A comparison of the multiple oocyte maturation gene expression patterns between the newborn and adult mouse ovary

Background: The interaction between follicular cells and oocyte leads to a change in gene expression involved in oocyte maturation processes.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to quantify the expression of more common genes involved in follicular growth and oocyte developmental competence.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the expression of genes was evaluated with qRT-PCR assay in female BALB/c mice pups at 3-day of pre-pubertal and 8 week old virgin adult ovaries. The tissue was prepared by H&E staining for normal morphological appearance. The data were calculated with the 2-ΔCt formula and assessed using non-parametric two-tailed Mann-Whitney test. The p<0.05 was considered as significant.
Results: The data showed a significant increase in the level of Stra8 and GDF9 in adult compared with newborn mice ovaries (p=0.049). In contrast, a significant decrease in the level of Mvh, REC8, SCP1, SCP3, and ZP2 was observed in adult mice ovaries compared to those in the newborn mice ovaries (all p=0.049 except SCP1: p=0.046). There was no significant difference in the level of OCT4 and Cx37 expression between adult and newborn mice ovaries.
Conclusion: The modifications in gene expression patterns coordinate the follicular developmental processes. Furthermore, the findings showed higher expression level of premeiotic gene (Stra8) and lower level of meiotic entry markers (SCP1, SCP3, and REC8) in juvenile than newborn mouse ovaries.