Background: The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is one of the major signaling pathways that transmit intracellular signals initiated by extracellular stimuli to the nucleus. The stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase is a subfamily of MAP kinases implicated in cytokine and stress responses. Objective: In this study, we have examined total and phosphoryl...

In mammals, ovulation requires a tight control of extracellular matrix modifications, within both the follicle wall and the inner mass of granulosa cells surrounding the oocyte, namely the cumulus cells. During the pre-ovulatory period, mural granulosa cells promote selective degradation of perifollicular matrix, resulting in the formation of a follicle rupture site. Conversely, cumulus cells s...

BACKGROUND Supplementation of bovine oocyte-cumulus complexes during in vitro maturation (IVM) with 1 μM of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), C22:6 n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, was reported to improve in vitro embryo development. The objective of this paper was to decipher the mechanisms of DHA action. RESULTS Transcriptomic analysis of 1 μM DHA-treated and control cumulus cells after 4 h IVM sh...

Impaired oocyte quality has been demonstrated in diabetic mice; however, the potential pathways by which maternal diabetes exerts its effects on the oocyte are poorly understood. Cumulus cells are in direct contact with the oocyte via gap junctions and provide essential nutrients to support oocyte development. In this study, we investigated the effects of maternal diabetes on the mitochondrial ...

This study assessed the participation of amphiregulin (AREG) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) during maturation of bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) on cumulus cell function and their impact on subsequent embryo development. AREG treatment of COCs enhanced blastocyst formation and quality only when in the presence of BMP15. Expression of hyaluronan synthase 2 was enhanced by folli...

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of progesterone in the meiotic resumption of porcine oocytes. Progesterone production and progesterone receptor (PR) immunoreactivity in cumulus cells were not detected in porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) when observations were made either just after collection from the follicles or after 28 h cultivation without LH and FSH. However, the a...

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Trichostatin A (TSA) on cumulus expansion during mouse oocyte maturation. TSA treatment inhibited cumulus expansion and significantly reduced the cumulus expansion index (CEI) (p<0.05). To determine the underlying mechanism, the expression levels of several key factors that play crucial roles in cumulus expansion including components of ext...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and estradiol 17-β (E2) in maturation medium on nuclear maturation and cumulus expansion of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) obtained from bovine ovaries. COCs were classified as good and poor quality grades based on cumulus investment. COCs were then su...

To acquiring high-quality embryos is crucial to the improvement of pregnancy rates for assisted reproductive technology (ART). But how to find a non-invasive approach to early embryo selection and improve the implantation rates from proteins in cumulus cells? Our previously study showed that acetyl-CoA acyltransferase 2 (ACAA2) protein and adenine-thymine (AT)-rich interactive domain-containing...