The ability to achieve meiotic maturation in the dog oocyte is linked to glycolysis and glutamine oxidation

We tested the hypothesis that meiotic competence of dog oocytes is tightly linked with donor follicle size and energy metabolism. Oocytes were recovered from small (<1 mm diameter, n = 327), medium (1–<2 mm, n = 292) or large (≥2 mm, n = 102) follicles, cultured for 0, 24, or 48 hr, and then assessed for glycolysis, glucose oxidation, pyruvate uptake, glutamine oxidation, and nuclear status. More oocytes ( P  < 0.05) from large follicles (37%) reached the metaphase‐II (MII) stage than from the small group (11%), with the medium‐sized class being intermediate (18%; P  > 0.05). Glycolytic rate increased ( P  < 0.05) as oocytes progressed from the germinal vesicle (GV) to MII stage. After 48 hr of culture, oocytes completing nuclear maturation had higher ( P  < 0.05) glycolytic rates than those arrested at earlier stages. GV oocytes recovered from large follicle oocytes had higher ( P  < 0.05) metabolism than those from smaller counterparts at culture onset. MII oocytes from large follicles oxidized more ( P  < 0.05) glutamine than the same stage gametes recovered from smaller counterparts. In summary, larger‐sized dog follicles contain a more metabolically active oocyte with a greater chance of achieving nuclear maturation in vitro. These findings demonstrate a significant role for energy metabolism in promoting dog oocyte maturation, information that will be useful for improving culture systems for rescuing intraovarian genetic material. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 79: 186–196, 2012. Published 2011. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.