Objective: To examine the expression profiles of luteinized granulosa cells isolated from women with normal or diminished ovarian reserve undergoing in vitro fertilization.
Design: Expression profiling by complementary DNA microarray analysis.
Setting: Women undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer in a university-based fertility clinic.
Patient(s): Eighteen women with normal or decreased ovarian reserve.
Intervention(s): All patients were given gonadotropin stimulation in preparation for IVF with granulosa cells isolated at the time of follicular aspiration.
Main outcome measure(s): Expression profiles of luteinized granulosa cells isolated from each woman were determined by using DNA microarray analysis.
Result(s): Changes in patterns of gene expression in granulosa cells were observed between women with normal and diminished ovarian reserve. These genes included several anonymous expressed sequence tags and also expressed sequence tags that correspond to known genes.
Conclusion(s): Expression profiling of granulosa cells by DNA microarray may yield signature patterns that reflect the status of ovarian reserve and the competence of granulosa cells.