Promoter‐specific expression of the imprinted IGF2 gene in bovine oocytes and pre‐implantation embryos

The bovine IGF2 locus is a genomic region with alternative transcripts controlled by five promoters (P0, P1, P2, P3 and P4). As transcriptional regulation can affect messenger RNA (mRNA) stability and translation, and thus, subsequent biological effects, this study evaluated the bovine IGF2 promoter‐specific expression patterns in oocytes and pre‐implantation embryos produced in vitro by our standard IVP procedures. Immature and matured oocytes, and pre‐implantation embryos at the 1‐, 2‐, 4‐, 8‐ and 16‐cell, and at early morula, compact morula, blastocyst and expanded blastocyst stages were collected in three pools of five structures per stage, in four replicates. Total RNA was extracted and subjected to RT‐qPCR, using four sets of IGF2 promoter‐specific primers covering transcripts driven by promoters P0/P1, P2, P3 and P4, with fragments sequenced for confirmation. Expression of P2‐ and P4‐derived transcripts showed an initial peak between immature (P4) or matured (P2/P4) oocytes and 2‐cell embryos, gradually falling until embryo genome activation (EGA), rising again at compaction and cavitation. P0/P1‐derived transcripts were identified after EGA, during compaction, whereas P3 activity was not detected at any stage. Our findings suggest that P0/P1 and P2 likely have secondary roles during early stages, whereas P3 may be more relevant later in development. P4 seems to be the main pathway for bovine IGF2 expression during oocyte maturation and embryo development and, therefore, the main target to influence IVP in modulation of embryo growth and in studies in developmental biology.