Abstract
The regulation of protein turnover by the unique deubiquitinating enzyme ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) is only seen in oocytes, spermatogonia, and neurons. Our objective was to investigate variation in expression of UCHL1 across fetal maturation of oocytes that result in lifelong ovarian reserve. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 25 fetal autopsy specimens from 21 to 36 weeks. This was an IRB-approved protocol with parental permission for use of tissues for research purposes. Tissues were stained for expression of the oocyte-specific protein UCHL1, and expression levels were evaluated using quantitative immunofluorescence across gestational ages after correction for the area and background absorbance. Corrected total cell fluorescence (CTCF) for expression of UCHL1 within human oocytes was compared across fetal gestational ages and oocyte size. Trends were analyzed using a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing algorithm. Local expression of UCHL1 increases in oocytes across ovarian development reaching a plateau at 27 weeks with the maintenance of elevated levels through 36 weeks gestational age. This maturation trend is also evidenced by the increase in protein expression as oocyte area increases (r = 0.5530, p ≤ 0.001) with the largest rise occurring as oocytes are enveloped into primordial follicles. The increase in expression as oocytes transition from oogonia into oocytes in primordial follicles and beyond may be part of the preparation of both oocytes and the surrounding somatic cells for the long-term maintenance of the ovarian reserve.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge all the individual families that suffered the grief of losing a child. We thank them for their gift to science and the opportunity to study this critical period in ovarian development.
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This work was supported by the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology through the 2020 Fellow Research Grant.
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This study was reviewed by the Care New England-Women & Infants IRB.
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The research was determined to be a research not involving human subjects as all tissue was collected under clinical consent with use for later research; 45 CFR 46 does not apply.
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Ozcan, M.C.H., Cruz, L., Woodman, M.F. et al. Fetal Ovarian Reserve: the Dynamic Changes in Ubiquitin C-Terminal Hydrolase L1. Reprod. Sci. 30, 3353–3358 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01275-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01275-z