Relationship between Amino Acid Metabolism and Bovine In Vitro Follicle Activation and Growth
Kenichiro Sakaguchi,
Kohei Kawano,
Yuki Otani,
Yojiro Yanagawa,
Seiji Katagiri,
Evelyn E. Telfer
Affiliations
Kenichiro Sakaguchi
Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, University of Edinburgh, The Hugh Robson Building, 15 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
Kohei Kawano
Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Yuki Otani
Laboratory of Anatomy, Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Yojiro Yanagawa
Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Seiji Katagiri
Laboratory of Theriogenology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18 Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
Evelyn E. Telfer
Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, University of Edinburgh, The Hugh Robson Building, 15 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
The amino acid metabolism of bovine follicles during in vitro growth (IVG) was evaluated to identify potential indicators of health during culture. The bovine ovarian cortex was sliced, prepared as strips, and cultured for 6 days. Tissue samples were examined histologically before and after 6 days of culture, and the degree of follicle activation was classified as either high or low based on the number of growing secondary follicles present (high: 7~11; low: 0~1). In a separate experiment, secondary follicles (diameter range: 100~200 μm) were manually isolated and cultured, and their growth was monitored for 6 days. Cultured follicles were classified as growth or degenerate based on diameter change during culture (growth: +60.5~74.1 μm; degenerate: −28~15.2 μm). Free amino acids and their metabolites were measured in the spent culture medium from each group. In cultured ovarian cortical strips, the concentration of α-aminoadipic acid was significantly higher in the low activation group than in the high group (p p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, amino acid metabolism has the potential to serve as an indicator of primordial follicle activation and subsequent growth rate during bovine IVG.
