This study was carried out to investigate whether repeated controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) affects ovarian reserve. For this reason, we aimed to show possible changes in the expression of PTEN and FOXO3, which are involved in preserving the over-reserve, after applying the COH protocol methods. For this purpose, 18 young Wistar albino female rats (8 weeks old) were randomly assigned as Group-1(control), Group-2 and Group-3 as 6 subjects in each group. Experimental groups were treated with 10 IU/0.1ml PMSG and a COH protocol consisting of 10 IU/0.1ml hCG injection after 48 hours. This procedure was applied 3 and 5 times to Group-2 and Group-3 respectively. For the control groups, the same procedures were performed with 0.1 ml of 0.9% NaCl solution. At the end of the experiment, the ovarium tissues were placed in 10% neutral formaldehyde solution for light microscopic examinations. In histological sections stained with H-E, the number of ovarian follicles was determined using the physical dissector method. However, the expression of PTEN, FOXO3, and LH-R molecules was evaluated by IHC methods. As a result of our study, it was concluded that COH administration reduces the expression levels number of PTEN and FOXO3 proteins and LH-R, which are among the essential components of the PIK3 intracellular signaling pathway and also increased the levels of hormones such as FSH, E2 and LH, which are over-reserve markers, and causes adverse effects on the histological structure, oocyte morphology and number of ovaries.

Endometrial glands are essential for fertility, consisting of ciliated and secretory cells that facilitate a suitable uterine environment for embryo implantation. This study sought to determine whether an endometrial gland specific transcriptome and splicing profile are altered in women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Our data provide a comprehensive catalogue of cilia and PAEP gene isoforms and relative exon usage in endometrial glands. We report a previously unannotated endometrial gland cilia transcript GALNT11 and its susceptibility to exon skipping. Key endometrial receptivity gene transcripts are also reported to change in endometrial glands of women with recurrent pregnancy loss. The endometrial gland cilia and PAEP targets identified in this study could be used to identify a perturbed endometrium, isolate causes of recurrent pregnancy loss and develop targeted therapies in personalised medicine.

During fertilization, avian sperm preferentially penetrate the perivitelline membrane that covers the germinal disk region where the female nucleus is present. This phenomenon has been observed not only in domestic birds, but also in wild birds; however, the mechanisms controlling sperm preference are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the possible involvement of annexin family protein in sperm-egg interaction in Japanese quail. Microscopic examination of fertilized eggs indicated that quail sperm penetration only occurred in the germinal disk region, and sperm localized outside the germinal disk were trapped in the perivitelline membrane. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy revealed the presence of annexin A1 and A6 in the oocyte membrane, while annexin A6 localized in the perivitelline space of the germinal disk region. Further, our sperm binding assay using recombinant annexin A6 demonstrated that ejaculated sperm specifically bound to annexin A6 expressed in mammalian cell lines. These results suggest that annexin A6, which is expressed on the surface of oocytes may function in sperm-egg interaction in the germinal disk region, and that this binding may ensure sperm retention on the surface of the egg plasma membrane until fertilization takes place in Japanese quail.