Mechanism of Glycine Receptor Agonist Effect on Embryonic Development and Application to the Prevention of Oocyte Aging

In this study, we found that the glycine receptor α4 subunit was expressed in mouse fertilized eggs. Also, the inhibition of the glycine receptor α4 subunit function by inhibitors or gene disruption caused embryonic development to stop after the 4-cell stage. Furthermore, we have shown that enhancing glycine receptor function improves the developmental rate of low-developmental-rate fertilized eggs. Thus, we have shown that the glycine receptor α4 subunit is essential for early development.

本研究はこれまで哺乳類では機能が明らかになっていなかったグリシンレセプターα4がマウスの受精卵で発現しており、さらに4細胞期以降の発生に重要であることを示したこと、またその機能亢進により受精率の向上効果が期待できることを示した点で重要である。