Growth hormone pathway gene expression varies in porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes during in vitro maturation.

Growth hormone (GH) plays important roles in oocyte development and facilitates the successful production of competent oocytes in many species both in vivo and in vitro. However, the mechanism of GH action on oocyte maturation is not well known. In this paper, the temporospatial messenger ribonucleic acid expression patterns of GH and several other GH-related factors were quantitatively analyzed in porcine cumulus-oocytes complex throughout in vitro maturation (IVM). GH expression was decreased in oocytes during IVM while absent in cumulus cells. GH receptor, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and IGF-1 receptor expressions were also downregulated in oocytes. In cumulus cells, the expression of IGF-1 decreased significantly while IGF-1 receptor expression remained constant. The transcripts of Janus kinase 2 increased in both oocytes and cumulus cells during IVM. The current precise gene expression information provides further evidence to explain the complex network of GH signaling involved in IVM of porcine oocyte.