{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T06:21:28Z","timestamp":1783405288481,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783382400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell Dev. Biol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are an imperative conservation tool to rescue species from extinction. An essential step towards technological advancements and ARTs\u2019 successes is identifying optimal\n                      <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      culture conditions to mature oocytes, carry out fertilization, and culture embryos for future transfer. The role of follicular fluid-derived extracellular vesicles (FF-EVs) and granulosa cells (GC) in follicular development, oocyte maturation, and fertilization has been extensively studied for decades in human and domestic species models.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      This study aimed to identify transcriptomic differences in GC mRNA and miRNA expression, as well as miRNA cargo in FF-EVs in the southern white rhinoceros (SWR), and to integrate these datasets to uncover coordinated regulatory networks associated with oocytes that matured (with polarbody, PB) compared to those that failed to mature (without polar body, NoPB) following\n                      <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      maturation.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Overall, in GCs, 1,117 transcripts (including both annotated and unannotated) were differentially expressed between groups. In GC-derived miRNAs, 11 were differentially expressed, all of which were upregulated in the PB group. In FF- EV samples, 15 miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed between the two groups. Comparison of predicted miRNA targets with the differentially expressed genes revealed multiple overlapping genes, suggesting a coordinated post-transcriptional regulation mechanism.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      These miRNA-mRNA interactions are potential targets for further investigation, both as potential modulators to improve\n                      <jats:italic>in vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      maturation outcomes and as biomarkers for predicting oocyte maturation potential in the SWR. In conclusion, the EV\u2013mediated mRNA-miRNA signaling occurring during folliculogenesis in the SWR may offer critical insights into physiological reproductive conditions that contribute to oocyte maturation, ultimately informing the development of novel reproductive strategies to enhance ART outcomes in this species and others.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2026.1849851","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T05:48:32Z","timestamp":1783403312000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Integrated molecular analysis of granulosa cells and follicular fluid extracellular vesicles reveals predictive biomarkers of oocyte maturation in the southern white rhinoceros"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Ahmed","family":"Gad","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory (ARBL), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University","place":["Fort Collins, CO, United States"]},{"name":"Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University","place":["Giza, Egypt"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristin","family":"Klohonatz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research on Reproduction and Women\u2019s Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania","place":["Philadelphia, PA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nico G.","family":"Menjivar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory (ARBL), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University","place":["Fort Collins, CO, United States"]},{"name":"Stanford Fertility and Reproductive Health Services, Stanford Medicine Children\u2019s Health","place":["Sunnyvale, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dawit","family":"Tesfaye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory (ARBL), College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University","place":["Fort Collins, CO, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elena","family":"Ruggeri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Reproductive Sciences, Conservation Science Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance","place":["Escondido, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"W537","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gky379","article-title":"The galaxy platform for accessible, reproducible and collaborative biomedical analyses: 2018 update","volume":"46","author":"Afgan","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nucleic Acids Res."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1036","DOI":"10.1111\/rda.13021","article-title":"Cellular and extracellular vesicular origins of miRNAs within the bovine ovarian follicle","volume":"52","author":"Andrade","year":"2017","journal-title":"Reprod. 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