CXCL12 May Drive Inflammatory Potential in the Ovine Corpus Luteum During Implantation

Environmentally related microcystin-LR-induced ovarian dysfunction via the CCL2-CCR10 axis in mice ameliorated by dietary mulberry

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a reproductive toxin produced by cyanobacteria in the aquatic environment and can be ingested by humans through drinking water and the food chain, posing a threat to human reproductive health. However, the toxic mechanisms and prospective interventions for MC-LR-induced ovarian dysfunction at environmental doses are unknown. The mulberry fruit is a traditional natural product of plant origin, with various pharmacological effects, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, mice were exposed to MC-LR (10, 100 μg/L) in drinking water for 90 days, during which mice were gavage 600 mg/kg/week of mulberry fruit extract (MFE). It was found that MC-LR can accumulate in mouse ovaries, causing sexual hormone disturbance, inflammatory infiltration, and ovarian pathological damage. Results from RNA-seq were shown that CCL2, a chemokine associated with inflammatory response, was significantly increased in mouse ovary after MC-LR exposure. Further investigation revealed that MC-LR exposure aggravates apoptosis of granulosa cells via the CCL2-CCR10 axis-mediated Jak/Stat pathway. Importantly, MFE can significantly ameliorate these ovarian dysfunction phenotypes by inhibiting the activation of the CCL2-CCR10 axis. This study broadened new insights into the ovarian toxicity of MC-LR and clarified the pharmacological effects of mulberry fruit on ovarian function protection.

Placental insufficiency and heavier placentas in sheep after suppressing CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling during implantation†

During implantation, trophoblast cell invasion and differentiation is predominantly important to achieving proper placental formation and embryonic development. The chemokine, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) working through its receptor C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is implicated in implantation and placentation but precise roles of this axis are unclear. Suppressing CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling at the fetal-maternal interface in sheep reduces trophoblast invasion, disrupts uterine remodeling, and diminishes placental vascularization. We hypothesize these negative impacts during implantation will manifest as compromised fetal and placental growth at midgestation. To test, on day 12 postbreeding, osmotic pumps were surgically installed in 30 ewes and delivered intrauterine CXCR4 inhibitor or saline for 7 or 14 days. On day 90, fetal/maternal tissues were collected, measured, weighed, and maternal (caruncle) and fetal (cotyledon) placenta components separated and analyzed. The objectives were to determine if (i) suppressing CXCL12/CXCR4 during implantation results in reduced fetal and placental growth and development and (ii) if varying the amount of time CXCL12/CXCR4 is suppressed impacts fetal/placental development. Fetal weights were similar; however greater placental weight and placentome numbers occurred when CXCL12/CXCR4 was suppressed for 14 days. In caruncles, greater abundance of fibroblast growth factor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor A, vascular endothelial growth factor A receptor 1 (FLT-1), and placental growth factor were observed after suppressing CXCL12/CXCR4. Similar results occurred in cotyledons except less vascular endothelial growth factor in 7 day group and less fibroblast growth factor in 14 day group. Our data underscore the importance of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling during placentation and provide strong evidence that altering CXCL12-mediated signaling induces enduring placental effects manifesting later in gestation.

Alterated gene expression in dilated cardiomyopathy after left ventricular assist device support by bioinformatics analysis

Introduction

Heart transplantation is the best treatment for end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support is becoming more prevalent and may delay heart transplantation. Gene expression of the left ventricular myocardium usually changes following LVAD implantation. In this study, we aimed to identify potential biomarkers to determine the prognosis of patients with DCM after receiving LVAD support.

Methods

We extracted microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), including GSE430 and GSE21610. There were 28 paired DCM samples in the GSE430 and GSE21610 profiles. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at LVAD implantation and heart transplantation. DEGs were annotated according to Gene Ontology (GO) and analyzed according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. The top 10 crucial genes were predicted using Cytoscape plugin CytoHubba in conformity with the network degree algorithm. The levels of gene expression and the diagnostic values of crucial genes were confirmed in the clinical datasets.

Results

The 28 DEGs were clustered into the GSE datasets. GO annotations and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses revealed that inflammation might be involved. They were associated with correlative inflammation. Combined with PPI networks, these results revealed CytoHubba's top 10 hub genes, including CCL2, CXCL12, CXCL1, CTGF/CCN2, CX3CR1, POSTN, FKBP5, SELE, AIF1, and BMP2. Among them, CCL2, CXCL12, FKBP5, and BMP2 might be considered prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers after LVAD support and have confirmed their validity in clinical datasets. The area under the curve of the four main hub genes was more than 0.85, indicating high diagnostic ability and good prognosis for patients with DCM with LVAD implantation. However, a significant effect of CCL2, CXCL12, FKBP5, and BMP2 expression was not observed on the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), cardiac index (CI), or support time of LVAD.

Conclusion

CCL2, CXCL12, FKBP5, and BMP2 could be potential gene biomarkers for patients with DCM after LVAD support. These findings provide critical clues for the therapeutic management of patients with DCM and LVADs. LVEDD, LVEF, CI, and support time of LVAD were not correlated with the expression of these hub genes.

Chemerin Impact on Alternative mRNA Transcription in the Porcine Luteal Cells

Chemerin participates in the regulation of processes related to physiological and disorder mechanisms in mammals, including metabolism, obesity, inflammation, and reproduction. In this study, we have investigated chemerin influence on alternative mRNA transcription within the porcine luteal cell transcriptome, such as differential expression of long non-coding RNAs (DELs) and their interactions with differentially expressed genes (DEGs), differences in alternative splicing of transcripts (DASs), and allele-specific expression (ASEs) related to the single nucleotide variants (SNVs) frequency. Luteal cells were collected from gilts during the mid-luteal phase of the oestrous cycle. After in vitro culture of cells un-/treated with chemerin, the total RNA was isolated and sequenced using the high-throughput method. The in silico analyses revealed 24 DELs cis interacting with 6 DEGs and trans-correlated with 300 DEGs, 137 DASs events, and 18 ASEs. The results enabled us to analyse metabolic and signalling pathways in detail, providing new insights into the effects of chemerin on the corpus luteum functions related to inflammatory response, leukocyte infiltration, the occurrence of luteotropic and luteolytic signals (leading to apoptosis and/or necroptosis). Validation of the results using qPCR confirmed the predicted expression changes. Chemerin at physiological concentrations significantly modifies the transcription processes in the porcine luteal cells.