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Superovulation alters DNA methyltransferase protein expression in mouse oocytes and early embryos

  • Embryo Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that plays critical roles during mammalian oocyte and preimplantation embryo development. It is achieved by adding a methyl group to the fifth carbon atom of cytosine residues within cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) and non-CpG dinucleotide sites using DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes for de novo and maintenance methylation processes. DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B play important roles in establishing methylation of developmentally related genes in oocytes and early embryos. The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of superovulation on the expression and subcellular localizations of these three DNMT enzymes in the mouse oocytes and early embryos.

Methods

Three groups composed of control, normal dose [5 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and 5 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)], and high dose [7.5 IU PMSG and 7.5 IU hCG] were created from 4–5-week-old female BALB/c mice. The relative expression and subcellular localizations of the DNMT proteins in the control and experiment groups have been characterized by using immunofluorescence staining subsequently analyzed in detailed.

Results

DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B protein expression in the germinal vesicle and metaphase II oocytes and in one-cell and two-cell embryos differed significantly when some of the normal- and high-dose groups were compared with the control counterparts.

Conclusion

This study has demonstrated for the first time that superovulation alters expression levels of the DNMT proteins, a finding that indicates that certain developmental defects in superovulated oocytes and early embryos may result from impaired DNA methylation processes.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (Project Number: 2014.02.0122.013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Campus, 07070, Antalya, Turkey

    Fatma Uysal, Saffet Ozturk & Gokhan Akkoyunlu

Authors
  1. Fatma Uysal
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  2. Saffet Ozturk
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  3. Gokhan Akkoyunlu
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Contributions

F. Uysal performed the experiments. F. Uysal, S. Ozturk, and G. Akkoyunlu analyzed the data. F. Uysal, S. Ozturk, and G. Akkoyunlu wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gokhan Akkoyunlu.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Uysal, F., Ozturk, S. & Akkoyunlu, G. Superovulation alters DNA methyltransferase protein expression in mouse oocytes and early embryos. J Assist Reprod Genet 35, 503–513 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-1087-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-1087-z

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