Apoptosis in mouse fetal and neonatal oocytes during meiotic prophase one

Ghafari, Fataneh; Gutiérrez, C. M.; Hartshorne, Geraldine M.

doi:10.1186/1471-213x-7-87

Cited by 60 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Oocyte loss and cyst breakdown begin after birth in the cortical region of the ovary, but in the medullary region, these processes begin as early as 17.5 dpc (Pepling et al 2010). This is similar to other studies on the mouse and also on humans where oocyte loss has been observed during fetal development (De Pol et al 1997, De Felici et al 1999, McClellan et al 2003, Ghafari et al 2007). In the rat, follicles are first observed in the core of the ovary and formation gradually shifts toward the surface (Rajah et al 1992).…”

Section: The Process Of Follicular Assemblysupporting

confidence: 76%

Follicular assembly: mechanisms of action

Pepling¹

2012

Reproduction

208

190

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The differentiation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) into functional oocytes is important for the continuation of species. In mammals, PGCs begin to differentiate into oocytes during embryonic development. Oocytes develop in clusters called germ line cysts. During fetal or neonatal development, germ cell cysts break apart into single oocytes that become surrounded by pregranulosa cells to form primordial follicles. During the process of cyst breakdown, a subset of cells in each cyst undergoes cell death with only one-third of the initial number of oocytes surviving to form primordial follicles. The mechanisms that control cyst breakdown, oocyte survival, and follicle assembly are currently under investigation. This review describes the mechanisms that have been implicated in the control of primordial follicle formation, which include programmed cell death regulation, growth factor and other signaling pathways, regulation by transcription factors and hormones, meiotic progression, and changes in cell adhesion. Elucidation of mechanisms leading to formation of the primordial follicle pool will help research efforts in ovarian biology and improve treatments of female infertility, premature ovarian failure, and reproductive cancers.

show abstract

Section: The Process Of Follicular Assemblysupporting

confidence: 76%

Follicular assembly: mechanisms of action

Pepling¹

2012

Reproduction

208

190

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The strains of mice used by these authors (C57BL and ICR wild-type (WT) female mice respectively) may be significant since variation in oogonial loss is thought to be heavily dependent on genotype. The germ cells lost during these waves before the formation of oocytes in primordial follicles exhibit nuclear condensation, cell shrinkage and fragmentation, and DNA laddering with positive TUNEL staining, and PARP1 immunoreactivity, all of which are characteristics typically associated with apoptosis (Coucouvanis et al 1993, Pesce & De Felici 1994, Pepling & Spradling 2001, Ghafari et al 2007, Lobascio et al 2007a, 2007b.…”

Section: Establishment Of the Ovarian Pool Of Primordial Folliclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apoptosis in the germ line

Aitken¹,

Findlay²,

Hutt³

et al. 2011

Reproduction

159

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Apoptosis is a critical process for regulating both the size and the quality of the male and female germ lines. In this review, we examine the importance of this process during embryonic development in establishing the pool of spermatogonial stem cells and primordial follicles that will ultimately define male and female fertility. We also consider the importance of apoptosis in controlling the number and quality of germ cells that eventually determine reproductive success. The biochemical details of the apoptotic process as it affects germ cells in the mature gonad still await resolution, as do the stimuli that persuade these cells to commit to a pathway that leads to cell death. Our ability to understand and ultimately control the reproductive potential of male and female mammals depends upon a deeper understanding of these fundamental processes.

show abstract

“…In females, meiosis is initiated around 13.5 dpc and oocytes progress in a relatively synchronous way through the four phases of prophase I (leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, and diplotene), which are mostly completed during fetal development (17,19,43) (Fig. 3A).…”

Section: Vol 31 2011 Hsf1 Role As a Meiotic Transcription Factor 3413mentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Heat Shock Factor 1 Molecular and Cellular Targets during Embryonic and Adult Female Meiosis

Masson

Razak

Kaigo

et al. 2011

Molecular and Cellular Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), while recognized as the major regulator of the heat shock transcriptional response, also exerts important functions during mammalian embryonic development and gametogenesis. In particular, HSF1 is required for oocyte maturation, the adult phase of meiosis preceding fertilization. To identify HSF1 target genes implicated in this process, comparative transcriptomic analyses were performed with wild-type and HSF-deficient oocytes. This revealed a network of meiotic genes involved in cohesin and synaptonemal complex (SC) structures, DNA recombination, and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). All of them were found to be regulated by HSF1 not only during adult but also in embryonic phases of female meiosis. Additional investigations showed that SC, recombination nodules, and DNA repair were affected in Hsf1 ؊/؊ oocytes during prenatal meiotic prophase I. However, targeting Hsf1 deletion to postnatal oocytes (using Zp3 Cre; Hsf1 loxP/loxP ) did not fully rescue the chromosomal anomalies identified during meiotic maturation, which possibly caused a persistent SAC activation. This would explain the metaphase I arrest previously described in HSF1-deficient oocytes since SAC inhibition circumvented this block. This work provides new insights into meiotic gene regulation and points out potential links between cellular stress and the meiotic anomalies frequently observed in humans.

show abstract

Apoptosis in mouse fetal and neonatal oocytes during meiotic prophase one

Cited by 60 publications

References 56 publications

Follicular assembly: mechanisms of action

Follicular assembly: mechanisms of action

Apoptosis in the germ line

Identification of Heat Shock Factor 1 Molecular and Cellular Targets during Embryonic and Adult Female Meiosis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About