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Updated: Jun 7, 2026
14:17
Nuclear Transfer into Mouse Oocytes
Published on: November 30, 2006
Somatic cell nuclear reprogramming of mouse oocytes endures beyond reproductive decline
Telma Cristina Esteves1, Sebastian Thomas Balbach, Martin Johannes Pfeiffer
1Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Röntgenstrasse 20, D-48149 Münster, Germany.
Aging Cell
|October 26, 2010
Summary
Oocyte reprogramming ability does not decline with age. Older oocytes, even post-reproductive age, show retained or improved capacity for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and embryonic stem cell derivation.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Developmental biology
- Cellular reprogramming
Background:
- Mammalian oocytes support fertilization and development, and can reprogram somatic cell nuclei.
- Oocyte quality declines with somatic aging, but the impact on reprogramming ability is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the reprogramming capacity of mammalian oocytes decreases with aging.
- To assess the potential of aged oocytes for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).
Main Methods:
- Somatic nuclear transfer (SCNT) using ooplasts from young and climacteric (aged) mice.
- Transcriptome analysis of ooplasts and SCNT-derived blastocysts.
- Derivation and differentiation potential assessment of embryonic stem cell lines.
Main Results:
- Ooplasts from climacteric mice yielded higher blastocyst rates post-SCNT compared to young oocytes.
- SCNT blastocysts from both young and aged oocytes showed similar gene expression profiles.
- Embryonic stem cell lines derived from aged ooplasts demonstrated full differentiation capacity.
Conclusions:
- Oocyte reprogramming ability is maintained or enhanced with aging, contrary to general oocyte quality decline.
- Aged oocytes remain a viable resource for somatic reprogramming, even after reproductive capacity ceases.
- Intrinsic factors regulating reprogramming are tightly controlled and potentially improved during aging.
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