Effects of WT1 down-regulation on oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development in pigs

Abstract

The Wilms' tumour 1 (WT1) gene originally identified as a tumour suppressor associated with WTs encodes a zinc finger-containing transcription factor that is expressed in multiple tissues and is an important regulator of cellular and organ growth, proliferation, development, migration and survival. However, there is a deficiency of data regarding the expression and function ofWT1during oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryonic development. Herein, we sought to define the expression characteristics and functions ofWT1during oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryonic development in pigs. We show thatWT1is expressed in porcine oocytes and at all preimplantation stages in embryos generated by ICSI. We then evaluated the effects of down-regulatingWT1expression at germinal vesicle and early ICSI stages using a recombinant plasmid (pGLV3-WT1-shRNA). Down-regulation ofWT1did not affect oocyte maturation but significantly decreased preimplantation embryonic development and increased apoptosis in blastocysts. These results indicate thatWT1plays important roles in the development of porcine preimplantation embryos.