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Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on November 19, 2008
Molecular Human Reproduction 2008 14(12):667-672; doi:10.1093/molehr/gan065
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

This article appears in the following Molecular Human Reproduction issue: Special Issue: Emerging Technologies for the Assessment of Gametes and Embryos - The OMICS [View the issue table of contents]

Metabolism of the viable mammalian embryo: quietness revisited

Henry J. Leese1,4, Christoph G. Baumann1, Daniel R. Brison2, Tom G. McEvoy3 and Roger G. Sturmey1

1Department of Biology (Area 3) and Hull York Medical School, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK 2Department of Reproductive Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester M13 OJH, UK 3 SAC, King's Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK

4 Correspondence address. E-mail: hjl1{at}york.ac.uk

This review examines the ‘Quiet Embryo Hypothesis’ which proposes that viable preimplantation embryos operate at metabolite or nutrient turnover rates distributed within lower ranges than those of their less viable counterparts. The ‘quieter’ metabolism consistent with this hypothesis is considered in terms of (i) ‘functional’ quietness; the contrasting levels of intrinsic metabolic activity in different cell types as a consequence of their specialized functions, (ii) inter-individual embryo/cell differences in metabolism and (iii) loss of quietness in response to environmental stress. Data are reviewed which indicate that gametes and early embryos function in vivo at a lower temperature than core body temperature, which could encourage the expression of a quiet metabolism. We call for research to determine the optimum temperature for mammalian gamete/embryo culture. The review concludes by examining the key role of reactive oxygen species, which can induce molecular damage, trigger a cellular stress response and lead to a loss of quietness.

Submitted on September 3, 2008; resubmitted on October 31, 2008; accepted on November 2, 2008.


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