Jay M. Baltz

The glycine neurotransmitter transporter GLYT1 is an organic osmolyte transporter regulating cell volume in cleavage-stage embryos

Cells subjected to sustained high osmolarity almost universally respond by accumulating compatible organic osmolytes that, in contrast to inorganic ions, are not deleterious even at high intracellular concentrations. Their accumulation from the external environment by known organic osmolyte transporters, such as the four identified in mammals, occurs only slowly in response to sustained high osmolarity, by synthesis of new transporter proteins. Most cells, however, are not subject to high or varying osmolarity, and it is not clear whether organic osmolytes are generally required at normal osmolarities or how they are regulated. The fertilized egg of the mouse is protected in the oviduct from perturbations in osmolarity. However, deleterious effects of osmotic stress were evident in vitro even at normal oviductal osmolarity. Glycine was found to protect development, indicating that early mouse embryos may use glycine as an organic osmolyte at physiological osmolarity. We have now found that GLYT1, a glycine transporter of the neurotransmitter transporter gene family, functions as the organic osmolyte transporter that mediates the osmotically regulated accumulation of glycine and regulates cell volume in early embryos. Furthermore, osmotic stimulation of GLYT1 transport was immediate, without a requirement for protein synthesis, implying regulation different from known organic osmolyte transporters. Thus, GLYT1 appears to have a previously unidentified role as an organic osmolyte transporter that functions in acute organic osmolyte and volume homeostasis near normal osmolarity.

Expression and Function of Bicarbonate/Chloride Exchangers in the Preimplantation Mouse Embryo

Bicarbonate/chloride (HCO−3/Cl−) exchangers regulate intracellular pH in the alkaline range. Previously, it has been shown that mouse embryos at the two-cell stage exhibit this activity, but that the otherwise ubiquitous mechanisms for regulating intracellular pH in the acid-to-neutral range are undetectable. We have examined mouse embryos during preimplantation development (one-cell zygote through blastocyst) to determine whether HCO−3;/Cl− exchange activity exists at all stages, whether it is necessary for preimplantation development, and whether messenger RNAs from the known HCO−3;/Cl− exchanger genes are expressed. We have found that all stages of preimplantation embryo have detectable HCO−3;/Cl− exchange activity. In addition, inhibition of this activity with the stilbene anion exchange inhibitor DIDS (4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid) disrupts intracellular pH homeostasis and markedly inhibits embryo development from the two-cell stage to blastocysts in culture under conditions of moderately high external pH. Finally, mRNA encoding two members of the band 3-related AE anion exchanger gene family are expressed in preimplantation embryos.

Cell volume regulation in oocytes and early embryos: connecting physiology to successful culture media

BACKGROUND Preimplantation embryos are particularly susceptible to in vitro developmental blocks. These could be alleviated by lowering culture medium osmolarity. Because mammalian cells regulate their volumes by adjusting intracellular osmotic pressure, cell volume regulation could be critical to early embryos. METHODS We reviewed the literature on cell volume regulation in preimplantation embryos and the effects of increased osmolarity on embryo development, focusing also on the relation with improvements in embryo culture media. RESULTS Embryos failed to develop from fertilized oocytes when osmolarity is increased. This could be alleviated by decreasing osmolarity or including certain compounds such as certain amino acids. Early preimplantation mouse embryos require intracellular accumulation of glycine to provide osmotic support and thus control cell volume. The glycine-specific transporter, GLYT1, mediates osmoregulated glycine accumulation in mouse embryos and likely in human embryos. GLYT1 is activated during meiotic maturation starting at ovulation. Prior to this, oocyte size is not independently controlled but instead is determined by strong adhesion between the oocyte plasma membrane and the inner surface of the zona pellucida. CONCLUSIONS Early preimplantation embryos are particularly sensitive to increased osmolarity, and require the importation of glycine to regulate their cell volumes using a mechanism unique to early embryos. Cell volume regulation first appears when ovulation is triggered, oocyte zona pellucida adhesion is released, and glycine transport is activated. The requirement for supporting these physiological functions in oocytes and embryos should be taken into account when developing and improving systems for in vitro oocyte maturation and embryo culture.

Apparent absence of Na+H+ antiport activity in the two-cell mouse embryo

We have used the pH-sensitive dye BCECF to investigate the regulation of intracellular pH (pHi) by two-cell stage mouse embryos in bicarbonate-free medium. There is no indication of a Na+/H+ antiport active in regulating pHi, as recovery from acid-loading was insensitive to amiloride, ethylisopropylamiloride, or the absence of extracellular Na+. Instead, protons appear to be in equilibrium across the plasma membrane, as indicated by the response of pHi to changes in external K+. The embryos have an intracellular buffering power in the normal range (25.3 mM/pH); their apparent permeability to protons is, however, very high (0.22 cm/sec).

Mechanics of sperm-egg interaction at the zona pellucida.

Mammalian sperm traverse several layers of egg vestments before fertilization can occur. The innermost vestment, the zona pellucida, is a glycoprotein shell, which captures and tethers the sperm before they penetrate it. We report here direct measurements of the force required to tether a motile human sperm as well as independent calculations of this force using flagellar beat parameters observed for sperm of several species on their homologous zonae. We have compared these sperm-generated forces with the calculated tensile strength of sperm-zona bonds, and found that a motile sperm can be tethered, at least temporarily, by a single bond. Therefore, sperm can be captured by the first bond formed and tethered permanently by a few. The sperm cannot subsequently penetrate the zona unless the bonds are first eliminated. However, premature elimination would simply allow the sperm to escape. Therefore, not only must the bonds be eliminated, but the timing of this must be regulated so that the sperm is already oriented toward the egg and beginning to penetrate as the bonds are broken.

Granulosa cells regulate intracellular ph of the murine growing oocyte via gap junctions : development of independent homeostasis during oocyte growth

Oocytes grow within ovarian follicles in which the oocyte is coupled to the surrounding granulosa cells by gap junctions. It was previously found that small growing oocytes isolated from juvenile mice and freed of their surrounding granulosa cells (denuded) lacked the ability to regulate their intracellular pH (pHi), did not exhibit the pHi-regulatory HCO3-/Cl- and Na+/H+ exchange activities found in fully-grown oocytes, and had low pHi. However, both exchangers became active as oocytes grew near to full size, and, simultaneously, oocyte pHi increased by approximately 0.25 pH units. Here, we show that, in the more physiological setting of the intact follicle, oocyte pHi is instead maintained at∼ 7.2 throughout oocyte development, and the growing oocyte exhibits HCO3-/Cl- exchange, which it lacks when denuded. This activity in the oocyte requires functional gap junctions, as gap junction inhibitors eliminated HCO3-/Cl- exchange activity from follicle-enclosed growing oocytes and substantially impeded the recovery of the oocyte from an induced alkalosis, implying that oocyte pHi may be regulated by pH-regulatory exchangers in granulosa cells via gap junctions. This would require robust HCO3-/Cl- exchange activity in the granulosa cells, which was confirmed using oocytectomized (OOX) cumulus-oocyte complexes. Moreover, in cumulus-oocyte complexes with granulosa cells coupled to fully-grown oocytes, HCO3-/Cl- exchange activity was identical in both compartments and faster than in denuded oocytes. Taken together, these results indicate that growing oocyte pHi is controlled by pH-regulatory mechanisms residing in the granulosa cells until the oocyte reaches a developmental stage where it becomes capable of carrying out its own homeostasis.

Cell volume regulation is initiated in mouse oocytes after ovulation

Fertilized mouse eggs regulate their size principally by accumulating glycine as an intracellular osmolyte using the GLYT1 (SLC6A9) transporter, a mechanism of cell volume homeostasis apparently unique to early embryos before the morula stage. However, nothing was known of cell volume regulation in oocytes before fertilization. We show here that GLYT1 is quiescent in mouse germinal-vesicle-stage oocytes but becomes fully activated within hours after ovulation is triggered. This initiates accumulation of substantial amounts of intracellular glycine in oocytes during meiotic progression, reaching a maximal level in mature eggs. Measurements of endogenous free glycine showed that there were nearly undetectable levels in ovarian germinal-vesicle-stage oocytes, but high levels were present in mature ovulated eggs and in preimplantation embryos through the two-cell stage, but not in morulae. Furthermore, intracellular glycine was regulated in response to changes in external tonicity in eggs and embryos through the two-cell stage, but not in oocytes or embryos after the two-cell stage. Before activation of GLYT1, oocytes were unable to independently regulate their volume. As GLYT1 became active, however, oocyte volume decreased substantially and oocytes gained the ability to regulate their size, which required GLYT1 activity. Before ovulation, oocyte size was instead determined by a strong adhesion to the rigid extracellular matrix of the oocyte, the zona pellucida, which was released coincident with GLYT1 activation. The ability to acutely regulate cell size is thus acquired by the oocyte only after ovulation, when it first develops glycine-dependent cell volume regulation.

Similar Effects of Osmolarity, Glucose, and Phosphate on Cleavage past the 2-Cell Stage in Mouse Embryos from Outbred and F1 Hybrid Females

Abstract One-cell-stage embryos derived from most random-bred and inbred female mice exhibit an in vitro developmental block at the two-cell stage in classical embryo culture media. However, embryos derived from many F1 hybrids develop easily past the two-cell stage under the same conditions. This has given rise to the commonly accepted idea that there exist blocking and nonblocking types of female mice, with only the former being prone to a two-cell block. Recently, culture media have been improved to the point that even embryos prone to the two-cell block will develop past the block in vitro, making it possible to study its etiology. Here, we show that either increased osmolarity or increased glucose/phosphate levels induced the expected two-cell block in random-bred CF1 embryos and the two-cell block at increased osmolarities could be rescued by the organic osmolyte glycine. Surprisingly, one-cell embryos from B6D2F1 (BDF1) F1 hybrid females, considered to be nonblocking, also became blocked at the two-cell stage when osmolarity or glucose/phosphate levels were increased. They were also similarly rescued by glycine from the osmolarity-induced block. The most evident difference was that the purportedly nonblocking embryos became blocked at a higher threshold of osmolarity or glucose/phosphate level than those considered prone to this developmental block. Thus, both blocking and nonblocking embryos actually exhibit a similar two-cell block to development.

Intracellular ion concentrations and their maintennance by Na + /K + -ATPase in preimplantation mouse embroys

We have measured the amounts of Na+, K+ and C- in preimplantation mouse embryos (1-cell, 2-cell and morula) using electron probe X-ray microanalysis. The levels of these ions do not vary much over this period, and are approximately the same as those found in other mammalian cells, contrary to previous reports. We have confirmed that preimplantation embryos exhibit Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity at all stages examined, and have shown that the ATPase maintains high K+/Na+ ratios (12-16) in all these embryonic stages, comparable to those seen in other healthy cells; this is in contrast to the low ratios reported in earlier work. Inhibition of the Na+/K(+)-ATPase results in the slow exchange of intracellular K+ for extracellular Na+ (half-time approximately 5 h), indicating that Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity maintains steep Na+ and K+ gradients in preimplantation mouse embryos as it does in most other cells.

Delay in oocyte aging in mice by the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC)

BACKGROUND Ovarian aging is associated with declining numbers and quality of oocytes and follicles. Oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to somatic aging in general, and also has been implicated in reproductive aging. Telomere shortening is also involved in aging, and telomeres are particularly susceptible to ROS-induced damage. Previously, we have shown that antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) effectively rescues oocytes and embryos from ROS-induced telomere shortening and apoptosis in vitro. Using mice as models, we tested the hypothesis that reducing oxidative stress by NAC might prevent or delay ovarian aging in vivo. METHODS Initially, young females were treated with NAC in drinking water for 2 months and the quality of fertilized oocytes and early embryo development were evaluated. Next, young mice 1-1½ months old were treated for 1 year with NAC added in drinking water, and their fertility was analyzed starting at 6 months, as indicated by litter size, oocyte number and quality. The ovaries were also examined for telomere activity and length and the expression of selected genes related to aging and DNA damage. RESULTS Short-term treatment of mice for 2 months with NAC demonstrated that NAC improved the quality of fertilized oocytes and early embryo development. Mice treated with a long-term low concentration (0.1 mM) of NAC had increased litter sizes at the ages of 7-10 months compared with age-matched controls without NAC treatment. NAC also increased the quality of the oocytes from these older mice. Moreover, the expression of sirtuins was increased, telomerase activity was higher and telomere length was longer in the ovaries of mice treated with NAC compared with those of the control group. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that appropriate treatment with the antioxidant NAC postpones the process of oocyte aging in mice.