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Biomarkers of human oocyte developmental competence expressed in cumulus cells before ICSI: a preliminary study

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Abstract

Purpose

To identify reliable genomic biomarkers expressed in cumulus cells that accurately and non-invasively predict the oocyte developmental competence and reinforce the already used morphological criteria.

Methods

Eight consenting patients were selected for ovarian stimulation and ICSI procedures. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were transvaginally punctured and individually selected based on both good morphological criteria and high zona pellucida birefringence. Following ICSI, two 3-day embryos per patient were transferred. Pregnancy outcome was recorded and proven implantation was thereafter confirmed. Differential gene expression was assessed using two microarray platforms. Further real-time PCR validation, Ingenuity pathways analysis and intra-patient analysis were performed on 17 selected candidates.

Results

Seven genes were differentially (p ≤ 0.05) associated to successful pregnancy and implantation. These biomarkers could be used to predict the oocyte developmental competence.

Conclusions

These genomic markers are a powerful reinforcement of morphological approaches of oocyte selection. Their large-scale validation could increase pregnancy outcome and single embryo transfer efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) for their financial support of this study.

Authors would like to thank the team at the IVF unit of the University of Bonn for their kind help in sample collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de recherche en biologie de la reproduction, Département des Sciences Animales, Laval University, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada, G1K 7P4

    Mourad Assidi & Marc-André Sirard

  2. Department of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany

    Markus Montag & Katrin Van Der Ven

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  1. Mourad Assidi
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  2. Markus Montag
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  3. Katrin Van Der Ven
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  4. Marc-André Sirard
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Correspondence to Marc-André Sirard.

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Cumulus cells expressed some molecular biomarkers that discriminate the developmental competence of oocytes having similar and satisfactory morphological and ZP birefringence properties in human IVF.

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Assidi, M., Montag, M., Van Der Ven, K. et al. Biomarkers of human oocyte developmental competence expressed in cumulus cells before ICSI: a preliminary study. J Assist Reprod Genet 28, 173–188 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-010-9491-7

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