Swine

FOXO3 Expression and Function in the Pig Oocyte and Embryo

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Abstract

Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3), a member of the FOXO subfamily of Forkhead transcription factors, has been shown to play critical roles in apoptosis, oxidative stress, cell cycle and DNA repair. The objective of this study was to characterize FOXO3 expression and its function during oocyte maturation and early embryo development in the pig.We found: (1) FOXO3 is dynamically expressed at both mRNA and protein level in the maturing oocyte and early in vitro fertilized embryos. (2) FOXO3 protein is localized in the cytoplasm of pig maturing oocytes. (3) Co-culture with Doxorubicin (DOX, 2 µM) significantly altered the total FOXO3 protein level during in vitro maturation. (4) in vitromaturation with DOX (2µM) numerically increased maturation rate, but significantly decreased embryo development to the blastocyst stage after oocyte parthenogenetic activation. Our work provides useful data for functional study of FOXO3 protein in female gametogenesis and the potential impact on developing pig embryos, which could benefit animal reproductive health and provide foundational knowledge for improving swine reproductive efficiency.

Keywords: ASL R2819

How to Cite:

Yang, C., Wright, E. C., Hale, B. J., Keating, A. F. & Ross, J. W., (2013) “FOXO3 Expression and Function in the Pig Oocyte and Embryo”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 10(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ans_air-180814-642