earticle

영어

The various functions of mitochondria are essential for the transition from oocyte to embryo and for early embryonic development up to the blastocyst stage. Mitofusin 1 (MFN1) is the main mediator of mitochondrial fusion and homeostasis. Mfn1 proteins are located in the outer mitochondrial membrane. The mitochondrial membrane potential is a central indicator of cellular viability that reflects indicators of metabolic activity such as oxidative phosphorylation and the electron transport process. We investigated the MFN1 expression level in porcine SCNT blastocysts. The results showed that the MFN1, mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels were significantly decreased in the SCNT blastocysts. Whereas Bad, Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 levels were significantly increased compared with the parthenogenetic blastocysts. This study suggests that downregulation of MFN1 could affect the blastocyst development of porcine SCNT embryos through mitochondrial function and cellular apoptosis.