Surfeit locus protein 4 modulates endoplasmic reticulum function and maintains oocyte quality.

Surfeit locus protein 4 is a cargo receptor mediating cargo transport from the endoplasmic reticulum lumen to the Golgi apparatus. Loss of <italic>Surf4</italic> gene led to embryonic lethality in mice. However, the role of <italic>Surf4</italic> during oocyte development remains unknown. In this study, we generated the mouse model with oocyte-specific knockout of <italic>Surf4</italic> gene. We found that adult mice with deletion of <italic>Surf4</italic> showed normal folliculogenesis, ovulation and fertility. However, loss of <italic>Surf4</italic> slightly impaired oocyte quality, thus led to partial oocyte meiotic arrest and reduced ratio of blastocyst formation. Consistent with this, the distribution of endoplasmic reticulum was disturbed in <italic>Surf4</italic>-deficient oocytes in mice. These results demonstrated that although <italic>Surf4</italic> is dispensable for female mouse fertility, <italic>Surf4</italic> modulates endoplasmic reticulum arrangement and participates in regulation of developmental competence of oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]