IL17 signaling promotes oocyte developmental competence acquisition during maturation

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Cell Signaling

Background:

• Oocyte maturation defects lead to infertility in humans and animals.
• Follicular fluid is a key microenvironment regulating oocyte development.
• Understanding oocyte maturation mechanisms is crucial for reproductive medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify key proteins in follicular fluid influencing oocyte maturation.
• Investigate the role of identified proteins in oocyte and embryo development.
• Elucidate the molecular mechanisms of protein action during oocyte maturation.

Main Methods:

• Comparative proteomic analysis of follicular fluid using tandem mass tags (TMT).
• Large-scale in vitro maturation and embryo development assays using pig and mouse oocytes.
• Molecular techniques including RNA sequencing, qPCR, ELISA, immunofluorescence, and measurement of reactive oxygen species and glutathione.

Main Results:

• Interleukin 17D (IL17D) was identified as a crucial follicular fluid protein upregulated during oocyte maturation.
• IL17D enhances oocyte maturation and embryo development by improving oocyte-cumulus cell communication, redox homeostasis, and nuclear-cytoplasmic synchrony.
• IL17D signaling, via CD93, modulates lipid metabolism and histone modification for improved developmental competence, with conserved function in pigs and mice.

Conclusions:

• IL17D plays a critical role in acquiring oocyte developmental competence during maturation through IL17 signaling.
• Findings provide insights into molecular mechanisms of oocyte developmental potential.
• Potential applications for improving oocyte production in assisted reproduction.