Human Cumulus Cells in Long-Term In Vitro Culture Reflect Differential Expression Profile of Genes Responsible for Planned Cell Death and Aging—A Study of New Molecular Markers

Abstract

In the ovarian follicle, maturation of the oocyte increases in the presence of somatic cells called cumulus cells (CCs). These cells form a direct barrier between the oocyte and external environment. Thanks to bidirectional communication, they have a direct impact on the oocyte, its quality and development potential. Understanding the genetic profile of CCs appears to be important in elucidating the physiology of oocytes. Long-term in vitro culture of CCs collected from patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation during in vitro fertilization procedure was conducted. Using microarray expression analysis, transcript levels were assessed on day 1, 7, 15, and 30 of culture. Apoptosis and aging of CCs strictly influence oocyte quality and subsequently the outcome of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Thus, particular attention was paid to the analysis of genes involved in programmed cell death, aging, and apoptosis. Due to the detailed level of expression analysis of each of the 133 analyzed genes, three groups were selected: first with significantly decreased expression during the culture; second with the statistically lowest increase in expression; and third with the highest significant increase in expression. COL3A1, SFRP4, CTGF, HTR2B, VCAM1, TNFRSF11B genes, belonging to the third group, were identified as potential carriers of information on oocyte quality.

BPA and BPS Affect Connexin 37 in Bovine Cumulus Cells

“…In vitro culture of cumulus cells has been extensively utilized in endocrine research as early as 1989 in rats [ 43 ], with particular focus on the effects of reproductive toxicants on these cellular processes [ 12 , 22 , 44 ]. Cumulus cells are quickly being recognized for their importance as experimental models as they offer a non-invasive approach to oocyte quality assessment and prediction of embryonic fates [ 45 ]. In this study, bovine cumulus cells were studied in vitro in two ways: co-cultured with their oocyte in an in vitro maturation media for 24 h or separated from their oocytes and used to create primary cell cultures.…”

Expression of mRNAs for pro-and anti-apoptotic factors in granulosa cells and follicular fluid of women undergoing in vitro fertilization. A pilot study

“…According to the time-course of gene expression three groups were selected; genes in group 1 decreased significantly, in group 2 they increased slightly, while in group 3 there was a marked increase. Six genes of this latter group proved to have an impact on oocyte quality [ 32 ].…”

Cumulus cells of euploid versus whole chromosome 21 aneuploid embryos reveal differentially expressed genes

“…Hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) and -Actin (ACTB) were used for normalization, based on a recent study published on human cumulus cells where these genes were used as the reference genes. (Chermuła et al, 2020) To our knowledge there are no other qRTPCR studies performed on cumulus cells with these specific aneuploidies, assessing HPRT and ACTB expression. In our dataset there was no significant difference in the expression of these genes between the groups.…”