Figure 3.

Effects of NMNAT2 knockdown on spindle assembly and chromosome alignment in oocyte meiosis. (a) Control and NMNAT2‐KD oocytes were stained with α‐tubulin antibody to visualize spindle (green) and counterstained with PI to visualize chromosomes (red). Representative confocal sections are shown. Spindle defects (arrows) and chromosomes misalignment (arrowheads) were frequently observed in NMNAT2‐KD oocytes. (b) Quantification of control and NMNAT2‐KD oocytes with abnormal spindle/chromosomes (n = 120 for each group). (c) Chromosome spread of control and NMNAT2‐KD MII oocytes. Chromosomes were stained with Hoechst 33342 (blue), and kinetochores were labeled with CREST (purple). Representative confocal images are shown. Arrowheads indicate the premature separation of sister chromatids. (d) Histogram showing the incidence of aneuploidy in control and NMNAT2‐KD oocytes (n = 20 for each group). Error bars indicate ± SD. *p < 0.05 versus controls. Scale bar, 25 µm