Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

Mouse Oocyte Microinjection, Maturation and Ploidy Assessment

¹Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania

Oocytes are prone to aneuploidy due to errors in chromosome segregation during meiotic maturation. Aneuploid eggs can cause infertility, miscarriages or developmental disorders like Down syndrome. Here, we describe methods to introduce materials of choice into oocytes and methods to study meiotic maturation and assess ploidy.

Education

Using Mouse Oocytes to Assess Human Gene Function During Meiosis I

Diego Marin^*1,2, Alexandra L. Nguyen^*3, Richard T. Scott, Jr.^1,2, Karen Schindler³

¹IVI-RMA New Jersey, ²Jefferson College of Biomedical Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University, ³Department of Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

As the genetic variants associated with human disease begin to become uncovered, it is becoming increasingly important to develop systems with which to rapidly evaluate the biological significance of those identified variants. This protocol describes methods for evaluating human gene function during female meiosis I using mouse oocytes.

Developmental Biology

Evaluation of the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Integrity in Mouse Oocytes

Mansour Aboelenain^1,2,3, Karen Schindler^1,2, Cecilia S. Blengini^1,2

¹Department of Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, ²Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, ³Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University

Error in chromosome segregation is a common feature in oocytes. Therefore, studying the spindle assembly checkpoint gives important clues about the mechanisms needed to produce healthy eggs. The present protocol describes three complementary assays to evaluate spindle assembly checkpoint integrity in mouse oocytes.