Expression of leukaemia inhibitory factor receptor subunits LIFRβ and gp130 in human oocytes and preimplantation embryos

Abstract

The expression of both components of the high-affinity leukaemia inhibitory factor receptor, LIFRβ and glycoprotein 130 (gp130), was investigated in human oocytes and individual in-vitro cultured preimplantation embryos by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Messenger RNA of both LIFRβ and gp130 was detected in as little as 1/30 and 1/12 sample equivalents of cDNA respectively, in oocytes (n = 4), 4-cell and expanded blastocyst stage embryos. LIFRβ but not gp130 transcripts were detected at the 2-, 8- and 10-cell stages, and in cavitating and hatched blastocysts. In order to exclude a simian origin of these PCR products resulting from the Vero cell line that was used as a feeder during culture to the blastocyst stage, they were digested with restriction endonucleases Taql (LIFRβ) or Kpnl (gp130). Their human origin was confirmed. The results support an earlier finding of LIFRβ mRIMA expression in human blastocysts, and extend these results to earlier stages and oocytes. This is the first report of LIFRβ and gp130 transcription in human oocytes. Taken together these results demonstrate that transcription of LIFRβ and gp130 takes place throughout human preimplantation development, and suggest that functional LIF receptors might be present at these stages. These results further confirm the feasibility of performing mRNA phenotyping of multiple genes with RNA derived from a single preimplantation stage embryo. © European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology.