Protein Expression Profile of the Mouse Metaphase-II Oocyte

The mature oocyte contains the full complement of maternal proteins required for fertilization, the transition to zygotic transcription, and the beginning stages of embryogenesis. Many of these proteins have yet to be characterized. In this study, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) of mouse metaphase-II (MII) oocyte proteins, stained with silver staining or Pro-Q Diamond dye, was performed to describe the proteome and phosphoproteome of the mouse oocyte derived from ICR mice. A total of 869 selected protein spots, corresponding to 380 unique proteins, were identified successfully by mass spectrometry, in which 90 protein spots representing 53 unique proteins have been stained with Pro-Q Diamond, indicating that they are in phosphorylated forms. All identified proteins were bioinformatically annotated in detail and compared with the embryonic stem cell (ESC) proteome. A proteome reference database for the mouse oocyte was established from the protein data generated in this study, which can be accessed over the Internet (http://reprod.njmu.edu.cn/2d). This database is the most detailed mouse oocyte proteomic database to date. It should be valuable in expanding our knowledge of the regulation of signaling in oogenesis, fertilization, and embryo development, while revealing potential mechanisms for epigenetic reprogramming.