Epigenetic changes associated with oocyte aging

  • Sci China Life Sci. 2012 Aug;55(8):670-6. doi: 10.1007/s11427-012-4354-3.
XingWei Liang  1 ,  JunYu Ma ,  Heide Schatten ,  QingYuan Sun
Affiliations
  • 1. State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
PMID: 22932882 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-012-4354-3
Abstract

It is well established that the decline in female reproductive outcomes is related to postovulatory aging of oocytes and advanced maternal age. Poor oocyte quality is correlated with compromised genetic integrity and epigenetic changes during the oocyte aging process. Here, we review the epigenetic alterations, mainly focused on DNA methylation, histone acetylation and methylation associated with postovulatory oocyte aging as well as advanced maternal age. Furthermore, we address the underlying epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to the decline in oocyte quality during oocyte aging.