Human MATER localization in specific cell domains of oocytes and follicular cells

doi:10.1016/S1472-6483(10)60260-X

Reproductive BioMedicine Online

Volume 18, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 226-234

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1472-6483(10)60260-X Get rights and content

Abstract

MATER (Maternal Antigen That Embryos Require) is an oocyte-specific protein dependent on the maternal genome and required for early embryonic development. The gene products expressed in oocytes play important roles in folliculogenesis, fertilization and pre-implantation development. The aim of this study was to characterize the localization and distribution pattern of the human MATER protein during follicular development and after ovulation, to determine its functional role. Immunocytochemistry experiments coupled with confocal and electron microscopy analysis were carried out to determine the ultrastructural localization of MATER in human ovarian tissue and in isolated oocytes, obtained during IVF procedures. Human cumulus cells were cultured, with or without cycloheximide, to confirm endogenous biosynthesis of the protein. Human MATER is detectable at the onset of the follicular maturation process, suggesting this protein has a role at earlier stages in the human compared with other mammalian species. The presence of MATER is specific to the oocyte and follicular cells that, during maturation, are spatially and functionally associated with the oocyte. The nuclear, nucleolar and mitochondrial localization hints at a possible role in RNA processing and the metabolic activity of the cell.

Section snippets

Anto De Pol is Vice–Rector and Full Professor of Histology and Embryology in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. He is also Vice-Director of the University's Anatomy and Histology Department, President of the Nursing Degree and Head of the Center for Proteomics (CIPro). He has published widely concerning the behaviour of ovarian germ cells and the ultrastructural organization of human chromosomes. His scientific fields of interest include structural and

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NADPH oxidase-4 and MATER expressions in granulosa cells: Relationships with ovarian aging
2016, Life Sciences
Citation Excerpt :
Premature ovarian failure may offer a unique model for the study of the genetic mechanisms of ovarian aging [24], and MATER is a known ovarian autoantigen targeted in autoimmune syndromes of POF [25]. Our group demonstrated that MATER is expressed not only in the oocytes, but also in somatic follicle cells [4]. Furthermore, we found an interaction between MATER and Protein kinase C (PKC)-ε [12].
Relevant roles in follicular development and ovulation are played by maternal antigen that embryos require (MATER), product of a maternal effect gene, and by reactive oxygen species (ROS), indispensable for the induction of ovulatory genes. At the moment, the relationship between these two biological systems and their involvement in the ovarian aging have not been still clarified. The aim of the current experimental study was to analyse the age-related changes of the MATER and NOX proteins.
MATER and ROS homeostasis was studied in granulosa cells (GCs) and cumulus cells (CCs) of infertile patients who undergone oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization cycles using Western blot and confocal immunofluorescence analysis. Samples were obtained from subjects with age ≥ 40 years (cases) and with age ≤ 37 years (controls).
The expression pattern of MATER and NOX observed in GCs was not different from that observed in CCs. High levels of both proteins were detected in the control samples. A significant lower expression of both MATER and NOX4 was observed in the case versus control samples.
The expression of MATER and NOX4 proteins are closely related to the follicular development and ovulation with particular regard for ovarian aging.
Knockdown of NLRP5 arrests early embryogenesis in sows
2015, Animal Reproduction Science
Citation Excerpt :
Further research demonstrated that NLRP5, FLOPED, TLE6, and FILIA constitute a subcortical maternal complex, zygotes lacking the subcortical maternal complex did not progress beyond cleavage stage development (Li et al., 2008; Ohsugi et al., 2008). A recent investigation suggested that NLRP5 is associated with mitochondrial function in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos (Sena et al., 2009) and suggest that this gene plays a key role in mouse reproduction. Bovine NLRP5 is located at a region on chromosome 18 that has been identified as bovine quantitative trait loci for reproductive traits.
NLRP (NLR family, Pyrin domain containing) genes have both immunization- and reproduction-related clades in mammals. Nlrp5 is a reproduction-related gene, originally identified in the mouse, which plays a key role in mouse early embryogenesis. Previous studies estimated that the porcine NLRP5 gene is assigned to the long arm of chromosome 6 and expressed in oocytes. However, the expression pattern of the NLRP5 gene in the porcine reproductive tract, and the localization and function of NLRP5 protein in porcine preimplantation embryos are still unknown. Here, we show that NLRP5 transcripts and protein are detected exclusively in the ovary in the porcine reproductive tract. Furthermore, the transcripts display a sharp decline in porcine preimplantation embryos before zygotic genome activation, but the protein remains present through to the blastocyst stage, localize in the cytoplasm and close to the subcortex of porcine oocytes and preimplantation embryos. Moreover, the knockdown of NLRP5 expression in zygotes using RNA interference arrested early embryonic development. These results provide the first evidence that the NLRP5 gene is required for early embryogenesis in sows, suggesting that this gene might play an essential role in zygotic genome activation.
Gene expression analysis of human fetal ovarian primordial follicle formation
2009, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Primordial follicle formation dictates the maximal potential female reproductive capacity and establishes the ovarian reserve. Currently, little is known about this process in the human.
The aim of the study was to identify genes associated with the onset of human fetal primordial follicle formation in morphologically normal human fetuses.
We conducted an observational study of the female fetal gonad, comparing gene expression before and during primordial follicle formation.
The study was conducted at the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Nottingham.
Ovaries were collected from 51 morphologically normal human female fetuses of women undergoing elective termination of normal second trimester pregnancies.
We performed fetal ovarian transcript expression by Affymetrix array and quantitative RT-PCR and gene product expression and localization by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.
Five transcripts were down-regulated and 61 were up-regulated in ovaries from older fetuses (18-20 wk) in which primordial follicle formation had started compared with younger (15-16 wk) fetuses in which no primordial follicles were observed. The altered genes contribute to major functions, including gene expression, tissue morphology, and apoptosis, that are essential for ovarian development. NALP5, the most highly regulated transcript, is an oocyte-specific maternal effect gene that is regulated downstream of FIGLA.
NALP5 probably plays a key role in the onset of human primordial follicle formation and thus the establishment of ovarian reserve in women.
The evolution of NLRC3 subfamily genes in Sebastidae teleost fishes
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The NLR gene family: from discovery to present day
2023, Nature Reviews Immunology
Cumulus Cell Transcriptome after Cumulus-Oocyte Complex Exposure to Nanomolar Cadmium in an In Vitro Animal Model of Prepubertal and Adult Age
2023, Biology

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: Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.

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ArticleHuman MATER localization in specific cell domains of oocytes and follicular cells

Abstract

Section snippets

Analytical Biochemistry

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Fertility and Sterility

Animal Reproduction Science

Reproductive BioMedicine Online

Journal of Molecular Biology

Trends in Biochemical Sciences

Mechanism of Development

International Review of Cytology

Trends in Biochemical Sciences

Human growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) and its novel homolog GDF-9B are expressed in oocytes during early folliculogenesis

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

Molecular cloning of the ovine growth/differentiation factor-9 gene and expression of growth/differentiation factor-9 in ovine and bovine ovaries

Biology of Reproduction

Interactions between somatic cells and germ cells throughout mammalian oogenesis

Biology of Reproduction

Mitochondria: potential roles in embryogenesis and nucleocytoplasmic transfer

Human Reproduction Update

Heterotypic interactions among NACHT domains: implications for regulation of innate immune responses

Biochemistry Journal

Oocyte control of ovarian follicular development and function in mammals

Reproduction

Oocyte control of granulosa cell development: how and why

Human Reproduction

Mutations in an oocyte-derived growth factor gene (BMP 15) cause increased ovulation rate and infertility in a dosage-sensitive manner

Nature Genetics

Regulation of ovarian follicular development in primates: facts and hypotheses

Endocrine Reviews

Fire and ICE: The role of pyrin domain-containing proteins in inflammation and apoptosis

Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology

Article
Human MATER localization in specific cell domains of oocytes and follicular cells