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. 2019 Jun;46(2):76-86.
doi: 10.5653/cerm.2019.46.2.76. Epub 2019 Jun 1.

Differential gene expression analysis of human cumulus cells

Sirin Bakti Demiray  1 , Ege Nazan Tavmergen Goker  2 , Erol Tavmergen  2 , Ozlem Yilmaz  3 , Nilufer Calimlioglu  2 , Huseyin Okan Soykam  4 , Gulperi Oktem  3 , Ugur Sezerman  5
Affiliations

Differential gene expression analysis of human cumulus cells

Sirin Bakti Demiray et al. Clin Exp Reprod Med. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This study was performed to explore the possibility that each oocyte and its surrounding cumulus cells might have different genetic expression patterns that could affect human reproduction.

Methods: Differential gene expression analysis was performed for 10 clusters of cumulus cells obtained from 10 cumulus-oocyte complexes from 10 patients. Same procedures related to oocyte maturation, microinjection, and microarray analyses were performed for each group of cumulus cells. Two differential gene expression analyses were performed: one for the outcome of clinical pregnancy and one for the outcome of live birth.

Results: Significant genes resulting from these analyses were selected and the top 20 affected pathways in each group were analyzed. Circadian entrainment is determined to be the most affected pathway for clinical pregnancy, and proteoglycans in cancer pathway is the most affected pathway for live birth. Circadian entrainment is also amongst the 12 pathways that are found to be in top 20 affected pathways for both outcomes, and has both lowest p-value and highest number of times found count.

Conclusion: Although further confirmatory studies are necessary, findings of this study suggest that these pathways, especially circadian entrainment in cumulus cells, may be essential for embryo development and pregnancy.

Keywords: Assisted reproductive techniques; Circadian clocks; Cumulus cells; Granulosa cells; Infertility; Live birth; Microarray analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Significantly altered genes in the circadian entrainment pathway and their interactions for clinical pregnancy, denoted by red pathway nodes. Data from Kanehisa Laboratories. It is permitted to be used for academic purposes. Full definitions and descriptions for the pathway nodes can be found at https://www.genome.jp/kegg-bin/show_pathway?map=hsa04713&show_description=show.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Significantly altered genes in the circadian entrainment pathway and their interactions for live birth, denoted by red pathway nodes. Data from Kanehisa Laboratories. It is permitted to be used for academic purposes. Full definitions and descriptions for the pathway nodes can be found at https://www.genome.jp/kegg-bin/show_pathway?map=hsa04713&show_description=show.
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