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Meinecke B, Meinecke-Tillmann S. Lab partners: oocytes, embryos and company. A personal view on aspects of oocyte maturation and the development of monozygotic twins. Anim Reprod 2023; 20:e20230049. [PMID: 37547564 PMCID: PMC10399133 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2023-0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The present review addresses the oocyte and the preimplantation embryo, and is intended to highlight the underlying principle of the "nature versus/and nurture" question. Given the diversity in mammalian oocyte maturation, this review will not be comprehensive but instead will focus on the porcine oocyte. Historically, oogenesis was seen as the development of a passive cell nursed and determined by its somatic compartment. Currently, the advanced analysis of the cross-talk between the maternal environment and the oocyte shows a more balanced relationship: Granulosa cells nurse the oocyte, whereas the latter secretes diffusible factors that regulate proliferation and differentiation of the granulosa cells. Signal molecules of the granulosa cells either prevent the precocious initiation of meiotic maturation or enable oocyte maturation following hormonal stimulation. A similar question emerges in research on monozygotic twins or multiples: In Greek and medieval times, twins were not seen as the result of the common course of nature but were classified as faults. This seems still valid today for the rare and until now mainly unknown genesis of facultative monozygotic twins in mammals. Monozygotic twins are unique subjects for studies of the conceptus-maternal dialogue, the intra-pair similarity and dissimilarity, and the elucidation of the interplay between nature and nurture. In the course of in vivo collections of preimplantation sheep embryos and experiments on embryo splitting and other microsurgical interventions we recorded observations on double blastocysts within a single zona pellucida, double inner cell masses in zona-enclosed blastocysts and double germinal discs in elongating embryos. On the basis of these observations we add some pieces to the puzzle of the post-zygotic genesis of monozygotic twins and on maternal influences on the developing conceptus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burkhard Meinecke
- Institut für Reproduktionsbiologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Hanover, Germany
- Ambulatorische und Geburtshilfliche Veterinärklinik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sabine Meinecke-Tillmann
- Institut für Reproduktionsbiologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Hanover, Germany
- Institut für Tierzucht und Haustiergenetik, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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Zhang Z, Shi Q, Zhu X, Jin L, Lang L, Lyu S, Xin X, Huang Y, Yu X, Li Z, Chen S, Xu Z, Zhang W, Wang E. Identification and Functional Analysis of Transcriptome Profiles, Long Non-Coding RNAs, Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms, and Alternative Splicing from the Oocyte to the Preimplantation Stage of Sheep by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1145. [PMID: 37372325 DOI: 10.3390/genes14061145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous dynamic and complicated processes characterize development from the oocyte to the embryo. However, given the importance of functional transcriptome profiles, long non-coding RNAs, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and alternative splicing during embryonic development, the effect that these features have on the blastomeres of 2-, 4-, 8-, 16-cell, and morula stages of development has not been studied. Here, we carried out experiments to identify and functionally analyze the transcriptome profiles, long non-coding RNAs, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and alternative splicing (AS) of cells from sheep from the oocyte to the blastocyst developmental stages. We found between the oocyte and zygote groups significantly down-regulated genes and the second-largest change in gene expression occurred between the 8- and 16-cell stages. We used various methods to construct a profile to characterize cellular and molecular features and systematically analyze the related GO and KEGG profile of cells of all stages from the oocyte to the blastocyst. This large-scale, single-cell atlas provides key cellular information and will likely assist clinical studies in improving preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijing Zhang
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Qiaoting Shi
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Xiaoting Zhu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Lei Jin
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Limin Lang
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Shijie Lyu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Xiaoling Xin
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Yongzhen Huang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
| | - Xiang Yu
- Henan Animal Health Supervision Institute, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Zhiming Li
- Henan Provincial Animal Husbandry General Station, Zhengzhou 450008, China
| | - Sujuan Chen
- Synthetic Biology Engineering Lab of Henan Province, School of Sciences and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Zhaoxue Xu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Eryao Wang
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 116 Hua Yuan Road, Zhengzhou 450002, China
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Olbrich T, Ruiz S. Genome architecture and totipotency: An intertwined relation during early embryonic development. Bioessays 2022; 44:e2200029. [PMID: 35560026 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomes are not randomly packed and positioned into the nucleus but folded in higher-order chromatin structures with defined functions. However, the genome of a fertilized embryo undergoes a dramatic epigenetic reprogramming characterized by extensive chromatin relaxation and the lack of a defined three-dimensional structure. This reprogramming is followed by a slow genome refolding that gradually strengthens the chromatin architecture during preimplantation development. Interestingly, genome refolding during early development coincides with a progressive loss of developmental potential suggesting a link between chromatin organization and cell plasticity. In agreement, loss of chromatin architecture upon depletion of the insulator transcription factor CTCF in embryonic stem cells led to the upregulation of the transcriptional program found in totipotent cells of the embryo, those with the highest developmental potential. This essay will discuss the impact of genome folding in controlling the expression of transcriptional programs involved in early development and their plastic-associated features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Olbrich
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sergio Ruiz
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Krawczyk K, Kosyl E, Częścik-Łysyszyn K, Wyszomirski T, Maleszewski M. Developmental capacity is unevenly distributed among single blastomeres of 2-cell and 4-cell stage mouse embryos. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21422. [PMID: 34728646 PMCID: PMC8563712 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00834-1] [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: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
During preimplantation development, mammalian embryo cells (blastomeres) cleave, gradually losing their potencies and differentiating into three primary cell lineages: epiblast (EPI), trophectoderm (TE), and primitive endoderm (PE). The exact moment at which cells begin to vary in their potency for multilineage differentiation still remains unknown. We sought to answer the question of whether single cells isolated from 2- and 4-cell embryos differ in their ability to generate the progenitors and cells of blastocyst lineages. We revealed that twins were often able to develop into blastocysts containing inner cell masses (ICMs) with PE and EPI cells. Despite their capacity to create a blastocyst, the twins differed in their ability to produce EPI, PE, and TE cell lineages. In contrast, quadruplets rarely formed normal blastocysts, but instead developed into blastocysts with ICMs composed of only one cell lineage or completely devoid of an ICM altogether. We also showed that quadruplets have unequal capacities to differentiate into TE, PE, and EPI lineages. These findings could explain the difficulty of creating monozygotic twins and quadruplets from 2- and 4-cell stage mouse embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Krawczyk
- Department of Embryology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Ewa Kosyl
- Department of Embryology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Karolina Częścik-Łysyszyn
- Department of Embryology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Wyszomirski
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marek Maleszewski
- Department of Embryology, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland.
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Genet M, Torres-Padilla ME. The molecular and cellular features of 2-cell-like cells: a reference guide. Development 2020; 147:147/16/dev189688. [PMID: 32847823 DOI: 10.1242/dev.189688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Currently, two main cell culture models predominate pluripotent stem cell research: embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Thanks to their ability to contribute to and form all tissues within the body, ESCs and iPSCs have proven invaluable in understanding pluripotent states, early embryonic development and cell differentiation, as well as in devising strategies for regenerative medicine. Comparatively little is known about totipotency - a cellular state with greater developmental potential. In mice, only the zygote and the blastomeres of the 2-cell-stage embryo are truly totipotent, as they alone can develop to form the embryo and all of its supportive extra-embryonic tissues. However, the discovery of a rare subpopulation of cells in murine ESC cultures, possessing features of 2-cell embryo blastomeres and expanded cell fate potential, has provided a biochemically tractable model to enable the in vitro study of totipotency. Here, we summarize current known features of these 2-cell-like cells (2CLCs) in an effort to provide a reference for the community, and to clarify what we know about their identity so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Genet
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells (IES), Helmholtz Zentrum München, D-81377, Germany
| | - Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells (IES), Helmholtz Zentrum München, D-81377, Germany .,Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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