Effects of in Vitro Oocyte Maturation and Embryo Culture on the Expression of Glucose Transporters, Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Signaling Genes in Rhesus Monkey Oocytes and Preimplantation Embryos

Glucose plays a fundamental role during oogenesis and embryogenesis, satisfying the metabolic demands of oocytes and embryos, providing for stored energy reserves in the form of glycogen and supporting nucleotide biosynthesis via the pentose phosphate pathway. Glucose also contributes to the production of amino acids, glycosylated proteins and extracellular components. A detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms that mediate and regulate glucose uptake and metabolism at different stages of oogenesis and preimplantation embryogenesis could greatly benefit the development of improved methods for in vitro oocyte maturation and in vitro embryo production. Although these processes have been examined in a variety of rodent and agricultural species, detailed information has not yet been described for non-human primates. In this study, we examined the expression of the genes encoding glucose transporters, glucose metabolism enzymes and potential regulators of glucose metabolism in rhesus monkey oocytes and embryos. The data reveal stage-specific regulation of expression of specific types of glucose transporters, stage-specific changes in expression of genes related to different pathways of glucose metabolism and temporal changes in the expression of mRNAs related to insulin signaling. Additionally, the data reveal significant differences in expression of some of these genes in cultured embryos as compared with flushed embryos and between oocytes and embryos obtained following different hormonal stimulation and oocyte maturation protocols.