Heat exposure impairs porcine oocyte quality with suppressed actin expression in cumulus cells and disrupted F-actin formation in transzonal projections.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transzonal projections (TZPs) constitute a structural basis for the communication between the oocyte and its surrounding cumulus cells (CCs), which play critical roles in promoting the oocyte maturation. Previously we found that heat stress (HS) causes loss of TZPs in porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) with decreased density of filamentous actin (F-actin). However, the time-course responses of F-actin and its monomeric actins (β-actin and γ-actin) during the in vitro maturation of oocytes remain unclear.

Results

In this study, excised porcine ovaries were exposed to HS at 41.5 °C for 1 h before COCs were isolated and matured in vitro for 44 h. HS significantly reduced oocyte quality, characterized by impaired cumulus expansion, delayed meiotic r

SUBMITTER: Yin C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7336674 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature