RNA-Seq Facilitates Quantitative Analysis of Wild Type and Bnc1tr/tr oocyte Transcriptomes

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a clinical syndrome of ovarian dysfunction characterized by premature exhaustion of primordial follicles. POI causes infertility, serious daily life disturbances and long-term health risks. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. We have previously identified Basonuclin1 (BNC1) mutation from a large Chinese POI pedigree and find the targeted Bnc1 mutation mouse exhibites POI. In this study, we find that BNC1 plays a key role in the dynamic balance of ovarian reserve, and maintaining lipid metabolism and redox homeostasis in oocytes during follicular development. Deficiency of BNC1 results in premature follicular activation and accelerated follicular atresia, but doesn’t affect the ovarian primordial follicle reserve. Mechanistically, BNC1 targets the NF2-YAP pathway to trigger oocyte ferroptosis. Inhibition of ferroptosis significantly rescues POI. These findings uncover a novel pathologic mechanism of POI based on BNC1 deficiency and is the first report showing ferroptosis involved in oocyte death. Oocyte mRNA profiles of 12-weeks old wild type (WT) and Bnc1tr/tr mice