Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is capable of inducing a variety of biological effects, and the regulation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway is closely related to longevity. To find out whether the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is involved in oocyte aging or not which may cause reduced female fertility, a series of biological methods was applied, including oocyte collection and culture, micro injection, RNA interference, western blotting, immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, and quantitative real-time PCR.Our data demonstrated that Nrf2 depletion disrupted oocyte maturation and spindle/chromosome organization by suppressing Cyclin B1 expression. Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) depletion reduced Nrf2 expression, which indicated the existence of the Sirt1-Nrf2-Cyclin B1 signaling pathway in mouse oocytes. Additionally, immunoblotting results reflected a lower Nrf2 protein level in oocytes from aged mice, and maternal age-associated meiotic defects can be ameliorated through overexpression of Nrf2, which supported the hypothesis that decreased Nrf2 is an important factor contributing toward oocyte age-dependent deficits. Furthermore, we show that the expression of Nrf2 is related to female age in ovarian granular cells, suggesting that the decreased expression of Nrf2 may be related to the decline in the reproductive capacity of older women.
Keywords: Nrf2; Sirt1; oocyte aging; oocyte meiosis; spindle organization.