by Researchers from Cornell University and Stanford University have collaborated to create an atlas of gene expression during follicle maturation and ovulation in mice. This ground-breaking study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on the complex cellular and molecular interactions that drive ovulation, offering potential insights for treating infertility.
Led by Iwijn De Vlaminck, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell Engineering, and Yi Ren, assistant professor of animal science at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the study utilized a cutting-edge technique called high-resolution spatiotemporal transcriptomics. This method converts RNA into DNA copies, which are then tagged with barcodes to capture their spatial location. The resulting data is then sequenced and translated into an image.
De Vlaminck had previously used this imaging method to study the role of RNA in skeletal muscle regeneration and viral myocarditis. Fascinated by the potential of De Vlaminck’s approach, Ren saw an opportunity to apply it to her area of interest: deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying ovulation.
Ovulation, the release of mature eggs from ovarian follicles, is a crucial process for female fertility. It requires precise coordination between female germ cells, or oocytes, and the rupture of ovarian follicles. Oocytes must be released at the right time and location to maximize the chances of fertilization. The researchers compared the role of ovarian follicles to launching pads, and the ovary itself as the ground control. Through intricate communication between different cell types, the ovary orchestrates the preparation and release of eggs. The complex and dynamic nature of this process is captured by De Vlaminck’s technology, as it combines high resolution in both time and space.
Over the years, the spatial resolution of transcriptomics has improved significantly, resulting in near single-cell resolution. However, this advancement also presents a challenge in analyzing the vast amounts of data generated. The researchers sequenced hundreds of millions of DNA molecules for each image, translating them into a matrix of gene expression. Each pixel in the matrix represented the expression level of all 22,000 protein-coding genes in the mouse genome.
Analyzing the data was a laborious task that took the researchers approximately 10 months. However, the efforts were rewarded with a wealth of previously unknown cellular and molecular interactions involved in ovulation. The gene expression atlas created by this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms driving ovulation and could pave the way for developing novel therapeutic treatments for infertility.
This research is a significant step forward in unraveling the complexities of ovulation and female fertility. By mapping gene expression during follicle maturation and ovulation, the study sheds light on the intricate cellular and molecular interactions that drive this crucial reproductive process. The findings pave the way for further research and potential therapeutic interventions for infertility.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
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