Reduced growth capacity of preimplantation mouse embryos in chronic unpredictable stress model

Psychological stress can affect female reproduction by deteriorating oocyte quality, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. In this study, we used the chronic unpredictable stress model to study the effect of psychological stress on mouse oocyte competence during preimplantation stage, and RNA sequ...

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Published in:Molecular reproduction and development 2021-01, Vol.88 (1), p.80-95
Main Authors: Zhao, Xiaoli, Ma, Ruihong, Zhang, Xiaoyu, Cheng, Rui, Jiang, Nan, Guo, Mengjia, Rong, Beilei, Liu, Yan, Chen, Mingli, Feng, Weihua, Xia, Tian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Blastocysts
Cell adhesion
Cell adhesion & migration
Cell cycle
Cell migration
chronic unpredictable stress model
Developmental stages
differential gene expression
Embryos
Fertilization
Gene expression
Glucocorticoids
Hatching
hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis
Oocytes
preimplantation embryos
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA sequencing
Serum levels
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Summary:Psychological stress can affect female reproduction by deteriorating oocyte quality, but the molecular mechanism is unclear. In this study, we used the chronic unpredictable stress model to study the effect of psychological stress on mouse oocyte competence during preimplantation stage, and RNA sequencing in single oocytes to analyze differential gene expression at the transcription level. Stress changed the serum levels of glucocorticoids and reduced oocyte developmental potential, depending on the strength of the stress. Strong stress (two stressors per day) reduced the fertilization rate and induced significant apoptosis in blastocysts. Moderate stress (one stressor per day) reduced the cleavage rate and blastocyst formation rate. Weak stress (one stressor every 2 days) did not have any significant negative effect on the fertilization, cleavage, and blastocyst formation. Hatching rate was not affected by stress, but stress retarded the development of the expanded blastocysts and inhibited the embryo development at early stages. Transcriptome analysis revealed that stress disturbed the expression of cell cycle regulators and apoptotic genes. The hub genes identified through protein‐protein interaction analysis include Msln, Ceacam12, Psg16, Psg17, and Psg23, which are all carcinoembryonic or related genes involved in cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration. Thus, stress was inhibitory on fertilization and early embryo development in mice.
ISSN:1040-452X
1098-2795
DOI:10.1002/mrd.23439