a 202-aa polypeptide. Using qRT-PCR, PTTG1 mRNA expression was observed to be maintained at high levels in GV- and MII-stage oocytes. The transcript levels in oocytes were also significantly higher than those in embryos from the zygote to blastocyst stages. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that porcine PTTG1 was primarily localized to the cytoplasm and partially localized to the nucleus. Furthermore, the PTTG1 protein levels in MII-stage oocytes and zygotes were significantly higher than those in embryos from the 2-cell to blastocyst stage. After fertilization, the level of this protein began to decrease gradually until the blastocyst stage. The results of our study suggest that porcine PTTG1 is a new candidate maternal effect gene (MEG) that may participate in the processes of oocyte maturation and zygotic genome activation during porcine embryogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Bingkun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhaoxian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Hebei Research Institute for Family Planning, Shijiazhang, Hebei, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Suqun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nong
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Qingyan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Baojian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Mingjun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Key Laboratory of Livestock Genetic Improvement, Guangxi Institute of Animal Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Tianbiao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, United States of America.
authors.forename: D Joshua
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D064249:Securin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D015053:Zygote / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D064249:Securin