RNA-Seq Analysis of Human Cumulus Cells Identifies Angiogenic Pathways Associated with Infertility

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Genomics
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Non-invasive assessment of oocyte quality is crucial for assisted reproductive technology (ART).
• Cumulus cells (CCs) communicate with oocytes, potentially reflecting oocyte competence.
• The angiogenic profile of the CC microenvironment is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the transcriptomic profile of cumulus cells (CCs) in relation to oocyte quality.
• To identify specific angiogenic signatures in CCs from infertile patients compared to healthy donors.
• To explore the role of angiogenesis-related genes in oocyte competence and ART outcomes.

Main Methods:

• RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on CCs from healthy donors and infertile patients.
• A multi-pipeline bioinformatic approach (STAR-Cufflinks, TopHat-HTSeq, HISAT2-StringTie) was used for transcriptomic profiling.
• Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was employed for validation of key gene expression differences.

Main Results:

• A consistent set of 234 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was identified across all bioinformatic pipelines.
• Functional enrichment analysis highlighted blood vessel morphogenesis and angiogenesis as key areas of divergence.
• ANKRD22 was upregulated and E2F7 was downregulated in CCs from infertile patients; other angiogenesis genes showed trends.

Conclusions:

• Cumulus cells exhibit coordinated, angiogenesis-related alterations in infertile patients.
• These findings suggest a link between follicular microenvironment angiogenesis and oocyte competence.
• The study provides a foundation for future research into CCs as biomarkers for ART success.