Identifying new human oocyte marker genes: a microarray approach.

Efficiency in classical IVF (cIVF) techniques is still impaired by poor implantation and pregnancy rates after embryo transfer. This is mostly due to a lack of reliable criteria for the selection of embryos with sufficient development potential. Several studies have provided evidence that some genes’ expression levels could be used as objective markers of oocytes and embryos competence and of their capacity to sustain a successful pregnancy. These analyses usually used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to look at small sets of pre-selected genes. However, microarray approaches permit to identify a wider range of cellular marker genes. Thus they allow the identification of additional and perhaps more suited genes that could serve as embryo selection markers. Microarray screenings of circa 30 000 genes on U133P Affymetrix™ gene chips made it possible to establish the expression profile of these genes as well as other related genes in human oocytes and cumulus cells. In this study, we identified new potential regulators and marker genes such as BARD1, RBL2, RBBP7, BUB3 or BUB1B, which are involved in oocyte maturation.