Identification of factors responsible for human oocyte aging and establishment of methods to improve oocyte quality.
Description: Our aim is establishment of methods to suppress chromosome aberrations in human oocytes. Recently, we discovered that a chemical which accelerates microtubule polymerization inhibited the high frequency of chromosome aberrations and increased blastocyst formation rate in human oocytes with delayed maturation.These phenomena appear to be mediated by enhanced microtubule network formation, alteration of gene expression of a G2/M checkpoint relating protein (GADD45A) and an increased phosphorylation of a chromosome adhesion protein (Aurora kinase). In addition, the chemical also increased cytoplasmic division and oxygen consumption of aged mouse oocytes after fertilization, suggesting a probability that oocyte treatment with microtubule polymerization accelerators suppresses chromosome aberrations in oocytes obtained from women with infertility.
Amount: ¥4,420,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Start date: 2018-04-01
End date: 2023-03-31
Investigator: Seiji Watanabe
Institution: Hirosaki University
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Funded outputs count: 3
Funder award ID: 18K09280
OpenAlex ID: G1590945718