Biology of Reproduction, Vol 39, 295-307, Copyright © 1988 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

ARTICLES

Contrast in levels of metabolic enzymes in human and mouse ova

MM Chi, JK Manchester, VC Yang, AD Curato, RC Strickler and OH Lowry
Department of Pharmacology, Washington University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.

A methodology is described for analyzing single human ova for 8 or 9 different metabolic enzymes, or 4 or 5 enzymes plus as many metabolites. This overcomes an obstacle to the study of human ovum metabolism: the severe limitation of usable material. Results obtained with this methodology, applied to discarded specimens from an in vitro fertilization program, indicate that in spite of imperfections these ova can provide a valid picture of the metabolic characteristics of normal human ova. Data are presented for 17 enzymes from 8 metabolic pathways in human and mouse ova. Relative to size, 10 of the enzymes were substantially higher in human than mouse ova. Most dramatically so were 2 enzymes of fatty acid metabolism (10-fold and 15-fold), hexokinase (9-fold), and aspartate aminotransferase (19-fold). This suggests that major species differences in metabolism are present. The validity of the human data, in spite of restriction to discarded material, is supported by (1) consistency of results among most of the ova, 2] concordance between average levels with those of rare specimens that were discarded because sperm were not available, and (3) the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations similar to those of normal mouse ova. Surprisingly, both human and mouse ova contain phosphocreatine at levels nearly equal of those of ATP.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Takahashi, H. Igarashi, J. Kawagoe, M. Amita, S. Hara, and H. Kurachi Poor Embryo Development in Mouse Oocytes Aged In Vitro Is Associated with Impaired Calcium Homeostasis Biol Reprod, March 1, 2009; 80(3): 493 - 502. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Ratchford, A. S. Chang, M. M.-Y. Chi, R. Sheridan, and K. H. Moley Maternal diabetes adversely affects AMP-activated protein kinase activity and cellular metabolism in murine oocytes Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, November 1, 2007; 293(5): E1198 - E1206. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-C. Huang, L.-Y. Yan, Z.-L. Lei, Y.-L. Miao, L.-H. Shi, J.-W. Yang, Q. Wang, Y.-C. Ouyang, Q.-Y. Sun, and D.-Y. Chen Changes in Histone Acetylation During Postovulatory Aging of Mouse Oocyte Biol Reprod, October 1, 2007; 77(4): 666 - 670. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. A. Thouas, A. O. Trounson, and G. M. Jones Effect of Female Age on Mouse Oocyte Developmental Competence Following Mitochondrial Injury Biol Reprod, August 1, 2005; 73(2): 366 - 373. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Lane and D. K. Gardner Mitochondrial Malate-Aspartate Shuttle Regulates Mouse Embryo Nutrient Consumption J. Biol. Chem., May 6, 2005; 280(18): 18361 - 18367. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. T. Johnson, S. Mahmood, and M. S. Patel Intermediary Metabolism and Energetics during Murine Early Embryogenesis J. Biol. Chem., August 22, 2003; 278(34): 31457 - 31460. [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Ashrafi, S. S. Lin, J. K. Manchester, and J. I. Gordon Sip2p and its partner Snf1p kinase affect aging in S. cerevisiae Genes & Dev., August 1, 2000; 14(15): 1872 - 1885. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				M. Lane and D. K. Gardner Lactate Regulates Pyruvate Uptake and Metabolism in the PreimplantationMouse Embryo Biol Reprod, January 1, 2000; 62(1): 16 - 22. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. M. Downs and A. M. Utecht Metabolism of Radiolabeled Glucose by Mouse Oocytes and Oocyte-Cumulus Cell Complexes Biol Reprod, June 1, 1999; 60(6): 1446 - 1452. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				F. Urner and D. Sakkas Characterization of Glycolysis and Pentose Phosphate Pathway Activity during Sperm Entry into the Mouse Oocyte Biol Reprod, April 1, 1999; 60(4): 973 - 978. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. Van Blerkom The Influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors on the Developmental Potential and Chromosomal Normality of the Human Oocyte Reproductive Sciences, January 1, 1996; 3(1): 3 - 11. [Abstract] [PDF]