Reduction of Chondroitin sulfate chains with aging is involved in fertility in mouse preimplantation embryos

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25861517
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Obstetrics and gynecology
• Research Institution: Kobe Pharmaceutical University
• Principal Investigator: SATO Ban 神戸薬科大学, 薬学部, 研究員 (90443126)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 着床前胚 / 生殖医学 / 加齢胚 / コンドロイチン硫酸 / 多核割球

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Multi nucleated blastomeres (MNB) have been widely reported in in vitro cultured embryos derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The rate of chromosomal abnormalities increases as maternal age, resulting in a dramatically increased incidence of birth defects. Although the presence of MNB is considered abnormal and is possibly related various problem, the underlying mechanism of occurance of MNB is poorly understood.
To investigate the mechanism of MNB formation, we focused on two independent research topics. (1) The frequency of multinucleated blastomeres increases in chondroitin sulfate (CS) knockout embryos. (2) Several Age-related diseases cause by which the expression level of CS diminished with age.　We hypothesized that formation of MNB is caused by reduction of CS chains with aging.　 In this study, we revealed that CS chains are involved in abscission at the telophase in mouse preimplantation embryos.

Free Research Field

生殖糖鎖生物学