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Li P, Zhang H, Yan K, Sui L, Du Y, Hu J, Xu H, Yang X, Liang X. Insufficient pyruvate in culture medium arrests mouse embryos at the first cleavage stage associated with abnormal epigenetic modifications. Theriogenology 2022; 181:119-125. [PMID: 35078124 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Energy is essential for early embryogenesis, and fertilized eggs can successfully develop to blastocyst in in vitro culture medium with an appropriate energy supply. Conversely, embryonic development is negatively affected by a suboptimal energy supply. We previously observed that a low level of pyruvate greatly arrests mouse embryos at the 2-cell stage. However, how methylation modifications are affected at this specific stage remains unknown. In this study, we found that mouse embryos could timely develop to the 4-cell stage in K+simplex optimized medium (KSOM) with control level of pyruvate, but embryos were significantly arrested at the 2-cell stage when pyruvate was reduced to 0.2-fold of the control level. Moreover, the fluorescence intensities of 5 mC, H3K4me2, H3K9me2 and H3K27me2 in the 2-cell stage embryos of the 0.2-fold pyruvate group were notedly lower than those of the control group, but N6-methyladenosine (m6A) fluorescence intensity was higher, suggesting that global genomic DNA, histone and m6A methylation modifications are disrupted with low levels of pyruvate. Consistently, the mRNA levels of genes related to DNA methylation, histone methylation and m6A modifications were also disturbed in the 2-cell stage embryos cultured with low levels of pyruvate. In summary, our findings demonstrate that insufficient pyruvate in culture medium results in mouse embryonic developmental arrest, at least in part due to defects in methylation modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Hengye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Ke Yan
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Lumin Sui
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Ya Du
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Jiahao Hu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Huiyan Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Xiaogan Yang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China
| | - Xingwei Liang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China; College of Animal Science & Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530004, China.
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Stone BJ, Steele KH, Men H, Srodulski SJ, Bryda EC, Fath-Goodin A. A Nonsurgical Embryo Transfer Technique for Fresh and Cultured Blastocysts in Rats. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE 2020; 59:488-495. [PMID: 32787997 DOI: 10.30802/aalas-jaalas-19-000163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The use of a nonsurgical embryo transfer technique in rodents eliminates the potential pain, distress, and health complications that may result from a surgical procedure and as such, represents a refinement in rodent assisted reproductive techniques. A nonsurgical technique has not been previously developed for use with rat embryos. Here we describe an efficient method to deliver either fresh or cultured blastocyst stage embryos to the uterine horn of pseudopregnant female rats using a rat nonsurgical embryo transfer (rNSET) device. The rNSET device is composed of a Teflon catheter and a hub that attaches to a 2 μL pipette. Oxytocin is used to dilate the cervix before the delivery of blastocysts, allowing passage of the rNSET catheter directly into the uterine horn for embryo delivery. The efficiency of recovery of pups after nonsurgical embryo transfer is similar to the efficiency after surgical embryo transfer. Furthermore, the technique is not stressful to the subjects, as demonstrated by the absence of a decrease in weight or increase in fecal corticosterone level in recipients of embryos delivered nonsurgically, without the use of anesthesia or analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hongsheng Men
- Rat Resource and Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | | | - Elizabeth C Bryda
- Rat Resource and Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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