Expression profiling of a high-fertility mouse line by microarray analysis and qPCR

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology and genetics
• Mammalian fertility research
• Gene expression analysis in reproduction

Background:

• High prolificacy in selected mouse lines is linked to increased ovulation numbers.
• The FL1 mouse line exhibits significantly higher ovulation rates compared to controls.
• Understanding the genetic basis of enhanced fertility is crucial for reproductive science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify genes and biological processes responsible for increased ovulation number in the FL1 mouse line.
• To compare ovarian gene expression profiles between the high-fertility FL1 line and a control DUKsi line.
• To provide candidate genes for ongoing genetic association studies on fertility.

Main Methods:

• Differential gene expression profiling using microarray analysis on ovarian tissue.
• Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for validation of selected transcripts.
• Analysis of ovaries from 30 animals per line at the metestrous stage, pooled into 6 groups.

Main Results:

• The FL1 line showed more than double the ovulation number (26.6) compared to the DUKsi control line (12.9).
• 148 differentially expressed ovarian transcripts were identified (74 up-regulated, 74 down-regulated).
• Key biological processes identified include steroid metabolism, folliculogenesis, immune response, and G protein signaling.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in ovarian transcript abundance suggest involvement of specific genes and processes in enhancing ovulation number.
• Microarray data was largely confirmed by qPCR, highlighting the utility of sample pooling for group expression profiles.
• These findings provide valuable data for identifying candidate genes and mutations associated with increased fertility in mice.