Abundant transcripts from retrotransposons are unstable in fully grown mouse oocytes

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006 Aug 18;347(1):36-43. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.06.106. Epub 2006 Jun 27.

Abstract

One physiological function proposed for RNA interference (RNAi) is to constrain expression of repetitive elements and thereby reduce the incidence of retrotransposition. Consistent with this model is that inhibiting the RNAi pathway results in an increase in expression of repetitive elements in preimplantation mouse embryos. Mouse oocytes are essentially transcriptionally quiescent providing a unique opportunity to assess the stability of repetitive element-derived transcripts in these cells. We compared the transcriptome of freshly isolated fully grown germinal vesicle (GV)-intact oocytes to that of oocytes in which meiotic maturation in vitro was inhibited for 48 h by milrinone. Consistent with the aforementioned function for RNAi is that the abundance of only a relatively small number of transcripts decreased in the cultured oocytes, when compared to changes that occur during maturation or following fertilization, and of those, several belonged to mobile elements.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Genomic Instability / drug effects
  • Genomic Instability / genetics*
  • Meiosis / drug effects
  • Meiosis / genetics*
  • Mice
  • Milrinone / pharmacology
  • Oocytes / drug effects
  • Oocytes / physiology*
  • RNA Stability / drug effects
  • RNA Stability / genetics*
  • Retroelements / genetics*
  • Transcription Factors / genetics*

Substances

  • Retroelements
  • Transcription Factors
  • Milrinone