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Telomere lengths in human oocytes, cleavage stage embryos and blastocysts

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Turner, S., Wong, H. P., Rai, J. and Hartshorne, Geraldine M.. (2010) Telomere lengths in human oocytes, cleavage stage embryos and blastocysts. Molecular Human Reproduction, Vol.16 (No.9). pp. 685-694. ISSN 1360-9947

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molehr/gaq048

Abstract

Telomeres are repeated sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes and harbour DNA-repair proteins. Telomeres shorten during each cell division in the absence of telomerase. When telomere length becomes critically short, cell senescence occurs. Telomere length therefore reflects both cellular ageing and capacity for division. We have measured telomere length in human germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes and pre-implantation embryos, by quantitative fluorescence in-situ hybridisation (Q-FISH), providing baseline data towards our hypothesis that telomere length is a marker of embryo quality. The numbers of fluorescent foci suggest that extensive clustering of telomeres occurs in mature GV stage oocytes, and in pre-implantation embryos. When calculating average telomere length by assuming that each signal presents one telomere, the calculated telomere length decreased from the oocyte to the cleavage stages, and increased between the cleavage stages and the blastocyst (11.12 vs 8.43 vs 12.22kb respectively, p<0.001). Other methods of calculation, based upon expected maximum and minimum numbers of telomeres, confirm that telomere length in blastocysts is significantly longer than cleavage stages. Individual blastomeres within an embryo showed substantial variation in calculated average telomere length. This study implies that telomere length changes according to the stage of pre-implantation embryo development.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history Q Science > QM Human anatomy
Divisions:	Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Clinical Sciences Research Institute (CSRI) Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Reproductive Health Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Telomere, Ovum, Embryology, Human, Human embryo -- Transplantation, Cell division
Journal or Publication Title:	Molecular Human Reproduction
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	1360-9947
Date:	23 June 2010
Volume:	Vol.16
Number:	No.9
Number of Pages:	10
Page Range:	pp. 685-694
Identification Number:	10.1093/molehr/gaq048
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Funder:	Wellcome Trust (London, England), Centre for Reproductive Medicine, British Medical Association (BMA)
Related URLs:	Organisation
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/3359