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Animals
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Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals
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Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Reproduction".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2024 | Viewed by 4346

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. José Roberto Viana Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Biotechnology and Physiology of Reproduction, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
Interests: in vitro follicle development and oocyte maturation in domestic animals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In vitro production of embryos has become a widespread technology implemented in most domestic animals to increase reproductive efficiency and, consequently, to support genetic improvement. The development of efficient culture systems to promote the growth of oocytes enclosed in preantral follicles, as well as the maturation of cumulus–oocyte complexes from small antral follicles certainly will have a positive impact on embryo production. The developmental competence of oocytes is acquired gradually during follicular development, mainly through the oocyte accumulation of RNA molecules and proteins that will be used during fertilization and early embryonic development. Several attempts to develop in vitro culture systems to support oocyte and early follicle development up to maturation are reported in the literature, but oocyte competence has not yet been achieved in domestic animals. The difficulties of developing fertilizable oocytes are related to thousands of mRNAs and proteins that need to be synthesized, the long-term duration of follicular development, the composition of in vitro culture medium, and the need for multi-step culture systems. The development of a culture system that maintains bidirectional communication between the oocyte and granulosa cells and meets the metabolic demands of each stage of oocyte follicle growth is the key to sustaining an extended culture period.

In this Special Issue, I am pleased to invite you to submit research or review articles on the development of culture systems to promote the growth of preantral follicles and maturation of cumulus-oocyte complexes in domestic animals, as well as on the mechanisms that regulate these events. We call on researchers to contribute their recent findings, especially focusing on, but not limited to, the following:

  • Development of culture systems for preantral follicles;
  • Development of culture systems for oocyte–granulosa cell complexes from early antral follicles;
  • Endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine control of follicle development and oocyte maturation;
  • The importance of antioxidants during in vitro culture of follicles and oocytes;
  • Molecular markers for oocyte competence;
  • Glucose, lipid metabolism and their role during in vitro growth of follicles and oocytes;
  • The oocyte-somatic communication during follicle growth and oocyte maturation;
  • Impact of in vitro culture on oocyte DNA methylation.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. José Roberto Viana Silva
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oocyte
  • preantral follicles
  • in vitro culture
  • oxidative stress
  • molecular mechanisms

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4250 KiB  
Article
Effect of IGFBP-4 during In Vitro Maturation on Developmental Competence of Bovine Cumulus Oocyte Complexes
by Adriana Raquel Camacho de Gutiérrez, Oguz Calisici, Christine Wrenzycki, Juan Carlos Gutiérrez-Añez, Christine Hoeflich, Andreas Hoeflich, Árpád Csaba Bajcsy and Marion Schmicke
Animals 2024, 14(5), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050673 - 21 Feb 2024
Viewed by 635
Abstract
Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are essential for oocyte maturation. Their bioavailability is regulated by their respective binding proteins (IGFBPs) and proteases. IGFBP-4 blocks the biological effects of IGFs. High IGFBP-4 expression has been associated with follicle atresia. We hypothesized that IGFBP-4 affects oocyte [...] Read more.
Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are essential for oocyte maturation. Their bioavailability is regulated by their respective binding proteins (IGFBPs) and proteases. IGFBP-4 blocks the biological effects of IGFs. High IGFBP-4 expression has been associated with follicle atresia. We hypothesized that IGFBP-4 affects oocyte developmental competence during maturation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of IGFBP-4 on the developmental rate of bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) during in vitro embryo production. Abattoir-derived COCs were matured with rbIGFBP-4 (2000, 540, and 54 ng/mL) compared to a control. Cumulus expansion, oocyte maturation, cleavage, blastocyst, and hatching rates were evaluated. Furthermore, blastocyst gene expression of SOCS2, STAT3, SLC2A1, SLCA3, BAX, and POU5F1 transcripts were quantified using RT-qPCR. No statistical differences were detected among the groups for cumulus expansion, maturation, cleavage, blastocyst rates, or all gene transcripts analyzed. However, at day 8 and 9, the number of total hatching and successfully hatched blastocysts was lower in 2000 ng/mL rbIGFBP-4 compared to the control (day 8: total hatching: 17.1 ± 0.21 vs. 31.2 ± 0.11%, p = 0.02 and hatched blastocyst 6.7 ± 0.31 vs. 21.5 ± 0.14%, p = 0.004; day 9 total hatching 36.4 ± 0.18 vs. 57.7 ± 0.10%, p = 0.009 and hatched blastocyst 18.2 ± 0.21 vs. 38.1 ± 0.11%, p = 0.004). We concluded that high concentrations of rbIGFBP-4 might negatively affect the subsequent ability of the embryo to hatch and possibly compromise further elongation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals)
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14 pages, 3649 KiB  
Article
Supplementation with Eupatilin during In Vitro Maturation Improves Porcine Oocyte Developmental Competence by Regulating Oxidative Stress and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
by Jing Wang, Ying-Hua Li, Rong-Ping Liu, Xin-Qin Wang, Mao-Bi Zhu, Xiang-Shun Cui, Zhen Dai, Nam-Hyung Kim and Yong-Nan Xu
Animals 2024, 14(3), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14030449 - 30 Jan 2024
Viewed by 653
Abstract
Eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3′,4′,6-trimethoxyflavone) is a flavonoid derived from Artemisia plants that has beneficial biological activities, such as anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the protective effects of eupatilin against oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in porcine oocyte maturation are still unclear. To investigate [...] Read more.
Eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3′,4′,6-trimethoxyflavone) is a flavonoid derived from Artemisia plants that has beneficial biological activities, such as anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the protective effects of eupatilin against oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in porcine oocyte maturation are still unclear. To investigate the effect of eupatilin on the development of porcine oocytes after in vitro maturation and parthenogenetic activation, we added different concentrations of eupatilin in the process of porcine oocyte maturation in vitro, and finally selected the optimal concentration following multiple comparisons and analysis of test results using SPSS (version 17.0; IBM, Chicago, IL, USA) software. The results showed that 0.1 μM eupatilin supplementation did not affect the expansion of porcine cumulus cells, but significantly increased the extrusion rate of porcine oocyte polar bodies, the subsequent blastocyst formation rate, and the quality of parthenogenetically activated porcine embryos. Additionally, it reduced the level of reactive oxygen species in cells and increased glutathione production. Further analysis revealed that eupatilin supplementation could reduce apoptosis, DNA double-strand breaks, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.1 μM eupatilin during in vitro maturation improved oocyte maturation and subsequent embryo development by reducing oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals)
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18 pages, 3970 KiB  
Article
Mito-TEMPO Improves the Meiosis Resumption and Mitochondrial Function of Vitrified Sheep Oocytes via the Recovery of Respiratory Chain Activity
by Xi Zhao, Airixiati Dilixiati, Luyao Zhang, Aikebaier Aihemaiti, Yukun Song, Guodong Zhao, Xiangwei Fu, Xuguang Wang and Abulizi Wusiman
Animals 2024, 14(1), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010152 - 02 Jan 2024
Viewed by 798
Abstract
Vitrification is a crucial method for preserving animal germ cells. Considering the increased oxidative stress and organelle damage incurred, it is still necessary to make the process more efficient for oocytes. As the energy source of oocytes, mitochondria are the most abundant organelle [...] Read more.
Vitrification is a crucial method for preserving animal germ cells. Considering the increased oxidative stress and organelle damage incurred, it is still necessary to make the process more efficient for oocytes. As the energy source of oocytes, mitochondria are the most abundant organelle in oocytes and play a crucial role in their maturation. Here, we found that Mito-TEMPO, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, could efficaciously improve the oxidative stress injury of vitrified oocytes by recovering mitochondrial function via the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It was observed that Mito-TEMPO not only improves oocyte viability and meiosis but also maintains spindle structure. A subsequent study indicated that Mito-TEMPO effectively rescued mitochondrial dysfunction and attenuated vitrification-induced oxidative stress. Further investigation revealed that Mito-TEMPO regulates vitrified oocytes’ intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and ATP content and provides strong antioxidant properties. Additionally, an analysis of the transcriptome at the single-cell level revealed that the respiratory chain mediates the beneficial effect of Mito-TEMPO on vitrified oocytes. Overall, our findings indicate that supplementing oocytes with Mito-TEMPO is an effective method to shield them from the damage caused by vitrification. In addition, the beneficial effects of Mito-TEMPO on vitrified sheep oocytes could inspire further investigations of the principles underlying oocyte cryobiology in other animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals)
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15 pages, 4447 KiB  
Article
C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Pre-Treatment Improves Maturation Rate of Goat Oocytes by Maintaining Transzonal Projections, Spindle Morphology, and Mitochondrial Function
by Rui Xu, Menghao Pan, Lu Yin, Yiqian Zhang, Yaju Tang, Sihai Lu, Yan Gao, Qiang Wei, Bin Han and Baohua Ma
Animals 2023, 13(24), 3880; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243880 - 16 Dec 2023
Viewed by 863
Abstract
C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a peptide molecule naturally found in follicles and can be used to extend meiotic resumption and enhance the potential for oocytes to develop. However, the mechanism by which CNP improves goat oocyte quality remains unclear. In this study, [...] Read more.
C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a peptide molecule naturally found in follicles and can be used to extend meiotic resumption and enhance the potential for oocytes to develop. However, the mechanism by which CNP improves goat oocyte quality remains unclear. In this study, cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) from goats were pre-treated with CNP prior to IVM, and the results showed that pre-treatment with CNP enhanced goat oocyte maturation. First, we discovered that CNP maintained communication between cumulus cells and oocytes by regulating the transzonal projections (TZPs). We then found that CNP treatment reduced abnormal spindle formation and increased the expression of genes associated with spindle assembly and the spindle assembly checkpoint. Moreover, further analysis showed that oocytes exhibited better antioxidant ability in the CNP treatment group, which mainly manifested in higher glutathione (GSH) and lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations. Enhanced mitochondrial activity was signified via the augmented expression of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and fusion and fission-related genes, thus diminishing the apoptosis of the oocytes. Overall, these results provide novel insights into the potential mechanism by which CNP treatment before IVM can improve oocyte quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals)
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14 pages, 3219 KiB  
Article
Melatonin Supplementation during In Vitro Maturation of Porcine Oocytes Alleviates Oxidative Stress and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Induced by Imidacloprid Exposure
by Jing Wang, Xin-Qin Wang, Rong-Ping Liu, Ying-Hua Li, Xue-Rui Yao, Nam-Hyung Kim and Yong-Nan Xu
Animals 2023, 13(16), 2596; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13162596 - 11 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1070
Abstract
Imidacloprid (IMI) is an endogenous neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in agriculture and has attracted researchers’ attention because of its risks to the environment and human health. Melatonin (MT) is an antioxidant hormone produced by the pineal gland of the brain. Studies have shown [...] Read more.
Imidacloprid (IMI) is an endogenous neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in agriculture and has attracted researchers’ attention because of its risks to the environment and human health. Melatonin (MT) is an antioxidant hormone produced by the pineal gland of the brain. Studies have shown that it has a variety of physiological functions and plays a crucial role in the development of animal germ cells and embryos. The potential protective effects of MT against oocyte damage caused by neonicotinoid pesticide toxicity remain unclear. In this study, we report the toxicity of IMI against, and its effects on the quality of, porcine oocytes and the protective effect of MT on IMI-exposed oocytes. The results show that IMI exposure adversely affected oocyte maturation, while MT supplementation ameliorated its toxic effects. Specifically, IMI exposure increased oxidative stress (OS), endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), and apoptosis, which may affect polar body expulsion rates and blastocyst formation. Also, IMI exposure reduced oocyte cleavage rates and the number of cells in blastocysts. However, all of these toxic effects can be restored after a melatonin supplementation treatment. In conclusion, these results suggest that melatonin has a protective effect on IMI-induced defects during porcine oocyte maturation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in In Vitro Oocyte Development in Domestic Animals)
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