Impaired oocyte maturation and ovulation in membrane progestin receptor (mPR) knockouts in zebrafish

Accumulating evidence suggest that membrane progestin receptor α (mPRα) is the membrane receptor mediating nongenomic progestin signaling that induces oocyte maturation in teleost. However, the involvement of other members of mPR family in oocyte maturation is still unclear. In this study, we found impaired oocyte maturation in zebrafish lacking mPRα1, mPRα2, mPRβ, or mPRγ2. In contrast, no difference was observed in oocyte maturation in the single knockout of mPRγ1, mPRδ, or mPRε. To study possible redundant functions of different mPRs in oocyte maturation, we generated a zebrafish line lacking all seven kinds of mPRs (mprs(−/−)). We found oocyte maturation was further impaired in mprs(−/−). In addition, oocyte ovulation delay was observed in mprs(−/−) females, which was associated with low levels of nuclear progestin receptor (Pgr), a key regulator for ovulation. We also found reduced fertility in mprs(−/−) female zebrafish. Furthermore, eggs spawned by mprs(−/−) females were of poor quality.