The paralogs' enigma of germ-cell specific genes dispensable for fertility: the case of 19 oogenesin genes†.

Gene knockout experiments have shown that many genes are dispensable for a given biological function. In this review, we make an assessment of male and female germ cell-specific genes dispensable for the function of reproduction in mice, the inactivation of which does not affect fertility. In particular, we describe the deletion of a 1 Mb block containing nineteen paralogous genes of the oogenesin/Pramel family specifically expressed in female and/or male germ cells, which has no consequences in both sexes. We discuss this notion of dispensability and the experiments that need to be carried out to definitively conclude that a gene is dispensable for a function.

Progress and challenges in developing organoids in farm animal species for the study of reproduction and their applications to reproductive biotechnologies.

Within the past decades, major progress has been accomplished in isolating germ/stem/pluripotent cells, in refining culture medium and conditions and in establishing 3-dimensional culture systems, towards developing organoids for organs involved in reproduction in mice and to some extent in humans. Haploid male germ cells were generated in vitro from primordial germ cells. So were oocytes, with additional support from ovarian cells and subsequent follicle culture. Going on with the female reproductive tract, spherical oviduct organoids were obtained from adult stem/progenitor cells. Multicellular endometrial structures mimicking functional uterine glands were derived from endometrial cells. Trophoblastic stem cells were induced to form 3-dimensional syncytial-like structures and exhibited invasive properties, a crucial point for placentation. Finally, considering the embryo itself, pluripotent embryonic cells together with additional extra-embryonic cells, could self-organize into a blastoid, and eventually into a post-implantation-like embryo. Most of these accomplishments have yet to be reached in farm animals, but much effort is devoted towards this goal. Here, we review the progress and discuss the specific challenges of developing organoids for the study of reproductive biology in these species. We consider the use of such organoids in basic research to delineate the physiological mechanisms involved at each step of the reproductive process, or to understand how they are altered by environmental factors relevant to animal breeding. We evaluate their potential in reproduction of animals with a high genetic value, from a breeding point of view or in the context of preserving local breeds with limited headcounts.

Metabolic exchanges between the oocyte and its environment: focus on lipids.

Finely regulated fatty acid (FA) metabolism within ovarian follicles is crucial to follicular development and influences the quality of the enclosed oocyte, which relies on the surrounding intra-follicular environment for its growth and maturation. A growing number of studies have examined the association between the lipid composition of follicular compartments and oocyte quality. In this review, we focus on lipids, their possible exchanges between compartments within the ovarian follicle and their involvement in different pathways during oocyte final growth and maturation. Lipidomics provides a detailed snapshot of the global lipid profiles and identified lipids, clearly discriminating the cells or fluid from follicles at distinct physiological stages. Follicular fluid appears as a main mediator of lipid exchanges between follicular somatic cells and the oocyte, through vesicle-mediated and non-vesicular transport of esterified and free FA. A variety of expression data allowed the identification of common and cell-type-specific actors of lipid metabolism in theca cells, granulosa cells, cumulus cells and oocytes, including key regulators of FA uptake, FA transport, lipid transformation, lipoprotein synthesis and protein palmitoylation. They act in harmony to accompany follicular development, and maintain intra-follicular homeostasis to allow the oocyte to accumulate energy and membrane lipids for subsequent meiotic divisions and first embryo cleavages.

Prenatal programming by testosterone of follicular theca cell functions in ovary.

In mammalian ovaries, the theca layers of growing follicles are critical for maintaining their structural integrity and supporting androgen synthesis. Through combining the postnatal monitoring of ovaries by abdominal magnetic resonance imaging, endocrine profiling, hormonal analysis of the follicular fluid of growing follicles, and transcriptomic analysis of follicular theca cells, we provide evidence that the exposure of ovine fetuses to testosterone excess activates postnatal follicular growth and strongly affects the functions of follicular theca in adulthood. Prenatal exposure to testosterone impaired androgen synthesis in the small antral follicles of adults and affected the expression in their theca cells of a wide array of genes encoding extracellular matrix components, their membrane receptors, and signaling pathways. Most expression changes were uncorrelated with the concentrations of gonadotropins, steroids, and anti-Müllerian hormone in the recent hormonal environment of theca cells, suggesting that these changes rather result from the long-term developmental effects of testosterone on theca cell precursors in fetal ovaries. Disruptions of the extracellular matrix structure and signaling in the follicular theca and ovarian cortex can explain the acceleration of follicle growth through altering the stiffness of ovarian tissue. We propose that these mechanisms participate in the etiology of the polycystic ovarian syndrome, a major reproductive pathology in woman.

In vitro maturation affects chromosome segregation, spindle morphology and acetylation of lysine 16 on histone H4 in horse oocytes.

Implantation failure and genetic developmental disabilities in mammals are caused by errors in chromosome segregation originating mainly in the oocyte during meiosis I. Some conditions, like maternal ageing or in vitro maturation (IVM), increase the incidence of oocyte aneuploidy. Here oocytes from adult mares were used to investigate oocyte maturation in a monovulatory species. Experiments were conducted to compare: (1) the incidence of aneuploidy, (2) the morphology of the spindle, (3) the acetylation of lysine 16 on histone H4 (H4K16) and (4) the relative amount of histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1), K(lysine) acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8, also known as MYST1), histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) mRNA in metaphase II stage oocytes that were in vitro matured or collected from peri-ovulatory follicles. The frequency of aneuploidy and anomalies in spindle morphology was increased following IVM, along with a decrease in H4K16 acetylation that was in agreement with our previous observations. However, differences in the amount of the transcripts investigated were not detected. These results suggest that the degradation of transcripts encoding for histone deacetylases and acetyltransferases is not involved in the changes of H4K16 acetylation observed following IVM, while translational or post-translational mechanisms might have a role. Our study also suggests that epigenetic instabilities introduced by IVM may affect the oocyte and embryo genetic stability.

An integrated approach to bovine oocyte quality: from phenotype to genes.

In cattle, early embryonic failure plays a major role in the limitation of reproductive performance and is influenced by genetic effects. Suboptimal oocyte quality, including an inadequate store of maternal factors, is suspected to contribute to this phenomenon. In the present study, 13 Montbeliarde cows were phenotyped on oocyte quality, based on their ability to produce viable embryos after in vitro maturation, fertilisation and culture for 7 days. This discriminated two groups of animals, exhibiting developmental rates below 18.8% or above 40.9% (relative to cleaved embryos). Using microarrays, transcriptomic profiles were compared between oocytes collected in vivo from these two groups of animals. The difference in oocyte development potential was associated with changes in transcripts from 60 genes in immature oocytes and 135 genes in mature oocytes (following Bonferroni 5% correction). Of these, 16 and 32 genes were located in previously identified fertility quantitative trait loci. A subset of differential genes was investigated on distinct samples by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. For SLC25A16, PPP1R14C, ROBO1, AMDHD1 and MEAF6 transcripts, differential expression was confirmed between high and low oocyte potential animals. Further sequencing and searches for polymorphisms will pave the way for implementing their use in genomic selection.

The ovarian reserve of primordial follicles and the dynamic reserve of antral growing follicles: what is the link?

The growing follicles develop from a reserve of primordial follicles constituted early in life. From this pre-established reserve, a second ovarian reserve is formed, which consists of gonadotropin-responsive small antral growing follicles and is a dynamic reserve for ovulation. Its size, evaluated by direct antral follicular count or endocrine markers, determines the success of assisted reproductive technologies in humans and embryo production biotechnologies in animals. Strong evidence indicates that these two reserves are functionally related. The size of both reserves appears to be highly variable between individuals of similar age, but the equilibrium size of the dynamic reserve in adults seems to be specific to each individual. The dynamics of both follicular reserves appears to result from the fine tuning of regulations involving two main pathways, the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)/phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDPK1)/v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1) and the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)/SMAD signaling pathways. Mutations in genes encoding the ligands, receptors, or signaling effectors of these pathways can accelerate or modulate the exhaustion rate of the ovarian reserves, causing premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) or increase in reproductive longevity, respectively. With female aging, the decline in primordial follicle numbers parallels the decrease in the size of the dynamic reserve of small antral follicles and the deterioration of oocyte quality. Recent progress in our knowledge of signaling pathways and their environmental and hormonal control during adult and fetal life opens new perspectives to improve the management of the ovarian reserves.

Absence of cumulus cells during in vitro maturation affects lipid metabolism in bovine oocytes.

Cumulus cells (CC) surround the oocyte and are coupled metabolically through regulation of nutrient intake. CC removal before in vitro maturation (IVM) decreases bovine oocyte developmental competence without affecting nuclear meiotic maturation. The objective was to investigate the influence of CC on oocyte cytoplasmic maturation in relation to energy metabolism. IVM with either cumulus-enclosed (CEO) or -denuded (DO) oocytes was performed in serum-free metabolically optimized medium. Transmission electron microscopy revealed different distribution of membrane-bound vesicles and lipid droplets between metaphase II DO and CEO. By Nile Red staining, a significant reduction in total lipid level was evidenced in DO. Global transcriptomic analysis revealed differential expression of genes regulating energy metabolism, transcription, and translation between CEO and DO. By Western blot, fatty acid synthase (FAS) and hormone-sensitive phospholipase (HSL) proteins were detected in oocytes and in CC, indicating a local lipogenesis and lypolysis. FAS protein was significantly less abundant in DO that in CEO and more highly expressed in CC than in the oocytes. On the contrary, HSL protein was more abundant in oocytes than in CC. In addition, active Ser56³-phosphorylated HSL was detected in the oocytes only after IVM, and its level was similar in CEO and DO. In conclusion, absence of CC during IVM affected lipid metabolism in the oocyte and led to suboptimal cytoplasmic maturation. Thus, CC may influence the oocyte by orienting the consumption of nutritive storage via regulation of local fatty acid synthesis and lipolysis to provide energy for maturation.

In vitro maturation of oocytes alters gene expression and signaling pathways in bovine cumulus cells.

In vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes is widely used in assisted reproduction technologies in cattle, and is increasingly used to treat human infertility. The development competence of IVM oocytes, however, is lower than preovulatory, in vivo-matured oocytes. During maturation, cumulus cells (CC) are metabolically coupled with an oocyte and support the acquisition of its developmental potential. Our objective was to identify genes and pathways that were affected by IVM in bovine CC. Microarray transcriptomic analysis of CC enclosing in vitro- or in vivo-mature oocytes revealed 472 differentially expressed genes, including 28% related to apoptosis, correlating with twofold higher cell death after IVM than in vivo, as detected by TUNEL. Genes overexpressed after IVM were significantly enriched in functions involved in cell movement, focal adhesion, extracellular matrix function, and TGF-beta signaling, whereas under-expressed genes were enriched in regulating gene expression, energy metabolism, stress response, and MAP kinases pathway functions. Differential expression of 15 genes, including PAG11 (increased) and TXNIP (decreased), which were never detected in CC before, was validated by real-time RT-PCR. Moreover, protein quantification confirmed the lower abundance of glutathione S-transferase A1 and prostaglandin G/H synthase 2, and the higher abundance of hyaluronan synthase 2 and SMAD4, a member of TGF-beta pathway, in CC after IVM. Phosphorylation levels of SMAD2, MAPK3/1, and MAPK14, but not MAPK8, were higher after IVM that in vivo. In conclusion, IVM provokes the hyper-activation of TGF-beta and MAPK signaling components, modifies gene expression, leads to increased apoptosis in CC, and thus affects oocyte quality.

An oocyte-preferential histone mRNA stem-loop-binding protein like is expressed in several mammalian species.

During early embryo development, chromatin packaging is sustained by histones of maternal origin. Most histone messenger RNAs are not polyadenylated, but rather end in an evolutionarily conserved stem-loop that controls RNA processing, nucleocytoplasmic transport, stability, and translation via interactions with a specific protein named stem-loop-binding protein (SLBP). In mouse oocytes, mSLBP is synthesized abundantly during maturation and activates histone translation. In Xenopus, xSLBP is present in stage-VI oocytes, but histone mRNA is protected from premature translation by the oocyte-specific Xenopus SLBP2 (xSLBP2) protein; during maturation xSLBP2 replacement by xSLBP results in histone synthesis. Here, we report the first experimental evidence and characterization of a mammalian SLBP2 ortholog. Bovine bSLBP and bSLBP2 display distinct expression patterns throughout oocyte maturation and pre-implantation embryo development. From the immature oocyte to the morula, bSLBP2 is concentrated in the nucleus, while it is homogeneously distributed throughout the cytoplasm in mature oocytes. A putative SLBP2 gene is conserved in the genome of several mammalian species, and the corresponding transcripts were detected in rat, dog, horse, and pig oocytes. By contrast, a pseudogene is found in mouse, human, and rabbit. Altogether, our data suggest that the availability of histones in oocytes is regulated by an alternative mechanism in bovine and other species as compared to mouse and frog.

Determination of anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations in blood as a tool to select Holstein donor cows for embryo production: from the laboratory to the farm.

High between-animal variability in the number of embryos produced by multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) and ovum pick-up and in vitro production (OPU-IVP) methods remains a major limit to the development of embryo biotechnologies in cattle. The measurement of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) endocrine concentrations in cows can help to predict their follicular and ovulatory responses to gonadotrophin treatment. The present study aimed to provide practical information for a simple prognostic method based on AMH measurement in Holstein cows. Accurate AMH concentrations could be measured with ELISA in blood or plasma. In cows undergoing repeated OPU protocols over 1 year, the AMH concentrations measured in plasma samples collected before each gonadotrophin treatment were found to be highly repeatable and were tightly correlated with follicular responses. From data obtained at both an experimental station and farm settings, it was possible to propose AMH cut-off values to identify low-responding cows. Gonadotrophin-stimulated cows producing fewer than 15 large follicles at oestrus and fewer than 10 embryos in MOET protocols could be discarded efficiently with plasma AMH concentrations below 87 and 74 pg mL(-1), respectively. In conclusion, we propose a prognostic method based on a single AMH measurement to improve the results of embryo biotechnologies.

Regulation of anti-Müllerian hormone production in domestic animals.

In mammals, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) expression is detected in the granulosa cells of all growing follicles and is highest in healthy small antral follicles, which contribute most significantly to AMH endocrine levels. AMH is a reliable endocrine marker of this population of gonadotrophin-responsive follicles in ruminants and, over the longer term, plasma AMH concentrations are characteristic of individual animals. In the cow, plasma AMH concentrations follow specific dynamic profiles throughout the prepubertal period, the oestrous cycle and the change from gestation to the post partum period, with the alterations most likely reflecting numerical changes in the population of high AMH-producing follicles. In granulosa cells, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) enhance AMH gene expression and AMH synthesis, with these effects antagonised by FSH. BMP could both support follicular growth and contribute significantly to the induction and/or maintenance of AMH expression in small growing follicles. AMH expression decreases sharply in large follicles when they become oestrogenic, suggesting a role for FSH and/or oestradiol in these changes, but the underlying mechanisms remain hypothetical. A better understanding of the factors and mechanisms regulating AMH production is needed to propose new strategies for managing the reserve of primordial and small growing follicles, as well as for improving embryo production.

A Comparative Analysis of Oocyte Development in Mammals.

Sexual reproduction requires the fertilization of a female gamete after it has undergone optimal development. Various aspects of oocyte development and many molecular actors in this process are shared among mammals, but phylogeny and experimental data reveal species specificities. In this chapter, we will present these common and distinctive features with a focus on three points: the shaping of the oocyte transcriptome from evolutionarily conserved and rapidly evolving genes, the control of folliculogenesis and ovulation rate by oocyte-secreted Growth and Differentiation Factor 9 and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15, and the importance of lipid metabolism.

Investigating the role of BCAR4 in ovarian physiology and female fertility by genome editing in rabbit.

Breast Cancer Anti-estrogen Resistance 4 (BCAR4) was previously characterised in bovine species as a gene preferentially expressed in oocytes, whose inhibition is detrimental to in vitro embryo development. But its role in oogenesis, folliculogenesis and globally fertility in vivo remains unknown. Because the gene is not conserved in mice, rabbits were chosen for investigation of BCAR4 expression and function in vivo. BCAR4 displayed preferential expression in the ovary compared to somatic organs, and within the ovarian follicle in the oocyte compared to somatic cells. The transcript was detected in follicles as early as the preantral stage. Abundance decreased throughout embryo development until the blastocyst stage. A lineage of genome-edited rabbits was produced; BCAR4 expression was abolished in follicles from homozygous animals. Females of wild-type, heterozygous and homozygous genotypes were examined for ovarian physiology and reproductive parameters. Follicle growth and the number of ovulations in response to hormonal stimulation were not significantly different between genotypes. Following insemination, homozygous females displayed a significantly lower delivery rate than their heterozygous counterparts (22 ± 7% vs 71 ± 11% (mean ± SEM)), while prolificacy was 1.8 ± 0.7 vs 6.0 ± 1.4 kittens per insemination. In conclusion, BCAR4 is not essential for follicular growth and ovulation but it contributes to optimal fertility in rabbits.

The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor is expressed in the cumulus-oocyte complex in mammals and modulates oocyte meiotic maturation.

The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) plays an important role in cells involved in calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis by directly sensing changes in the extracellular Ca2+ ion concentration. We previously reported the localization and quantitative expression of CASR protein in human oocytes. In this study, we examined the expression and the functional role of CASR during oocyte meiotic maturation in a large mammal animal model, the horse. As in humans, CASR protein was found to be expressed in equine oocytes and cumulus cells. Western-blot analysis revealed a single 130 kDa band in denuded oocytes and a doublet of 130-120 kDa in cumulus cells. CASR labeling was observed by confocal microscopy in cumulus cells and in oocytes on the plasma membrane and within the cytoplasm at all examined stages of meiosis. Functionally, the CASR allosteric effector NPS R-467, in the presence of 2.92 mM external Ca2+, increased oocyte maturation rate in a dose-dependent manner and its stimulatory effect was attenuated by pre-treatment with the CASR antagonist NPS 2390. NPS R-467 had no effect in suboptimal external Ca2+ (0.5 mM), indicating that it requires higher external Ca2+ to promote oocyte maturation. In oocytes treated with NPS R-467, CASR staining increased at the plasmalemma and was reduced in the cytosol. Moreover, NPS R-467 increased the activity of MAPK, also called ERK, in cumulus cells and oocytes. These results provide evidence of a novel signal transduction pathway modulating oocyte meiotic maturation in mammals in addition to the well-known systemic hormones.

Regulation of bovine oocyte-specific transcripts during in vitro oocyte maturation and after maternal-embryonic transition analyzed using a transcriptomic approach.

Oocyte/embryo genomics in mammals faces specific challenges due to limited biological material, to the comparison of models with different total RNA contents, and to expression of a specific set of genes often absent from commercially available microarrays. Here, we report experimental validation of a RNA amplification protocol for bovine oocytes and blastocysts. Using real-time PCR, we have confirmed that the profile of both abundant and scarce polyadenylated transcripts was conserved after RNA amplification. Next, amplified probes generated from immature oocytes, in vitro matured oocytes, and in vitro produced hatched blastocysts were hybridized onto a macroarray that included oocyte-specific genes. Following an original approach, we have compared two normalization procedures, based on the median signal or an exogenous standard. We have evidenced the expected difference in sets of differential genes depending on the normalization procedure. Using a 1.5-fold threshold, no transcript was found to be upregulated when data were normalized to an exogenous standard, which reflects the absence of transcription during in vitro oocyte maturation. In blastocysts, the majority of oocyte-preferentially expressed genes were not activated, as previously observed in mouse. Finally, microarray data were validated by real-time PCR on a random subset of genes. Our study sheds new light on and complements previous transcriptomic analyses of bovine oocyte to embryo transition using commercial platforms.

Genes Involved in Drosophila melanogaster Ovarian Function Are Highly Conserved Throughout Evolution.

This work presents a systematic approach to study the conservation of genes between fruit flies and mammals. We have listed 971 Drosophila genes involved in female reproduction at the ovarian level and systematically looked for orthologs in the Ciona, zebrafish, coelacanth, lizard, chicken, and mouse. Depending on the species, the percentage of these Drosophila genes with at least one ortholog varies between 69% and 78%. In comparison, only 42% of all the Drosophila genes have an ortholog in the mouse genome (P < 0.0001), suggesting a dramatically higher evolutionary conservation of ovarian genes. The 177 Drosophila genes that have no ortholog in mice and other vertebrates correspond to genes that are involved in mechanisms of oogenesis that are specific to the fruit fly or the insects. Among 759 genes with at least one ortholog in the zebrafish, 73 have an expression enriched in the ovary in this species (RNA-seq data). Among 760 genes that have at least one ortholog in the mouse; 76 and 11 orthologs are reported to be preferentially and exclusively expressed in the mouse ovary, respectively (based on the UniGene expressed sequence tag database). Several of them are already known to play a key role in murine oogenesis and/or to be enriched in the mouse/zebrafish oocyte, whereas others have remained unreported. We have investigated, by RNA-seq and real-time quantitative PCR, the exclusive ovarian expression of 10 genes in fish and mammals. Overall, we have found several novel candidates potentially involved in mammalian oogenesis by an evolutionary approach and using the fruit fly as an animal model.

Differential regulation of abundance and deadenylation of maternal transcripts during bovine oocyte maturation in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: In bovine maturing oocytes and cleavage stage embryos, gene expression is mostly controlled at the post-transcriptional level, through degradation and deadenylation/polyadenylation. We have investigated how post transcriptional control of maternal transcripts was affected during in vitro and in vivo maturation, as a model of differential developmental competence. RESULTS: Using real time PCR, we have analyzed variation of maternal transcripts, in terms of abundance and polyadenylation, during in vitro or in vivo oocyte maturation and in vitro embryo development. Four genes are characterized here for the first time in bovine: ring finger protein 18 (RNF18) and breast cancer anti-estrogen resistance 4 (BCAR4), whose oocyte preferential expression was not previously reported in any species, as well as Maternal embryonic leucine zipper kinase (MELK) and STELLA. We included three known oocyte marker genes (Maternal antigen that embryos require (MATER), Zygote arrest 1 (ZAR1), NACHT, leucine rich repeat and PYD containing 9 (NALP9)). In addition, we selected transcripts previously identified as differentially regulated during maturation, peroxiredoxin 1 and 2 (PRDX1, PRDX2), inhibitor of DNA binding 2 and 3 (ID2, ID3), cyclin B1 (CCNB1), cell division cycle 2 (CDC2), as well as Aurora A (AURKA). Most transcripts underwent a moderate degradation during maturation. But they displayed sharply contrasted deadenylation patterns that account for variations observed previously by DNA array and correlated with the presence of a putative cytoplasmic polyadenylation element in their 3' untranslated region. Similar variations in abundance and polyadenylation status were observed during in vitro maturation or in vivo maturation, except for PRDX1, that appears as a marker of in vivo maturation. Throughout in vitro development, oocyte restricted transcripts were progressively degraded until the morula stage, except for MELK ; and the corresponding genes remained silent after major embryonic genome activation. CONCLUSION: Altogether, our data emphasize the extent of post-transcriptional regulation during oocyte maturation. They do not evidence a general alteration of this phenomenon after in vitro maturation as compared to in vivo maturation, but indicate that some individual messenger RNA can be affected.

Analysis of Chromosome Segregation, Histone Acetylation, and Spindle Morphology in Horse Oocytes.

The field of assisted reproduction has been developed to treat infertility in women, companion animals, and endangered species. In the horse, assisted reproduction also allows for the production of embryos from high performers without interrupting their sports career and contributes to an increase in the number of foals from mares of high genetic value. The present manuscript describes the procedures used for collecting immature and mature oocytes from horse ovaries using ovum pick-up (OPU). These oocytes were then used to investigate the incidence of aneuploidy by adapting a protocol previously developed in mice. Specifically, the chromosomes and the centromeres of metaphase II (MII) oocytes were fluorescently labeled and counted on sequential focal plans after confocal laser microscope scanning. This analysis revealed a higher incidence in the aneuploidy rate when immature oocytes were collected from the follicles and matured in vitro compared to in vivo. Immunostaining for tubulin and the acetylated form of histone four at specific lysine residues also revealed differences in the morphology of the meiotic spindle and in the global pattern of histone acetylation. Finally, the expression of mRNAs coding for histone deacetylases (HDACs) and acetyl-transferases (HATs) was investigated by reverse transcription and quantitative-PCR (q-PCR). No differences in the relative expression of transcripts were observed between in vitro and in vivo matured oocytes. In agreement with a general silencing of the transcriptional activity during oocyte maturation, the analysis of the total transcript amount can only reveal mRNA stability or degradation. Therefore, these findings indicate that other translational and post-translational regulations might be affected. Overall, the present study describes an experimental approach to morphologically and biochemically characterize the horse oocyte, a cell type that is extremely challenging to study due to low sample availability. However, it can expand our knowledge on the reproductive biology and infertility in monovulatory species.

A functional interaction between ATF7 and TAF12 that is modulated by TAF4.

The ATF7 proteins, which are members of the cyclic AMP responsive binding protein (CREB)/activating transcription factor (ATF) family of transcription factors, display quite versatile properties: they can interact with the adenovirus E1a oncoprotein, mediating part of its transcriptional activity; they heterodimerize with the Jun, Fos or related transcription factors, likely modulating their DNA-binding specificity; they also recruit to the promoter a stress-induced protein kinase (JNK2). In the present study, we investigate the functional relationships of ATF7 with hsTAF12 (formerly hsTAF(II)20/15), which has originally been identified as a component of the general transcription factor TFIID. We show that overexpression of hsTAF12 potentiates ATF7-induced transcriptional activation through direct interaction with ATF7, suggesting that TAF12 is a functional partner of ATF7. In support of this conclusion, chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments confirm the interaction of ATF7 with TAF12 on an ATF7-responsive promoter, in the absence of any artificial overexpression of both proteins. We also show that the TAF12-dependent transcriptional activation is competitively inhibited by TAF4. Although both TAF12 isoforms (TAF12-1 and -2, formerly TAF(II)20 and TAF(II)15) interact with the ATF7 activation region through their histone-fold domain, only the largest, hsTAF12-1, mediates transcriptional activation through its N-terminal region.