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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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Proteolytically Degraded Alginate Hydrogels and Hydrophobic Microbioreactors for Porcine Oocyte Encapsulation
Published on: July 30, 2020
Changes in Ras and Ras-Associated GTPases During Maturation of Porcine Cumulus Cells and Oocytes
Yuna Nam1, Hyeonseo Song1, Eunju Seok1
1College of Animal Life Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Ras-related factors show distinct expression patterns in porcine cumulus cells and oocytes during in vitro maturation (IVM). Understanding these changes in Ras family members and regulators is key to improving porcine oocyte maturation.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Molecular Endocrinology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) undergo significant changes during maturation.
- The specific transcript patterns of Ras-related factors in cumulus cells and oocytes during maturation are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cell type- and stage-dependent transcript patterns of Ras-related factors during porcine in vitro maturation (IVM).
Main Methods:
- Porcine COCs were cultured under IVM conditions with FSH, hCG, and EGF.
- Cumulus cells and oocytes were collected at 0, 22, and 44 hours.
- Transcript levels of Ras family members and their regulators were analyzed using RT-PCR and qPCR.
Main Results:
- Cumulus expansion was observed during IVM.
- In cumulus cells, R-Ras transcripts increased, while RASA1 transcripts decreased at 44h.
- In oocytes, R-Ras and H-Ras transcript levels decreased during maturation.
Conclusions:
- Selected Ras family members and their regulators display distinct transcript patterns in porcine COCs during maturation.
- These findings provide a foundation for further protein-level and functional studies in porcine oocyte development.
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