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Sakurai J, Oka S, Higuchi Y, Ohsawa S, Fujimori T. Effects of blastocyst elongation and implantation chamber formation on the alignment of the embryonic axis and uterine axis in mice. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1421222. [PMID: 38946796 PMCID: PMC11211524 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1421222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Embryo implantation involves a series of events that bring the embryo and maternal tissues into contact to support post-implantation development in mammals. During implantation, alignment of the embryonic-abembryonic (E-Ab) axis of the blastocyst with the mesometrial-antimesometrial (M-AM) axis of the uterus precedes post-implantation embryonic development and placentation. In the present study, we observed the morphological changes in blastocysts and the endometrial luminal epithelium (LE) that occur during the alignment of the embryonic and the uterine axes. We found that at the time that the blastocysts attached to the LE at the mural trophectoderm, the embryonic axis was not aligned with the uterine axis. Alignment of the embryonic E-Ab axis with the uterine M-AM axis occurred after E4.0, and the embryo was significantly elongated during the process. The depth of the implantation chamber (IC) correlated with the degree of alignment, suggesting that elongated embryos are oriented along the M-AM axis during IC formation. Transplantation of the Concanavalin A (Con A)-coated beads induced IC formation, and the alignment of two Con A-coated beads present in the same IC in the M-AM direction suggested that elongated materials can align along the M-AM axis. These data suggest that an elongated shape of the embryo and IC formation coordinate the alignment of the embryonic and uterine axes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sakurai
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
- Deapartment of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Sanae Oka
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Yoko Higuchi
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Sonoko Ohsawa
- Model Organisms Facility, Trans-Scale Biology Center, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Fujimori
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
- Deapartment of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Japan
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Zhang P, Zhang H, Li C, Yang B, Feng X, Cao J, Du W, Shahzad M, Khan A, Sun SC, Zhao X. Effects of Regulating Hippo and Wnt on the Development and Fate Differentiation of Bovine Embryo. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3912. [PMID: 38612721 PMCID: PMC11011455 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The improvement of in vitro embryo development is a gateway to enhance the output of assisted reproductive technologies. The Wnt and Hippo signaling pathways are crucial for the early development of bovine embryos. This study investigated the development of bovine embryos under the influence of a Hippo signaling agonist (LPA) and a Wnt signaling inhibitor (DKK1). In this current study, embryos produced in vitro were cultured in media supplemented with LPA and DKK1. We comprehensively analyzed the impact of LPA and DKK1 on various developmental parameters of the bovine embryo, such as blastocyst formation, differential cell counts, YAP fluorescence intensity and apoptosis rate. Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was employed to elucidate the in vitro embryonic development. Our results revealed that LPA and DKK1 improved the blastocyst developmental potential, total cells, trophectoderm (TE) cells and YAP fluorescence intensity and decreased the apoptosis rate of bovine embryos. A total of 1203 genes exhibited differential expression between the control and LPA/DKK1-treated (LD) groups, with 577 genes upregulated and 626 genes downregulated. KEGG pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with TGF-beta signaling, Wnt signaling, apoptosis, Hippo signaling and other critical developmental pathways. Our study shows the role of LPA and DKK1 in embryonic differentiation and embryo establishment of pregnancy. These findings should be helpful for further unraveling the precise contributions of the Hippo and Wnt pathways in bovine trophoblast formation, thus advancing our comprehension of early bovine embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Zhang
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Hang Zhang
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Chongyang Li
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Baigao Yang
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xiaoyi Feng
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jianhua Cao
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Weihua Du
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Muhammad Shahzad
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Adnan Khan
- Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Shao-Chen Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xueming Zhao
- Institute of Animal Sciences (IAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Western Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
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Gao Y, Han W, Dong R, Wei S, Chen L, Gu Z, Liu Y, Guo W, Yan F. Efficient Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Trophoblast Stem-like Cells via Lats Kinase Inhibition. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:71. [PMID: 38392290 PMCID: PMC10886645 DOI: 10.3390/biology13020071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Mouse zygotes undergo multiple rounds of cell division, resulting in the formation of preimplantation blastocysts comprising three lineages: trophectoderm (TE), epiblast (EPI), and primitive endoderm (PrE). Cell fate determination plays a crucial role in establishing a healthy pregnancy. The initial separation of lineages gives rise to TE and inner cell mass (ICM), from which trophoblast stem cells (TSC) and embryonic stem cells (ESC) can be derived in vitro. Studying lineage differentiation is greatly facilitated by the clear functional distinction between TSC and ESC. However, transitioning between these two types of cells naturally poses challenges. In this study, we demonstrate that inhibiting LATS kinase promotes the conversion of ICM to TE and also effectively reprograms ESC into stable, self-renewing TS-like cells (TSLC). Compared to TSC, TSLC exhibits similar molecular properties, including the high expression of marker genes such as Cdx2, Eomes, and Tfap2c, as well as hypomethylation of their promoters. Importantly, TSLC not only displays the ability to differentiate into mature trophoblast cells in vitro but also participates in placenta formation in vivo. These findings highlight the efficient reprogramming of ESCs into TSLCs using a small molecular inducer, which provides a new reference for understanding the regulatory network between ESCs and TSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yake Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Wuhan Women's and Children's Medical Care Center, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Wenrui Han
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Rui Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Shu Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Lu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Zhaolei Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yiming Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Wei Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Fang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources, Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
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Seki M, Takeuchi E, Fukui E, Matsumoto H. Upregulation of iNOS and phosphorylated eNOS in the implantation-induced blastocysts of mice. Reprod Med Biol 2023; 22:e12545. [PMID: 37841392 PMCID: PMC10568119 DOI: 10.1002/rmb2.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to examine expressions of iNOS and phosphorylated eNOS (p-eNOS) in implantation-induced blastocysts. We also examined the upstream of p-eNOS. Methods To address the protein expressions in implantation-induced blastocysts, we performed immunohistochemical analysis using a delayed implantation mouse model. Immunostaining for iNOS, p-eNOS, and p-Akt was done. To address the relationship between p-eNOS and p-Akt, activated blastocysts were treated with an Akt inhibitor, MK-2206. Results iNOS expression was at low levels in dormant blastocysts, whereas the expression was significantly increased in the activated blastocysts. Double staining of p-eNOS and p-Akt in individual blastocysts showed colocalization of p-eNOS and p-Akt of the trophectoderm. p-eNOS and p-Akt expressions were at low levels in dormant blastocysts, whereas both of them were significantly increased in the activated blastocysts. Both dormant and activated blastocysts showed significant positive correlations between p-eNOS and p-Akt. MK-2206 treatment for activated blastocysts showed that blastocysts with lower p-Akt had significantly lower p-eNOS levels. Conclusions iNOS and p-eNOS, Ca2+ independent NOS, are upregulated by E2 in the blastocysts during implantation activation. Furthermore, p-eNOS is upregulated in implantation-induced blastocysts downstream of p-Akt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misato Seki
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Division of Animal Science, School of AgricultureUtsunomiya UniversityUtsunomiya, TochigiJapan
| | - Eisaku Takeuchi
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Division of Animal Science, School of AgricultureUtsunomiya UniversityUtsunomiya, TochigiJapan
| | - Emiko Fukui
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Division of Animal Science, School of AgricultureUtsunomiya UniversityUtsunomiya, TochigiJapan
- Center for Bioscience Research and EducationUtsunomiya UniversityUtsunomiya, TochigiJapan
| | - Hiromichi Matsumoto
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Reproduction, Division of Animal Science, School of AgricultureUtsunomiya UniversityUtsunomiya, TochigiJapan
- Center for Bioscience Research and EducationUtsunomiya UniversityUtsunomiya, TochigiJapan
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Huang Z, Tang Z, Guan H, Leung W, Wang L, Xia H, Zhang W. Inactivation of Yes-Associated Protein Mediates Trophoblast Dysfunction: A New Mechanism of Pregnancy Loss Associated with Anti-Phospholipid Antibodies? Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10123296. [PMID: 36552052 PMCID: PMC9776042 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy morbidity induced by anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL+/PM+) is mainly thought to arise from placental abnormalities. We attempted to investigate the effect of aPL on the activity of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in the trophoblast and how YAP regulated human trophoblasts function. Thus, HTR-8 cells were treated with IgG purified from aPL+/PM+ women or normal controls. We found that aPL+/PM+ IgG impacted YAP activity via abrogating YAP expression. Further investigation of the anti-β2GPI-IgG/β2GPI complex showed an inhibition of nuclear YAP level and translocation in a dose-dependent manner, which might be rescued by progesterone in HTR-8 cells. YAP overexpression or knockdown HTR-8 cells were established for the evaluation of cell function and related gene expression in vitro. Loss of YAP arrested cell cycles in the G2/M phase, accelerated cell apoptosis by increasing the ratio of Bax/Bcl2, and disrupted MMP2/9-mediated cell migration and angiogenesis tube formation by VEGF. These findings support a new mechanism of PM associated with aPL through which YAP inactivation induced by aPL perturbs the trophoblast cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, and angiogenesis, finally developing into pregnancy failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zengshu Huang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Zhijing Tang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Haiyun Guan
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Wingting Leung
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Hexia Xia
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai 200011, China
- Correspondence:
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Suzuki D, Sasaki K, Kumamoto S, Tanaka K, Ogawa H. Dynamic Changes of Gene Expression in Mouse Mural Trophectoderm Regulated by Cdx2 During Implantation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:945241. [PMID: 36051443 PMCID: PMC9425295 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.945241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Implantation of the blastocyst into the uterus is a specific and essential process for mammalian embryonic development. In mice, implantation is initiated from the mural trophectoderm of the blastocyst and the mTE controls implantation progression by acquiring the ability to attach and invade into the endometrium while differentiating into primary trophoblast giant cells. Nevertheless, it remains largely unclear when and how the mTE differentiates and acquires this ability during implantation. Here, by RNA sequencing analysis with the pre- and peri-implantation mTE, we show that the mTE undergoes stage-specific and dynamic changes of gene expression during implantation. We also reveal that the mTE begins down-regulating Cdx2 and up-regulating differentiation marker genes during the peri-implantation stage. In addition, using trophectoderm (TE) -specific lentiviral vector-mediated gene transduction, we demonstrate that TE-specific Cdx2 overexpression represses differentiation of the mTE into the primary trophoblast giant cells. Moreover, we reveal that TE-specific Cdx2 overexpression also represses the up-regulation of cell adhesion- and migration-related genes, including Slc6a14, Slc16a3, Itga7, Itgav and Itgb3, which are known to regulate migration of trophectoderm cells. In particular, the expression of Itgb3, an integrin subunit gene, exhibits high inverse correlation with that of Cdx2 in the TE. Reflecting the down-regulation of the genes for TE migration, TE-specific Cdx2 overexpression causes suppression of the blastocyst outgrowth in vitro and abnormal progression of implantation in vivo. Thus, our results specify the time-course changes of global gene expression in the mTE during implantation and uncover the significance of Cdx2 down-regulation for implantation progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Suzuki
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Sasaki
- Bioresource Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan
| | - Soichiro Kumamoto
- NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tanaka
- NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidehiko Ogawa
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Life Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Hidehiko Ogawa,
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