Hyperglycaemia and lipid differentially impair mouse oocyte developmental competence

Outer space and oocyte developmental competence.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in human follicular fluid impair in vitro oocyte developmental competence.

BACKGROUND Increased global industrial activity has exposed humans to a wide variety of chemical substances some of which, called 'endocrine-disrupting chemicals' (EDCs) or 'endocrine disruptors', can disrupt the endocrine system in the body. The ovarian follicle is a very fragile micro-environment where interactions between hormones, growth factors, the oocyte and its surrounding somatic cells...

Oocyte developmental competence and embryo quality: distinction and new perspectives

In vitro embryo production is the cornerstone of infertility treatment in human and is increasingly used in cattle to propagate high genetic merit animals. To increase its efficiency, many different approaches have been tested all of which stem from the concepts of oocyte quality and developmental competence. Presented here are recently reported findings and perspectives related to bovine oocyt...

Addition of lysophosphatidic acid to mouse oocyte maturation media can enhance fertilization and developmental competence.

STUDY QUESTION Does exposure to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) during in vitro maturation (IVM) enhance the maturation and developmental competence of mouse oocytes? SUMMARY ANSWER Supplementation of IVM medium with 30 μM LPA enhanced the developmental competence of in vitro matured oocytes and so made them more comparable to in vivo matured control oocytes. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY LPA is a smal...

OCT4 and the acquisition of oocyte developmental competence during folliculogenesis.

The role that the transcription factor OCT4 plays during oocyte growth is yet unknown. In this review, we summarise the data on its potential role in the acquisition of oocyte developmental competence in the mouse. These studies describe the presence in MII oocytes and 2-cell embryos of an OCT4 transcriptional network that might be part of the molecular signature of maternal origin on which the...