BINWU BAO, JINPENG WANG, YANXIA LI, FEN FENG, ZHONGXIANG JI, ZHUOMA LUORENG^*, XINGPING WANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1509-1518, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028646 - 21 June 2023

Abstract Bovine oocytes are one of the indispensable cells in cattle reproduction and have become a research hot spot in cattle reproduction in recent years. The maturation process of oocytes is mainly regulated by enzymes, hormones, cytokines, and other molecules. The factors affecting cattle oocyte maturation have been previously studied to clarify the molecular mechanisms of cattle oocyte maturation. In this review article, phospholipid protein-3-kinase/protein kinase B, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription, epidermal growth factor receptor/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and other signaling pathways related to oocyte maturation are discussed. In More >

XIAOXIA WANG^1,#, ZHONGYUAN YAO^1,2,#, DI LIU¹, CHUNHONG YU^3,*, HUI LI^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1803-1806, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019731 - 22 April 2022

Abstract Each stage of embryonic development, including normal gamete maturation, fertilization, zygotic genome activation, and cleavage, is crucial for human reproduction. Early embryo arrest is a common phenomenon. It is estimated that about 40%–70% of human embryos are arrested at early developmental stages. However, the exact mechanism remains largely uncertain. Embryos can be investigated in vitro by way of the development of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In addition to iatrogenic factors related to abnormal oocyte/embryo development, multiple gene mutations have been found to be involved in such phenotypes. Based on the knowledge of known etiological factors, several More >

TIANQI WANG, WANXI YANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.4, pp. 469-478, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.014708 - 24 December 2020

Abstract Mitochondria are important in eukaryotic cells due to their functions in energy production and regulation over other cellular activities. Oocytes are produced by a long and precisely controlled process, the dysfunction of which leads to impaired female fertility. As oocytes mature, mitochondria are constantly under the regulation of nuclear genes, the process of which can be modulated by extracellular signals. Understanding how nuclear genes regulate mitochondrial functions is important for studying animal reproduction and human fertility. As more and more genes regulating mitochondrial functions in oocytes are being revealed, new approaches for improving female fertility More >

BICHUN ZHAO¹, XUEQING WU^2,*, YITONG YUAN¹, YUANTAO GAO¹, XIAO LI², RUOCHEN DU¹, SUMING XU², RUXIN ZHANG¹, CHUNFANG WANG^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.4, pp. 487-499, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.011638 - 24 December 2020

Abstract In vitro maturation (IVM), a promising assisted reproductive technology (ART), has been evolving in clinical trials and applications. There is a huge potential demand for IVM in clinical practice because it reduces the stimulation of gonadotropins to patients and provides evidence for the safety of neonatal birth. Unfortunately, the maturation rate of oocytes in vivo is not as high as it is in vivo due to a different microenvironment. Moreover, there are still controversies in predicting the developmental capability of oocytes in IVM. The granulosa cells (GCs) and cumulus cells (CCs), closely surrounding the oocytes, play a critical… More >

GABRIEL MARTIN ALVAREZ^1*, GABRIEL CARLOS DALVIT¹, MARÍA VERÓNICA ACHI¹, MARCELO SERGIO MIGUEZ², PABLO DANIEL CETICA¹

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 167-177, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.167

Abstract Porcine immature oocyte quality (i.e., that of live oocytes at the germinal vesicle stage) was evaluated according to features of the surrounding cumulus, aiming to establish maturational competence of different subpopulations of such cumulus-oocyte complexes. Six subpopulations were identified: A₁ (with a dense cumulus), A₂ (with a translucent cumulus), B₁ (with the corona radiata), B₂ (partly naked oocytes), C (naked oocytes), D (with a dark cumulus). The percent incidence of live oocyte in these subpopulations changed significantly as related to cumulus features, however the occurrence of oocytes in the germinal vesicle stage was lower in class D… More >

BING QI¹, XINMING ZHENG², WENYONG LI³, QINGXIN WEI², QINGXUAN CHEN¹

BIOCELL, Vol.31, No.2, pp. 199-203, 2007, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2007.31.199

Abstract Although there is more evidence that shows that IFNs (interferons) plays a very important role in the early development of the embryo, the mechanism of IFNs is still unclear. Our study showed that IFRG is expressed from oocytes- through to the preimplantation embryo in rabbits. This finding provides some clues for better understanding the role of IFNs in the development of the embryo. The full length of rabbit IFRG cDNA (Accession No. AJ584672), with a 2794bp encoding 131 amino acid sequence, was cloned IFRG expression can be detected in 8 different tissues: ovary, heart, lung, More >

LEONOR M.E. ITUARTE*, TERESA B. VIERA*, TEOBALDO A. SALDEÑA*, JUAN C. DE ROSAS**, MABEL FÓSCOLO**, JORGE E. IBÁÑEZ*, FERNANDO D. SARAVÍ*

BIOCELL, Vol.30, No.1, pp. 43-49, 2006, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2006.30.043

Abstract Electrophysiological events occur early after fertilization, along with changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration . Passive electrical parameters were determined in golden hamster oocytes by whole cell patch-clamp method. In separate experiments the effect of 4-aminopyridine on resting oocytes was tested. The single-channel patch clamp configuration was employed to assess the electrical response to fertilization with homologous sperm. Structure of oocytes submitted to patch clamp was evaluated with scanning electron microscopy and found to be preserved.
Oocyte diameter was 70.2 ± 2.2 µm; their resting parameters were: membrane potential 23.8 ± 0.8 mV; total membrane specific… More >

G.C. DALVIT, P.D. CETICA, L.N. PINTOS, M.T. BECONI

BIOCELL, Vol.29, No.2, pp. 209-212, 2005, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2005.29.209

Abstract Oxidative modifications of cell components due to the action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the most potentially damaging processes for proper cell function. However, in the last few years it has been observed that ROS participate in physiological processes. The aim of this work was to determine ROS generation during in vitro production of bovine embryos. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were recovered by aspiration of antral follicles from ovaries obtained from slaughtered cows and cultured in medium 199 for 22 h at 39ºC in 5% CO₂: 95% humidified air. In vitro fertilization was carried out in… More >

MARIO ALDO RAVAGLIA , MARÍA CRISTINA MAGGESE

BIOCELL, Vol.26, No.3, pp. 325-337, 2002, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2002.26.325

Abstract Synbranchus marmoratus (Synbranchidae), commonly known as the swamp eel, is a protogynous diandric teleost fish widely distributed throughout South America. The purpose of this work was to study the ovarian anatomy and to describe oocyte developmental stages in the swamp eel, Synbranchus marmoratus.
S. marmoratus has a unique sacular ovary. It is covered by a conspicuous muscular wall, probably involved in an egg-releasing system acting as a peristaltic-like mechanism. The internal ovarian anatomy shows a Ushaped ovarian lamella delimiting a dorsal ovarian lumen. The microscopic study shows evidence of the existence of a germinal epithelium in the… More >