OVGP1 is an oviductal fluid factor essential particularly for early embryonic development in golden hamsters

The mammalian oviductal lumen is a specialized chamber that provides an environment that strictly regulates fertilization an early embryogenesis, the regulatory mechanisms to gametes/zygote are still largely unknown. In this report, we studied the oviductal regulation of early embryonic development using Ovgp1 (a gene encoding an oviductal humoral factor, OVGP1)-knockout (KO) hamsters. The experimental results revealed the following: 1) Female Ovgp1-KO hamsters fail to produce any litters at all; 2) In the oviducts from KO animal, fertilized eggs are sometimes identified, but their morphology shows abnormal features; 3) The number of implantations in the KO females is evidently low; 4) Even if implantations occur, the embryos develop abnormally and eventually become embryonic lethal; and 5) Ovgp1-KO females transferred to wild-type females produce KO egg-derived litters, but the reverse experiment does not. These results suggest that OVGP1-mediated physiological events are crucial for early embryonic development in vivo. This animal model shows that the fate of the fertilized egg is not only genetically determined, but that the surrounding oviductal microenvironment plays a pivotal role in normal embryonic development. Summary statementDeficiency an oviductal humoral factor (OVGP1) caused female infertility in the golden hamsters. The presence or absence of OVGP1 has significant physiological effects on early embryonic development in vivo.