Low estrogen level in aged mice leads to abnormal oogenesis affecting the quality of surrounded nucleolus-type immature oocytes
Yong Liu A B # , Feng Kong A # , Wenying Wang A , Jing Xin A , Shengnan Zhang A , Ji Chen A , Xin Ming A , Xiaoqing Wu A , Wei Cui
B , Hongcheng Wang A C * and Wenyong Li A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Embryo Development and Reproductive Regulation, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Hormone and Reproduction, School of Biological and Food Engineering, Fuyang Normal University, Fuyang 236037, China.
B Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Animal Models Core Facility, Institute for Applied Life Sciences (IALS), University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01002, USA.
C Linquan Modern Agricultural Technology Cooperation and Extension Service Center, the Anhui Agricultural University’s Comprehensive Experimental Station in the Northwest of Anhui Province, Linquan, Anhui 236400, China.
* Correspondence to: wanghc1999@126.com, liwenyong@aliyun.com
# These authors contributed equally to this paper
Handling Editor: Ryan Cabot
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 34(15) 991-1001 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD22120
Published online: 6 September 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: With aging, various problems in the reproductive system emerge, especially in females. However, our understanding of reproductive aging in livestock and humans is limited.
Aims: We aimed to investigate reproductive changes between young and aged mice.
Methods: Eight- to ten-week-old female mice were used as the young group, and 10-month-old mice were studied as the aged group. Reproductive changes were investigated from physiological, histological, cytological, and epigenetic perspectives.
Key results: The estrus cycle was shortened (P < 0.0001), and the estradiol (E2) concentration was lower in aged mice (P < 0.01), whereas the progesterone (P4) concentration did not differ between young and aged mice (P > 0.05). The histological results revealed a lower number of antral follicles in the ovary and disordered epithelial tissue structures in the oviducts in aged mice. During oogenesis, the surrounded nucleolus (SN)-type oocytes in aged mice exhibited increased mitochondrial agglutination (P < 0.05) and cellular apoptosis (P < 0.01) as well as decreased H3K36 triple-methylation (P < 0.001). Although many defects existed, the oocytes from aged mice could normally support cellular reprogramming after somatic cell nuclear transfer.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that the reduced levels of reproductive hormones in aged females lead to shorter estrus cycles and reduced follicular development, leading to abnormal oogenesis, particularly in SN-type immature oocytes.
Implications: These results provide new insight that enhance our understanding and improve the reproductive ability of aged females.
Keywords: aged mice, chromatin configuration, estrogen, follicular development, immature oocyte, oogenesis, reproductive defects, surrounded nucleolus.
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