Effects of low O2 and ageing on spindles and chromosomes in mouse oocytes from pre-antral follicle culture

To assess their quality, spindles were analysed in mouse oocytes from pre-antral follicle culture. High or low oxygen tension was present during the last 16 or 20 h post human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG)/epidermal growth factor (EGF) addition. Most oocytes from pre-antral follicle culture possessed typical anastral spindles with flat poles resembling those of ovulated, in-vivo-matured oocytes of sexually mature mice, while denuded oocytes in-vitro matured to metaphase II (MII) formed significantly longer, slender spindles with pointed, narrow poles. Spindles in oocytes from follicle culture were only slightly shorter and less compact at the equator as compared with those of oocytes matured in vivo. Chromosomes were well aligned at the equator in MII oocytes obtained from follicle culture with high oxygen. Maturation rate was significantly reduced by lowering oxygen tension to 5% O-2. Prolonged culture and the presence of only 5% O-2 dramatically increased the percentage of MII oocytes with unaligned chromosomes. These observations indicate that sufficient oxygen supply and time of retrieval after initiation of resumption of maturation by HCG as well as the microenvironment and cell-cell interactions between oocytes and their somatic compartment are critical in affecting the oocyte's capacity to mature to MII, to form a functional spindle, and to align chromosomes correctly.