202 CHARACTERIZATION OF BOVINE OOCYTE CYTOPLASMIC MATURATION WITH COMMON IN VITRO MATURATION PROTOCOLS

Abstract

Modulators of 3′-5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate have been extensively researched to delay nuclear maturation in in vitro maturation (IVM) systems to improve synchronization of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation. However while normal maturation for many organelles has been characterised, there is a lack of information on how modulators affect cytoplasmic maturation. The goal of this study was to identify the effect of different components of bovine oocyte maturation systems on 3 aspects of cytoplasmic maturation. Bovine oocytes were collected from mixed breed beef cattle using transvaginal ultrasound guided oocyte aspiration. Oocytes were assigned to 1 of 4 treatments; staining immediately after collection (n = 249) or after 24 h of IVM (n = 270), 2 h of pre-IVM in Forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX; n = 254), or 2 h of pre-IVM followed by IVM (n = 259). Following treatment, half of the recovered oocytes were stained with Hoechst 33342 to determine nuclear maturation status, and Calcein AM for gap junction status. The other half were stained with Hoechst 33342, Mitotracker deep red to identify mitochondria distribution patterns and Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated phalloidin for F actin microfilament distribution. Organelle patterns were coded and statistically analysed using linear models to determine if treatment had an effect on the indicators of cytoplasmic maturation or their agreement with nuclear maturation. Results indicated that there was a high degree of variability in both cytoplasmic and nuclear maturation of oocytes irrespective of treatment group, with many oocytes exhibiting aberrant patterns in both mitochondrial and microfilament distribution. Gap junctions were classified as open (immature), partially open or closed (mature), based on the strength of Calcein fluorescence within the ooplasm. Both treatment and nuclear maturation had a significant effect on gap junction status (P < 0.001) with gap junctions tending to close as oocytes matured, while treatment in pre-IVM maintained open gap junctions, even as meiosis progressed. Mitochondria were classified as peripheral (immature), diffuse, central (mature) or too sparse to accurately classify. There was an unexpectedly high proportion of oocytes with few mitochondria (17%), suggesting an incomplete growth phase before collection. There was no correlation between meiotic stage and mitochondrial distribution (P = 0.73), with the majority of oocytes having diffuse mitochondrial distribution. As normal maturation proceeds, microfilaments aggregate and migrate peripherally. However, neither microfilament aggregation nor redistribution were correlated with nuclear maturation (P = 0.6 and P = 0.11 respectively) or mitochondrial distribution (P = 0.33 and P = 0.06 respectively). Overall, results show that while pre-IVM maintains open gap junctions, the system studied here is not sufficient for improving correlation between cytoplasmic and nuclear maturation. Many deviations from normal cytoplasmic maturation are seen with IVM and these irregularities are maintained with prematuration in Forskolin and IBMX.