Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018, USA.
Biol Reprod. 2011 Aug;85(2):269-76. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod.111.091124. Epub 2011 Apr 13.
Culture systems that support development and maturation of oocytes in vitro with a high efficiency would have great impact not only on research addressed at underlying mechanisms of oocyte development but also on preservation of fertility. Recently, attention has turned to using culture systems that preserve follicle integrity, in contrast to existing systems that do not maintain follicle integrity, with the hope of improving oocyte development. We report that an alginate-based follicle culture system supports both follicular and oocyte growth in vitro, with little effect on the oocyte transcriptome. Nevertheless, oocytes obtained from these follicles exhibit an increased incidence of defects in spindle formation and chromosome alignment as well as pronounced abnormalities in cortical granule biogenesis. Developmental competence is also highly compromised, because few matured oocytes develop into 1-cell embryos with pronuclei. This situation contrasts with a high incidence of pronuclear formation following development using an existing in vitro culture system that does not preserve follicle integrity.
体外高效支持卵母细胞发育和成熟的培养体系不仅对研究卵母细胞发育的潜在机制具有重大影响，而且对保存生育能力也具有重大影响。最近，人们关注的焦点转向使用能够保持卵泡完整性的培养体系，而不是现有的不保持卵泡完整性的培养体系，希望能改善卵母细胞的发育。我们报告称，基于藻酸盐的卵泡培养体系支持体外卵泡和卵母细胞的生长，对卵母细胞的转录组几乎没有影响。然而，从这些卵泡中获得的卵母细胞在纺锤体形成和染色体排列方面出现缺陷的发生率增加，皮质颗粒发生也有明显异常。发育能力也受到严重损害，因为很少有成熟的卵母细胞能发育成具有原核的 1 细胞胚胎。这种情况与使用不保持卵泡完整性的现有体外培养系统进行发育时原核形成的高发生率形成鲜明对比。
