Gene expression of granulosa and cumulus cells: The prospect in predicting the quality and developmental competence of oocytes in vitro maturation

In vitro maturation (IVM), a promising assisted reproductive technology (ART), has been evolving in clinicaltrials and applications. There is a huge potential demand for IVM in clinical practice because it reduces the stimulation ofgonadotropins to patients and provides evidence for the safety of neonatal birth. Unfortunately, the maturation rate ofoocytes in vivo is not as high as it is in vivo due to a different microenvironment. Moreover, there are stillcontroversies in predicting the developmental capability of oocytes in IVM. The granulosa cells (GCs) and cumuluscells (CCs), closely surrounding the oocytes, play a critical role in oocytes development, while some studies haveshown that they can reflect the quality of oocytes. Many studies have been conducted in terms of oocyte quality intranscriptional level in GCs and CCs of mice, Xenopus africanus, and Homo sapiens, which provides importantenlightenment for the successful clinical application of IVM. However, no comprehensive reviews about how geneexpression profiles affect oocytes quality have been reported. This review aimed to elucidate the gene expressionprofiles of GCs and CCs that have effects on the quality and developmental competence of oocytes maturation invitro. And we also put forward a possible idea for ART in the future, integrating all gene expression profiles of GCsand CCs and predicting the quality of the oocytes.