Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: The regulation of follicle development is not well understood, despite its importance in determining fertility, but there is evidence that the oocyte plays a key role. The female C1galt1 Mutant mouse has an oocyte-specific deletion of the T-synthase enzyme and as a result cannot synthesise core 1-derived O-glycans. Mutant females exhibit a phenotype of increased fertility and altered follicle development. To investigate the hypothesis that changes in the developm...

Introduction: A role for oocyte core 1-derived O-glycans in the regulation of ovarian follicle development has previously been shown using the C1galt1F/F:ZP3Cretransgenic mouse model. In this model, oocyte-specific ablation of core 1-derived O-glycans results in a sustained increase in ovulation rate and fertility, which is hypothesized to be due to changes in follicle development. In this study, we sought to characterise the role of oocyte core 1-derived O-glycans ...

The oocyte influences hormonal and cellular changes in the follicle and the ovary. Theca cells, surrounding the follicle basement membrane, synthesise androgen and thus regulate ovarian oestrogen production. The vascular theca layer provides nutrients to the avascular inner follicle. In C1galt1 mutant mice, all oocytes lack core 1-derived O-glycans due to oocyte-specific ablation of core 1 beta 1,3-galactosyltransferase. C1galt1 mutants have increase...

Introduction: Premature ovarian failure (POF) is a reproductive disorder which causes defects within the ovaries, normally leading to infertility. The disorder affects 1% of women under the age of 40 with 75% of cases with no known cause, indicating the need for more research. The Double Mutant (DM) mouse model with oocyte-specific deletion of C1galt1 and Mgat1 exhibit follicular POF at 3 months of age. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of ovarian dysfuncti...

Each egg, when ovulated from a follicle, is surrounded by cumulus cells. Prior to ovulation, these cumulus cells secrete cumulus extracellular matrix (cECM) molecules, resulting in cumulus expansion. Cumulus expansion has been linked to the developmental quality of the oocyte. Hyaluronan (HA), the major constituent of the cECM, is stabilised by molecules such as heavy chains (HCs), pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and tumour necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG6) during expansion. All of ...