The transcriptome of human oocytes is related to age and ovarian reserve

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONHow does the human oocyte transcriptome change with age and ovarian reserve?SUMMARY ANSWERSpecific sets of human oocyte messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are affected independently by age and ovarian reserve.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYAlthough it is well established that the ovarian reserve diminishes with increasing age, and that a woman's age is correlated with lower oocyte quality, the interplay of a diminished reserve and age on oocyte developmental competence is not clear. After maturation, oocytes are mostly transcriptionally quiescent, and developmental competence prior to embryonic genome activationrelies on maternal RNA and proteins.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONA total of 36 vitrified/warmed MII oocytes from 30 women undergoing oocyte donation were included in this study, processed and analyzed individually.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSTotal RNA from each oocyte was independently isolated, amplified, labeled, and hybridized on HTA 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix). Data were analyzed using TAC software, in four groups, each including nine oocytes, according to the woman's age and antral follicular count (AFC) (mean ± SD): Young with High AFC (YH; age 21 ± 1 years and 24 ± 3 follicles); Old with High AFC (OH; age 32 ± 2 years and 29 ± 7 follicles); Young with Low AFC (YL; age 24 ± 2 years and 8 ± 2 follicles); Old with Low AFC (OL; age 34 ± 1 years and 7 ± 1 follicles). qPCR was performed to validat e arrays.MAIN RESULTS A...
Source: Molecular Human Reproduction - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research