A HUGE range of genes active in human eggs has been identified for the first time. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a first glimpse into key areas of embryonic health and viability,鈥� says Nury Steuerwald of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, head of the team that did the work.
Microarrays that identify thousands of active genes at a time are now a standard tool for biologists. They detect the mRNAs produced by active genes. But lots of mRNA has to be extracted from tissue samples for the technique to work, and eggs, especially human eggs, are in short supply.
However, the development of a method called linear amplification means multiple copies of the mRNA from a single cell can now be made. By applying this method to human eggs, Steuerwald鈥檚 team was able to identify 1361 active genes. Until now only 406 had been identified using other means. The results appear in Reproductive BioMedicine Online.
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