Mammalian oviduct and protection against free oxygen radicals: expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes in human and mouse

Genetic expression of five antioxidant enzymes involved in mechanisms prote cting embryos against reactive oxygen species (ROS) was studied in human an d mouse oviducts. The presence of transcripts encoding for gamma-glutamylcy steine synthetase (GCS), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), Cu-Zn-superoxide dis mutase (Cu-Zn-SOD), Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and catalase was analy sed by use of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Different expression profiles of transcripts encoding for these enzymes we re observed between human and mouse oviducts. In the mouse, all transcripts encoding for the enzymes tested were present in oviduct. In human, only tr anscripts encoding for GPX, Cu-Zn-SOD and catalase were also detected in ov iduct. However, GCS and Mn-SOD transcripts were never observed in human ovi duct. Cu-Zn-SOD transcripts are relatively highly expressed whatever specie s. These results suggest that different gene expression patterns of these a ntioxidant enzymes between human and mouse may reflect the variations in th e ability of embryos to develop in vivo and in vitro. However, hormone rela ted-expression of the missing transcripts in human cannot be ruled out. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.