Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Single Oocyte Bisulfite Mutagenesis
Published on: June 27, 2012
Embryonic imprinting perturbations do not originate from superovulation-induced defects in DNA methylation
Michelle M Denomme1, Liyue Zhang, Mellissa R W Mann
1Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Objective:
To investigate whether superovulation disrupts maternal imprint acquisition in oocytes.
Design:
Animal model.
Setting:
Academic institute.
Animal(S):
Spontaneously ovulated and superovulated mice.
Intervention(S):
Low and high hormone dosage treatments were administered to females, and ovulated metaphase II oocytes were collected.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Imprinted DNA methylation was analyzed at Snrpn, Kcnq1ot1, Peg3, and H19 in individual oocytes.
Result(S):
Examination of 125 individual oocytes derived from females subjected to low and high hormone treatments revealed normal imprinted methylation patterns that were comparable to oocytes derived from spontaneously ovulated females.
Conclusion(S):
Maternal imprint acquisition was not affected by superovulation. Given its aberrant effects during preimplantation development, superovulation must instead disrupt maternal-effect gene products that are required after fertilization for imprint maintenance. These results eliminate imprint acquisition per se as the initial stage of imprint loss and point to the importance of analyses on early embryos after procedures involving oocyte manipulation.
Related Concept Videos
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
Epigenetic Regulation
Nondisjunction
Nucleosome Remodeling
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...

