Skip to main content
Middle East Fertility Society Journal
Download PDF

Association between cumulus cells—mRNA levels of AMHR2 and FSHR with oocyte maturity

Middle East Fertility Society Journal volume 27, Article number: 26 (2022) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

The gene expression of anti-Mullerian hormone receptor type 2 (AMHR2) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) in cumulus cells (CCs) isolated from mature and immature oocytes was studied as a possible non-invasive approach for determining oocyte maturity and quality. The CCs of 100 infertile women with different etiologic factors were subdivided into control (CCs from MII) and case (CCs from GV) group. Q-PCR was used to evaluate FSHR and AMHR2 mRNA expression levels in CCs from mature and immature oocytes.

Results

AMHR2 and FSHR genes are significantly overexpressed (4–6 fold) in CCs from immature relative to mature oocyte. The expression level of AMHR2 gene in terms of etiologic subgroups is significantly different (P value 0.000). FSHR mRNA expression levels in CCs show no significant difference regarding etiologic subgroups (P value 0.575).

Conclusion

It seems that determining the expression level of AMHR2 and FSHR genes in CCs could help to understanding molecular mechanism of oocyte maturation process.

Background

More than three decades after its arrival, human-assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are still routinely and effectively applied to overcome infertility problem. Approximately 15–20% of reproductive age couples suffer from these problems and have significant medical, social and financial implications. One of these problems is that 13–15% of retrieved oocytes in ART cycles are immature [1, 2]. Even at best, if oocyte successfully matures in vitro, the selection of high-quality oocyte and embryos has been one of the main challenges in ART. At present, the selection is based on morphological criteria such as evaluation of cytoplasm, zona pellucida and meiotic spindle, growth rate, and blastocyst formation [3]. But the predictive power of morphological assessment for selecting competent oocyte is still limited.

The emergence of new technologies like ‘omics’ has introduced novel biomarkers that can be applied as a tools for picking out competent oocyte and/or embryo for IVF [4]. It is well proven that oocyte maturation and embryo development depend on the events taking place within the cumulus–oocyte complex (COC) [5, 6]. Therefore, measuring gene expression in cumulus cells (CCs) as a noninvasive indicator could help to select best quality oocyte and/or embryo. Moreover, since these cells in IVF cycles detached from oocytes and then discarded, they are easily available and good candidate for gene expression analysis in order to find a reliable prognostic biomarker for oocyte competence [7,8,9].

It is proven that oogenesis, folliculogenesis, and oocyte maturation process are heavily controlled by hormones, especially reproductive hormones and gonadotropins include luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Also, the significant role of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in primary follicular growth and the expression of it at all stages of folliculogenesis has been reported [10, 11]. Since hormones signal through their receptors, we aimed to investigate whether CC-specific FSH and AMH receptors (FSHR and AMHR2, respectively) are differentially expressed in CCs surrounding mature or immature oocytes. A few studies have reported differentially expression of hormone receptors in CCs separated from oocytes in different maturation stages [12,13,14]. However, to our knowledge, despite the importance of FSHR and AMHR2 in oocyte maturation signaling, few studies have been conducted in this field. Therefore, we aimed to investigate mRNA expression changes of these two receptors in cumulus cells from oocyte with different maturation level.

Methods

Patients and IVF protocol

This prospective, randomized study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute. The patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) (from February 2016 to May 2018), after signing consent, enrolled in the study. The COC of 100 infertile women classified into control (CCs from MII) and case (CCs from GV) group to study the expression of candidate genes in CCs. The inclusion criteria for both groups were as follows: women ≤ 37 years old without any history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and genetic disorders. The oocytes with normal morphology according to Rienzi et al. [15] were included. Women with any history of IVF failure, IVF cycles with donor gametes, advanced maternal age (AMA), and severe endocrine conditions were excluded. For all participants, ovarian stimulation was performed using the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist and after 36h, and oocytes were aspirated transvaginally.

Grouping, etiology, and characteristics of patients

The COC of 100 infertile women classified into control (CC from MII) and case (CC from GV) groups. The women aged 31.2±4.6 years have a duration of infertility 6.2±1.6. The etiology of them was subdivided in 4 following groups: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS, tubal factors (TF, premature ovarian factor (POF), and male factor (MF) (Table 1). The patients went through standard antagonist stimulation protocols with the same dose of FSH to induce multiple follicular development and oocyte retrieval [16].

Table 1 The demographic, etiologic, and hormonal information of patients between two control and case groups
Full size table

Cumulus cell collection

After oocyte retrieval and twice washing with G-Mops-V1 (Vitrolife Co., Switzerland), COCs were subjected to enzymatic and mechanical denude methods [17]. The maturity of denuded oocytes was evaluated under inverted microscope (Olympus Co., Japan) based on the existence of first polar body (PBI) [15]. Then, CCs of each patient were pooled based on maturity grade of oocyte, GV-specific CCs allocated to the test group and mature-specific CCs to the control group. CCs were stored at −80°C in RNA stabilization reagent (Qiagen Co., Europe) after twice washing with PBS.

Total RNA extraction and RT-PCR

The total RNA was extracted by the QuantiTect®, RNeasy Micro kit (QIAGEN) according to slightly modified company’s protocol in a total volume of 14 μl. Concentrations of extracted RNA were measured by NanoDrop spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific). Subsequently, 1000 ng of the extracted total RNA was reverse-transcribed using the RevertAid First-Strand cDNA synthesis kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For negative control samples, the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme or the RNA template was removed from reactions. We store all acquired cDNA at −20°C until PCR running.

Quantitative real-time PCR (q-PCR)

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to validate 2 differentially expressed genes including AMHR2 and FSHR on CCs from both mature and immature groups, and 18s rRNA gene as an internal control was added for normalization. The reason for selecting these genes is their significance and biological role in oogenesis, folliculogenesis, and oocyte maturation. Relative expression of the genes was calculated using QuantiTect SYBER Green RT-PCR kit (Applied Biosystems, UK) by real-time PCR thermocycler (ABI 7500 Step One). Primer sequences for understudied genes are listed in Table 2. For omitting handling error, amplification of all samples was as duplicated. The specificity of each amplicon was confirmed through investigating of it on 2% gel electrophoresis as well as analyzing melting curve.

Table 2 Primer sequences for understudied genes
Full size table

Statistical analysis

All comparisons between CCs MII and CCs GV were performed by the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. The frequency distributions between the groups were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test and chi-square analysis. All hypotheses were two-sided, and the significant level was considered as p < 0.05. All statistical analysis was run on SPSS 19 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).

Results

Real-time PCR analysis and gene expression level

Q-PCR was used to determine the relative abundance of FSHR and AMHR2 mRNA expression levels and 18s rRNA as endogenous references in CCs from 100 infertile patients. Expression of 18s rRNA is independent of oocyte maturity and is therefore good candidate for reference gene. The differences in the gene expression of FSHR and AMHR2 between the groups are highly significant (Fig. 1). In terms of the patients’ etiology, we observed significant over expressions in AMHR2 mRNA levels but the expression of FSHR is not statistically significant (Table 3). Moreover, both genes are significantly overexpressed in CCs from immature relative to mature oocyte from PCOS and POF patients. In contrast, the abundance of FSHR and AMHR2 mRNA between CC GV and CC MII in TF and MF patients was insignificant (p≥0.05, Fig. 2).

Fig. 1
figure 1

The gene expressions of FSHR and AMHR2 between MII-CCs and GV-CCs. *Indicates a significant difference in gene expression between groups (****p < 0.0001)

Full size image
Table 3 The expression level of AMHR2 and FSHR genes in terms of etiologic subgroups
Full size table
Fig. 2
figure 2

Comparison of gene expression levels in CCs between groups based on their etiological patient subgroups. PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome; TF, tubal factor; POF, premature ovarian factor; MF, male factor

Full size image

Discussion

Up to now, the assessment of oocytes competence is regularly based on morphology. The morphological scoring is generally based on extra-cytoplasmic and cytoplasmic remarks [18]. A wide range of publications has supported the correlation between morphological characteristics of oocyte and the quality of the following stages of embryo development. Tilia et al. [19] concluded that morphology of meiotic spindle is associated with developmental competence of embryo and that the morphological grading could be valuable to achieve successful IVF and pregnancy. However, the power of this morphological grading system in predicting IVF results is still controversial. Therefore, the determination of biomarkers in transcriptome level for the selection of oocytes with good developmental competence is a main research goal [18, 20].

The study of CC gene expression at different stages of oocyte maturity showed that the peak of changes belongs to the stage of oocyte transition from the MI to the MII stage. Also, previous studies reporting considerable transcriptional changes in CCs accompanied by a significant mRNA degradation during oocytes maturity [21,22,23]. Devjak et al. suggested that the genes involved in signal transduction, cell adhesion, and cell division play an important role in the process of meiosis [12]. With regard to the oocyte-cumulus dialogue and non-invasive access to CCs, these cells are hopeful source of reliable biomarker for evaluating developmental competence of oocyte and embryo quality. The growth and maturity of primary oocytes are strongly regulated by hormones and their receptors. Among them, AMH induces primordial follicle recruitment through inhibitory effects on follicle sensitivity to FSH. AMH signaling is controlled by two type receptors containing AMHR1 and AMHR2 which AMH and AMHR2 are reciprocally specific. The function of AMH is started by the binding of AMH to AMHR2, which stimulates AMHR1 then phosphorylates the cytoplasmic proteins and transcription factors to regulate related genes [24,25,26]. Moreover, FSHR plays important role in oocyte maturation and has high expression in CCs. The FSHR expression declines along with the maturity of bovine oocytes in vitro and in vivo [27, 28].

According to ingenuity pathway analysis, AMHR2 and FSHR belong to the top gene network that differentially expressed in CCs at all stages of oocyte maturity [13, 14]. Genes were chosen for the following reasons: first, critical role of both genes in oocyte maturation; second, upregulation of them in CCs; and third, induction of their expression by the LH peak as well as their relationship with reproductive hormones such as FSH and AMH. We studied the expression of AMHR2 and FSHR genes in human CCs from GV and MII oocytes in order to introduce a predictive biomarker of oocytes maturity. A clinical prospective study aimed at finding genes with differentially expression profile in CCs with different degree of oocyte maturity, under gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists or antagonist stimulation protocol showed significant increase in the expression of AMHR2 and FSHR in CCs MI oocytes compared to CCs MII oocytes [12]. In line with their result, we have observed a higher expression of both AMHR2 and FSHR genes in CCGV in comparison with CCMII oocytes. The expression of both receptor genes in CCs has been reported to be significantly associated either to each other or to the expression level of AMH and androgen receptor (AR) [26, 29, 30]. Moreover, the statistical analysis of the etiological subgroups revealed that the expression of both genes in CCs GV compared to CCs MII significantly increased in PCOS and POF but not in TF and MF (Fig. 2). In this regard, Catteau-Jonard et al. reported that FSHR, AMHR2, AMH, and AR are upregulated in granulosa cells from stimulated follicles of PCOSS women signifying a defect in oocyte maturation [13].

Conclusion

The oocyte quality is decisive for the subsequent embryo development; thus, the priority is the identification of specific biomarkers to select best competent oocytes. The analysis of transcriptomes of COC could be used as noninvasive biomarkers of oocyte quality and maturity, being a more effective system to select high-quality oocytes compared to morphological criteria. In this context, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative gene expression of cumulus cells (CCs) as non-invasive biomarkers of oocyte maturity in order to enhance the final efficiency of the IVF cycles [18, 20]. For the reasons mentioned, the gene expression of AMHR2 and FSHR were targeted as a possible non-invasive biomarker for identifying oocyte maturity and quality. According our findings, it appears the expression level of these genes in cumulus cells have the potential to be a predictive biomarker to select good competent oocyte, thereby improving IVF procedures. Our findings could be useful in reproductive biotechnology to other species, as well. Therefore, further studies in this field especially on the correlation with implantation and pregnancy rate are valuable and important.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article.

Abbreviations

ART:

Assisted reproductive technologies

COC:

Cumulus–oocyte complex

CCs:

Cumulus cells

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

FSH:

Follicle-stimulating hormone

AMH:

Anti-Müllerian hormone

FSHR:

FSH receptor

AMHR2:

AMH receptor 2

COH:

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation

RPL:

Recurrent pregnancy loss

AMA:

Advanced maternal age

GnRH:

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone

PCOS:

Polycystic ovarian syndrome

TF:

Tubal factors

POF:

Premature ovarian factor

MF:

Male factor

References

  1. Ellenbogen A, Shavit T, Shalom-Paz E (2014) IVM results are comparable and may have advantages over standard IVF. Facts Views Vis Obgyn 6(2):77

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Fesahat F, Kalantar SM, Sheikhha MH, Saeedi H, Montazeri F, Firouzabadi RD et al (2017) Developmental and cytogenetic assessments of preimplantation embryos derived from in-vivo or in-vitro matured human oocytes. Eur J Med Genet 61(4):235-241

  3. Ebner T, Moser M, Sommergruber M, Tews G (2003) Selection based on morphological assessment of oocytes and embryos at different stages of preimplantation development: a review. Hum Reprod Update 9(3):251–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hillier SG (2008) Research challenge: what is the best non-invasive test of oocyte/embryo competence? Mol Hum Reprod 14(12):665

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Lourenço B, Sousa AP, Almeida-Santos T, Ramalho-Santos J (2014) Relation of cumulus cell status with single oocyte maturity, fertilization capability and patient age. J Reprod Infertil 15(1):15

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Fesahat F, Sheikhha MH, Kalantar SM, Tabibnejad N, Firouzabadi RD, Khalili MA (2017) Developmental competence and apoptotic gene expression patterns of mature and immature human oocytes retrieved from controlled ovarian stimulation cycles. Reprod Biol 18(1):27-32

  7. Feuerstein P, Cadoret V, Dalbies-Tran R, Guerif F, Bidault R, Royere D (2007) Gene expression in human cumulus cells: one approach to oocyte competence. Hum Reprod 22(12):3069–3077

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Assou S, Haouzi D, De Vos J, Hamamah S (2010) Human cumulus cells as biomarkers for embryo and pregnancy outcomes. Mol Hum Reprod 16(8):531–538

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Labrecque R, Sirard M-A (2013) The study of mammalian oocyte competence by transcriptome analysis: progress and challenges. Mol Hum Reprod 20(2):103–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Parco S, Novelli C, Vascotto F, Princi T (2011) Serum anti-Müllerian hormone as a predictive marker of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Int J Gen Med 4:759

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Dumont A, Robin G, Catteau-Jonard S, Dewailly D (2015) Role of Anti-Müllerian Hormone in pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome: a review. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 13(1):137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Tacer KF, Juvan P, Klun IV, Rozman D, Bokal EV (2012) Cumulus cells gene expression profiling in terms of oocyte maturity in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation using GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist. PLoS One 7(10):e47106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Catteau-Jonard S, Jamin SP, Leclerc A, Gonzalès J, Dewailly D, di Clemente N (2008) Anti-Mullerian hormone, its receptor, FSH receptor, and androgen receptor genes are overexpressed by granulosa cells from stimulated follicles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93(11):4456–4461

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Vigone G, Merico V, Redi CA, Mazzini G, Garagna S, Zuccotti M (2015) FSH and LH receptors are differentially expressed in cumulus cells surrounding developmentally competent and incompetent mouse fully grown antral oocytes. Reprod Fertil Dev 27(3):497–503

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Rienzi L, Balaban B, Ebner T, Mandelbaum J (2012) The oocyte. Hum Reprod 27(suppl_1):i2–i21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Eftekhar M, Aflatoonian A, Mohammadian F, Eftekhar T (2013) Adjuvant growth hormone therapy in antagonist protocol in poor responders undergoing assisted reproductive technology. Arch Gynecol Obstet 287(5):1017–1021

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Fesahat F, Dehghani Firouzabadi R, Faramarzi A, Khalili MA (2017) The effects of different types of media on in vitro maturation outcomes of human germinal vesicle oocytes retrieved in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Clin Exp Reprod Med 44(2):79–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Maside C, Sanchez-Ajofrin I, Medina-Chavez D, Alves B, Garde JJ, Soler AJ (2021) Oocyte morphometric assessment and gene expression profiling of oocytes and cumulus cells as biomarkers of oocyte competence in sheep. Animals (Basel) 11(10):2818 PubMed PMID: 34679840. Pubmed Central PMCID: PMC8532595. Epub 2021/10/24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Tilia L, Chapman M, Kilani S, Cooke S, Venetis C (2020) Oocyte meiotic spindle morphology is a predictive marker of blastocyst ploidy-a prospective cohort study. Fertil Steril 113(1):105–13 e1 PubMed PMID: 31739977. Epub 2019/11/20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Sirait B, Wiweko B, Jusuf AA, Iftitah D, Muharam R (2021) Oocyte competence biomarkers associated with oocyte maturation: a review. Front Cell Dev Biol 9:710292 PubMed PMID: 34527670. Pubmed Central PMCID: PMC8435600. Epub 2021/09/17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Assidi M, Montag M, Van Der Ven K, Sirard M-A (2011) Biomarkers of human oocyte developmental competence expressed in cumulus cells before ICSI: a preliminary study. J Assist Reprod Genet 28(2):173–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Regassa A, Rings F, Hoelker M, Cinar U, Tholen E, Looft C et al (2011) Transcriptome dynamics and molecular cross-talk between bovine oocyte and its companion cumulus cells. BMC Genomics 12(1):57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Assou S, Anahory T, Pantesco V, Le Carrour T, Pellestor F, Klein B et al (2006) The human cumulus–oocyte complex gene-expression profile. HumReprod 21(7):1705–1719

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Zhang Y, Shao L, Xu Y, Cui Y, Liu J, Chian R-C (2014) Effect of anti-Mullerian hormone in culture medium on quality of mouse oocytes matured in vitro. PLoS One 9(6):e99393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Di Clemente N, Jamin SP, Lugovskoy A, Carmillo P, Ehrenfels C, Picard J-Y et al (2010) Processing of anti-mullerian hormone regulates receptor activation by a mechanism distinct from TGF-β. Mol Endocrinol 24(11):2193–2206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Grøndahl ML, Nielsen ME, Dal Canto M, Fadini R, Rasmussen I, Westergaard L et al (2011) Anti-Müllerian hormone remains highly expressed in human cumulus cells during the final stages of folliculogenesis. Reprod BioMed Online 22(4):389–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Kawashima I, Okazaki T, Noma N, Nishibori M, Yamashita Y, Shimada M (2008) Sequential exposure of porcine cumulus cells to FSH and/or LH is critical for appropriate expression of steroidogenic and ovulation-related genes that impact oocyte maturation in vivo and in vitro. Reproduction. 136(1):9–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Salhab M, Tosca L, Cabau C, Papillier P, Perreau C, Dupont J et al (2011) Kinetics of gene expression and signaling in bovine cumulus cells throughout IVM in different mediums in relation to oocyte developmental competence, cumulus apoptosis and progesterone secretion. Theriogenology. 75(1):90–104

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Nielsen M, Rasmussen I, Kristensen SG, Christensen ST, Møllgård K, Wreford Andersen E et al (2010) In human granulosa cells from small antral follicles, androgen receptor mRNA and androgen levels in follicular fluid correlate with FSH receptor mRNA. Mol Hum Reprod 17(1):63–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Słomczyńska M, Duda M, zak Sl K (2001) The expression of androgen receptor, cytochrome P450 aromatase and FSH receptor mRNA in the porcine ovary. Folia Histochem Cytobiol 39(1):9–13

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This original paper was extracted from Fateme Montazeri' Ph.D. thesis in Molecular Genetics. We sincerely appreciate our colleagues in the ART section of Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute and Yazd Genome laboratory for their kindly collaboration.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abortion Research Center, Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Fateme Montazeri, Seyed Mehdi Kalantar, Marjan Omidi & Hanieh Shafienia

  2. Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

    Fateme Montazeri

  3. Reproductive Immunology Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Farzaneh Fesahat

  4. Biotechnology Research center, International Campus, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

    Mohammad Hasan Sheikhha & Seyed Mehdi Hoseini

Authors
  1. Fateme Montazeri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seyed Mehdi Kalantar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Farzaneh Fesahat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohammad Hasan Sheikhha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marjan Omidi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Hanieh Shafienia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Seyed Mehdi Hoseini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Foroughmand AM and Kalantar SM participated in the study design, and also, they were responsible for overall supervision and scientific counseling. Montazeri F performed the in vitro maturation of oocytes and sample collection (CC from GV and MII oocyte) for investigating gene expression of AMHR and FSHR, extraction, Q-PCR, statistical analysis, etc. Fesahat F. and Hoseini SM contributed to the laboratory experiment and scientific counseling. All authors performed the editing and approving the final version of this paper for submission, also participated in the finalization of the manuscript, and approved the final draft.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seyed Mehdi Hoseini.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This experimental study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. An informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Montazeri, F., Kalantar, S.M., Fesahat, F. et al. Association between cumulus cells—mRNA levels of AMHR2 and FSHR with oocyte maturity. Middle East Fertil Soc J 27, 26 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43043-022-00116-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43043-022-00116-4

Keywords