title: Mitofusin-2 is required for mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.
abstract: Mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) is essential for embryonic development, anti-apoptotic events, protection against free radical-induced lesions, and mitochondrial fusion in many cells. However, little is known about its mechanism and function during oocyte maturation. In this study, we found that Mfn2 was expressed in the cytoplasm during different stages of mouse oocyte maturation. Mfn2 was mainly associated with α-tubulin during oocyte maturation. Knockdown of Mfn2 by specific siRNA injection into oocytes caused the mitochondrial morphology and quantity to change, resulting in severely defective spindles and misaligned chromosomes. This led to metaphase I arrest and the failure of first polar body extrusion. Furthermore, Mfn2 depletion from GV stage oocytes caused the redistribution of p38 MAPK in oocyte cytoplasm. These findings provide insights into potential mechanisms of Mfn2-mediated cellular alterations, which may have significant implications for oocyte maturation.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute, Tangshan People's Hospital, Tang Shan, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Teng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Si-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fang-Fang
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.lastname: Na Yu
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, Cancer Institute, Tangshan People's Hospital, Tang Shan, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute, Tangshan People's Hospital, Tang Shan, China.|Central Laboratory, Cancer Institute, Tangshan People's Hospital, Tang Shan, China.
authors.forename: Ji-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Diabetes research Center of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Jian
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D033481:Chromosomes, Mammalian / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D008540:Meiosis / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; C488751:Mfn2 protein, mouse