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Golden TN, Mani S, Linn RL, Leite R, Trigg NA, Wilson A, Anton L, Mainigi M, Conine CC, Kaufman BA, Strauss JF, Parry S, Simmons RA. Extracellular vesicles alter trophoblast function in pregnancies complicated by COVID-19. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.17.580824. [PMID: 38464046 PMCID: PMC10925147 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.17.580824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and resulting coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes placental dysfunction, which increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. While abnormal placental pathology resulting from COVID-19 is common, direct infection of the placenta is rare. This suggests that pathophysiology associated with maternal COVID-19, rather than direct placental infection, is responsible for placental dysfunction and alteration of the placental transcriptome. We hypothesized that maternal circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs), altered by COVID-19 during pregnancy, contribute to placental dysfunction. To examine this hypothesis, we characterized maternal circulating EVs from pregnancies complicated by COVID-19 and tested their effects on trophoblast cell physiology in vitro . We found that the gestational timing of COVID-19 is a major determinant of circulating EV function and cargo. In vitro trophoblast exposure to EVs isolated from patients with an active infection at the time of delivery, but not EVs isolated from Controls, altered key trophoblast functions including hormone production and invasion. Thus, circulating EVs from participants with an active infection, both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, can disrupt vital trophoblast functions. EV cargo differed between participants with COVID-19 and Controls, which may contribute to the disruption of the placental transcriptome and morphology. Our findings show that COVID-19 can have effects throughout pregnancy on circulating EVs and circulating EVs are likely to participate in placental dysfunction induced by COVID-19.
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2
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Liu Z, Fu S, He X, Dai L, Liu X, Narisu, Shi C, Gu M, Wang Y, Manda, Guo L, Bao Y, Baiyinbatu, Chang C, Liu Y, Zhang W. Integrated Multi-Tissue Transcriptome Profiling Characterizes the Genetic Basis and Biomarkers Affecting Reproduction in Sheep ( Ovis aries). Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1881. [PMID: 37895230 PMCID: PMC10606288 DOI: 10.3390/genes14101881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The heritability of litter size in sheep is low and controlled by multiple genes, but the research on its related genes is not sufficient. Here, to explore the expression pattern of multi-tissue genes in Chinese native sheep, we selected 10 tissues of the three adult ewes with the highest estimated breeding value in the early study of the prolific Xinggao sheep population. The global gene expression analysis showed that the ovary, uterus, and hypothalamus expressed the most genes. Using the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) cluster analysis, these samples were clustered into eight clusters. The functional enrichment analysis showed that the genes expressed in the spleen, uterus, and ovary were significantly enriched in the Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Protein (ATM) signaling pathway, and most genes in the liver, spleen, and ovary were enriched in the immune response pathway. Moreover, we focus on the expression genes of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis (HPO) and found that 11,016 genes were co-expressed in the three tissues, and different tissues have different functions, but the oxytocin signaling pathway was widely enriched. To further explore the differences in the expression genes (DEGs) of HPO in different sheep breeds, we downloaded the transcriptome data in the public data, and the analysis of DEGs (Xinggao sheep vs. Sunite sheep in Hypothalamus, Xinggao sheep vs. Sunite sheep in Pituitary, and Xinggao sheep vs. Suffolk sheep in Ovary) revealed the neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions. In addition, the gene subsets of the transcription factors (TFs) of DEGs were identified. The results suggest that 51 TF genes and the homeobox TF may play an important role in transcriptional variation across the HPO. Altogether, our study provided the first fundamental resource to investigate the physiological functions and regulation mechanisms in sheep. This important data contributes to improving our understanding of the reproductive biology of sheep and isolating effecting molecular markers that can be used for genetic selection in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaixia Liu
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Shaoyin Fu
- Institute of Animal Husbandry, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China; (S.F.); (X.H.)
| | - Xiaolong He
- Institute of Animal Husbandry, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China; (S.F.); (X.H.)
| | - Lingli Dai
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
- Veterinary Research Institute, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
| | - Xuewen Liu
- Animal Husbandry and Bioengineering, College of Agronomy, Xing’an Vocational and Technical College, Ulanhot 137400, China;
| | - Narisu
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Caixia Shi
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
| | - Mingjuan Gu
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Yu Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China;
| | - Manda
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
| | - Lili Guo
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
- School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China;
| | - Yanchun Bao
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Baiyinbatu
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Chencheng Chang
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
| | - Yongbin Liu
- School of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China;
| | - Wenguang Zhang
- College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; (Z.L.); (L.D.); (N.); (C.S.); (M.G.); (M.); (L.G.); (Y.B.); (B.); (C.C.)
- Inner Mongolia Engineering Research Center of Genomic Big Data for Agriculture, Hohhot 010018, China
- College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
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3
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Seabury CM, Smith JL, Wilson ML, Bhattarai E, Santos JEP, Chebel RC, Galvão KN, Schuenemann GM, Bicalho RC, Gilbert RO, Rodriguez-Zas SL, Rosa G, Thatcher WW, Pinedo PJ. Genome-wide association and genomic prediction for a reproductive index summarizing fertility outcomes in U.S. Holsteins. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad043. [PMID: 36848195 PMCID: PMC10468724 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Subfertility represents one major challenge to enhancing dairy production and efficiency. Herein, we use a reproductive index (RI) expressing the predicted probability of pregnancy following artificial insemination (AI) with Illumina 778K genotypes to perform single and multi-locus genome-wide association analyses (GWAA) on 2,448 geographically diverse U.S. Holstein cows and produce genomic heritability estimates. Moreover, we use genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) to investigate the potential utility of the RI by performing genomic predictions with cross validation. Notably, genomic heritability estimates for the U.S. Holstein RI were moderate (h2 = 0.1654 ± 0.0317-0.2550 ± 0.0348), while single and multi-locus GWAA revealed overlapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) on BTA6 and BTA29, including the known QTL for the daughter pregnancy rate (DPR) and cow conception rate (CCR). Multi-locus GWAA revealed seven additional QTL, including one on BTA7 (60 Mb) which is adjacent to a known heifer conception rate (HCR) QTL (59 Mb). Positional candidate genes for the detected QTL included male and female fertility loci (i.e. spermatogenesis and oogenesis), meiotic and mitotic regulators, and genes associated with immune response, milk yield, enhanced pregnancy rates, and the reproductive longevity pathway. Based on the proportion of the phenotypic variance explained (PVE), all detected QTL (n = 13; P ≤ 5e - 05) were estimated to have moderate (1.0% < PVE ≤ 2.0%) or small effects (PVE ≤ 1.0%) on the predicted probability of pregnancy. Genomic prediction using GBLUP with cross validation (k = 3) produced mean predictive abilities (0.1692-0.2301) and mean genomic prediction accuracies (0.4119-0.4557) that were similar to bovine health and production traits previously investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Seabury
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Johanna L Smith
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Miranda L Wilson
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Eric Bhattarai
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Jose E P Santos
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Ricardo C Chebel
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Klibs N Galvão
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Gustavo M Schuenemann
- Department of Veterinary Preventative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Rodrigo C Bicalho
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Rob O Gilbert
- Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Ross University, St. Kitts, West Indies, KN
| | - Sandra L Rodriguez-Zas
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, IL 61801, USA
| | - Guilherme Rosa
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - William W Thatcher
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Pablo J Pinedo
- Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
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4
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Chandra O, Sharma M, Pandey N, Jha IP, Mishra S, Kong SL, Kumar V. Patterns of transcription factor binding and epigenome at promoters allow interpretable predictability of multiple functions of non-coding and coding genes. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:3590-3603. [PMID: 37520281 PMCID: PMC10371796 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the biological roles of all genes only through experimental methods is challenging. A computational approach with reliable interpretability is needed to infer the function of genes, particularly for non-coding RNAs. We have analyzed genomic features that are present across both coding and non-coding genes like transcription factor (TF) and cofactor ChIP-seq (823), histone modifications ChIP-seq (n = 621), cap analysis gene expression (CAGE) tags (n = 255), and DNase hypersensitivity profiles (n = 255) to predict ontology-based functions of genes. Our approach for gene function prediction was reliable (>90% balanced accuracy) for 486 gene-sets. PubMed abstract mining and CRISPR screens supported the inferred association of genes with biological functions, for which our method had high accuracy. Further analysis revealed that TF-binding patterns at promoters have high predictive strength for multiple functions. TF-binding patterns at the promoter add an unexplored dimension of explainable regulatory aspects of genes and their functions. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive analysis for the functional-specificity of TF-binding patterns at promoters and used them for clustering functions to reveal many latent groups of gene-sets involved in common major cellular processes. We also showed how our approach could be used to infer the functions of non-coding genes using the CRISPR screens of coding genes, which were validated using a long non-coding RNA CRISPR screen. Thus our results demonstrated the generality of our approach by using gene-sets from CRISPR screens. Overall, our approach opens an avenue for predicting the involvement of non-coding genes in various functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omkar Chandra
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Okhla Ph-III, New Delhi, India
| | - Madhu Sharma
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Okhla Ph-III, New Delhi, India
| | - Neetesh Pandey
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Okhla Ph-III, New Delhi, India
| | - Indra Prakash Jha
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Okhla Ph-III, New Delhi, India
| | - Shreya Mishra
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Okhla Ph-III, New Delhi, India
| | - Say Li Kong
- Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vibhor Kumar
- Department of Computational Biology, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Okhla Ph-III, New Delhi, India
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5
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Whittington CM, Buddle AL, Griffith OW, Carter AM. Embryonic specializations for vertebrate placentation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210261. [PMID: 36252220 PMCID: PMC9574634 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate placenta, a close association of fetal and parental tissue for physiological exchange, has evolved independently in sharks, teleost fishes, coelacanths, amphibians, squamate reptiles and mammals. This transient organ forms during pregnancy and is an important contributor to embryonic development in both viviparous and oviparous, brooding species. Placentae may be involved in transport of respiratory gases, wastes, immune molecules, hormones and nutrients. Depending on the taxon, the embryonic portion of the placenta is comprised of either extraembryonic membranes (yolk sac or chorioallantois) or temporary embryonic tissues derived via hypertrophy of pericardium, gill epithelium, gut, tails or fins. These membranes and tissues have been recruited convergently into placentae in several lineages. Here, we highlight the diversity and common features of embryonic tissues involved in vertebrate placentation and suggest future studies that will provide new knowledge about the evolution of pregnancy. This article is part of the theme issue 'Extraembryonic tissues: exploring concepts, definitions and functions across the animal kingdom'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla M. Whittington
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence A08, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Alice L. Buddle
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence A08, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Oliver W. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Anthony M. Carter
- Cardiovascular and Renal Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsloews Vej 21, 5000 Odense, Denmark
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6
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Martinez CA, Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Rodriguez-Martinez H. A decreased expression of interferon stimulated genes in peri-implantation endometrium of embryo transfer recipient sows could contribute to embryo death. Animal 2022; 16:100590. [PMID: 35843191 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pig pregnancy succeeds thanks to a well-coordinated system ruling both maternal immune activation and embryonic antigen tolerance. In physiological pregnancies, the maternal immune system should tolerate the presence of hemi-allogeneic conceptuses from the pre-implantation phase to term, while maintaining maternal defence against pathogens. Allogeneic pregnancies, as after embryo transfer (ET), depict high embryo mortality during the attachment phase, calling for studies of the dynamic modifications in immune processes occurring at the maternal-foetal interface, for instance, of interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs). These ISGs are generally activated by IFN secreted by the conceptus during the process of maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) and responsible for recruiting immune cells to the site of embryo attachment, thus facilitating cell-antigen presentation and angiogenesis. We performed RNA-Seq analysis in peri-implantation (days 18 and 24) endometrial samples retrieved from artificially inseminated sows (hemi-allogeneic embryos (HAL) group) or sows subjected to ET (allogeneic embryos (AL) group) to monitor alterations of gene expression that could be jeopardising early pregnancy. Our results showed that endometrial gene expression patterns related to immune responses differed between hemi- or allogeneic embryo presence, with allogeneic embryos apparently inducing conspicuous modifications of immune-related genes and pathways. A decreased expression (P < 0.05; FC < -2) of several interferon ISGs, such as CXCL8, CXCL10, IRF1, IRF9, STAT1, and B2M, among others was detected in the endometrium of sows carrying allogeneic embryos on day 24 of pregnancy. This severe downregulation of ISGs in allogeneic pregnancies could represent a failure of ET-embryos to signal IFN to the endometrium to warrant the development of adequate immunotolerance mechanisms to facilitate embryo development, thus contributing to elevated embryo death.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden.
| | - M Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - H Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
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7
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Renfree MB, Shaw G. Placentation in Marsupials. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2022; 234:41-60. [PMID: 34694477 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77360-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
It is sometimes implied that marsupials are "aplacental," on the presumption that the only mammals that have a placenta are the eponymous "placental" mammals. This misconception has persisted despite the interest in and descriptions of the marsupial placenta, even in Amoroso's definitive chapter. It was also said that marsupials had no maternal recognition of pregnancy and no placental hormone production. In addition, it was thought that genomic imprinting could not exist in marsupials because pregnancy was so short. We now know that none of these ideas have held true with extensive studies over the last four decades definitively showing that they are indeed mammals with a fully functional placenta, and with their own specializations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn B Renfree
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Geoff Shaw
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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8
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Dudley JS, Murphy CR, Thompson MB, McAllan BM. Uterine cellular changes during mammalian pregnancy and the evolution of placentation. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:1381-1400. [PMID: 34514493 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab170] [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: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
There are many different forms of nutrient provision in viviparous (live bearing) species. The formation of a placenta is one method where the placenta functions to transfer nutrients from mother to fetus (placentotrophy), transfer waste from the fetus to the mother and respiratory gas exchange. Despite having the same overarching function, there are different types of placentation within placentotrophic vertebrates, and many morphological changes occur in the uterus during pregnancy to facilitate formation of the placenta. These changes are regulated in complex ways but are controlled by similar hormonal mechanisms across species. This review describes current knowledge of the morphological and molecular changes to the uterine epithelium preceding implantation among mammals. Our aim is to identify the commonalities and constraints of these cellular changes to understand the evolution of placentation in mammals and propose directions for future research. We compare and discuss the complex modifications to the ultrastructure of uterine epithelial cells and show that there are similarities in the changes to the cytoskeleton and gross morphology of the uterine epithelial cells, especially of the apical and lateral plasma membrane of the cells during the formation of a placenta in all eutherians and marsupials studied to date. We conclude that further research is needed to understand the evolution of placentation among viviparous mammals, particularly concerning the level of placental invasiveness, hormonal control and genetic underpinnings of pregnancy in marsupial taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Dudley
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Christopher R Murphy
- School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Michael B Thompson
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Bronwyn M McAllan
- School of Life and Environmental Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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9
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Chavan AR, Griffith OW, Stadtmauer DJ, Maziarz J, Pavlicev M, Fishman R, Koren L, Romero R, Wagner GP. Evolution of Embryo Implantation Was Enabled by the Origin of Decidual Stromal Cells in Eutherian Mammals. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1060-1074. [PMID: 33185661 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian pregnancy evolved in the therian stem lineage, that is, before the common ancestor of marsupials and eutherian (placental) mammals. Ancestral therian pregnancy likely involved a brief phase of attachment between the fetal and maternal tissues followed by parturition-similar to the situation in most marsupials including the opossum. In all eutherians, however, embryo attachment is followed by implantation, allowing for a stable fetal-maternal interface and an extended gestation. Embryo attachment induces an attachment reaction in the uterus that is homologous to an inflammatory response. Here, we elucidate the evolutionary mechanism by which the ancestral inflammatory response was transformed into embryo implantation in the eutherian lineage. We performed a comparative uterine transcriptomic and immunohistochemical study of three eutherians, armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), hyrax (Procavia capensis), and rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus); and one marsupial, opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Our results suggest that in the eutherian lineage, the ancestral inflammatory response was domesticated by suppressing one of its modules detrimental to pregnancy, namely, neutrophil recruitment by cytokine IL17A. Further, we propose that this suppression was mediated by decidual stromal cells, a novel cell type in eutherian mammals. We tested a prediction of this model in vitro and showed that decidual stromal cells can suppress the production of IL17A from helper T cells. Together, these results provide a mechanistic understanding of early stages in the evolution of eutherian pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun R Chavan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Yale Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT
| | - Oliver W Griffith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Yale Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT.,Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Daniel J Stadtmauer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Yale Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT
| | - Jamie Maziarz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Yale Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT
| | - Mihaela Pavlicev
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ruth Fishman
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Lee Koren
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Roberto Romero
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.,Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.,Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Florida International University, Miami, FL
| | - Günter P Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Yale Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT.,Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
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10
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Sweett H, Fonseca PAS, Suárez-Vega A, Livernois A, Miglior F, Cánovas A. Genome-wide association study to identify genomic regions and positional candidate genes associated with male fertility in beef cattle. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20102. [PMID: 33208801 PMCID: PMC7676258 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75758-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertility plays a key role in the success of calf production, but there is evidence that reproductive efficiency in beef cattle has decreased during the past half-century worldwide. Therefore, identifying animals with superior fertility could significantly impact cow-calf production efficiency. The objective of this research was to identify candidate regions affecting bull fertility in beef cattle and positional candidate genes annotated within these regions. A GWAS using a weighted single-step genomic BLUP approach was performed on 265 crossbred beef bulls to identify markers associated with scrotal circumference (SC) and sperm motility (SM). Eight windows containing 32 positional candidate genes and five windows containing 28 positional candidate genes explained more than 1% of the genetic variance for SC and SM, respectively. These windows were selected to perform gene annotation, QTL enrichment, and functional analyses. Functional candidate gene prioritization analysis revealed 14 prioritized candidate genes for SC of which MAP3K1 and VIP were previously found to play roles in male fertility. A different set of 14 prioritized genes were identified for SM and five were previously identified as regulators of male fertility (SOD2, TCP1, PACRG, SPEF2, PRLR). Significant enrichment results were identified for fertility and body conformation QTLs within the candidate windows. Gene ontology enrichment analysis including biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components revealed significant GO terms associated with male fertility. The identification of these regions contributes to a better understanding of fertility associated traits and facilitates the discovery of positional candidate genes for future investigation of causal mutations and their implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Sweett
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - P A S Fonseca
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - A Suárez-Vega
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - A Livernois
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.,Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - F Miglior
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - A Cánovas
- Department of Animal Biosciences, Centre for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
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11
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Carter AM. The role of mammalian foetal membranes in early embryogenesis: Lessons from marsupials. J Morphol 2020; 282:940-952. [PMID: 32374455 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Across mammals, early embryonic development is supported by uterine secretions taken up through the yolk sac and other foetal membranes (histotrophic nutrition). The marsupial conceptus is enclosed in a shell coat for the first two-thirds of gestation and nutrients pass to the embryo through the shell and the avascular bilaminar yolk sac. At around the time of shell rupture, part of the yolk sac is trilaminar and supplied with blood vessels. It attaches to the uterus and forms a choriovitelline placenta. Rapid growth of the embryo ensues, still supported by histotrophe as well as exchange of oxygen and nutrients between maternal and foetal blood vessels (haemotrophic nutrition). Few marsupials have a chorioallantoic placenta and the highly altricial newborn is delivered after a short gestation. Eutherian embryos pass through a similar sequence before there is a fully functional chorioallantoic placenta. In most orders, there is transient yolk sac placentation, but even before this, nutrients are transferred through an avascular yolk sac. Yolk sac placentation does not occur in rodents or catarrhine primates. Early embryonic development in the mouse is nonetheless dependent on histotrophic nutrition. In the first trimester of human pregnancy, uterine glands open to the intervillous space and secretion products are taken up by the trophoblast. Transfer of nutrients to the early human embryo also involves the yolk sac, which floats free in the exocoelom. Marsupials can therefore inform us about the role of foetal membranes and histotrophic nutrition in early embryogenesis, knowledge that can translate to eutherians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Carter
- Cardiovascular and Renal Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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12
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Whittington CM, Friesen CR. The evolution and physiology of male pregnancy in syngnathid fishes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1252-1272. [PMID: 32372478 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (Syngnathidae) are among the few vertebrates in which pregnant males incubate developing embryos. Syngnathids are popular in studies of sexual selection, sex-role reversal, and reproductive trade-offs, and are now emerging as valuable comparative models for the study of the biology and evolution of reproductive complexity. These fish offer the opportunity to examine the physiology, behavioural implications, and evolutionary origins of embryo incubation, independent of the female reproductive tract and female hormonal milieu. Such studies allow us to examine flexibility in regulatory systems, by determining whether the pathways underpinning female pregnancy are also co-opted in incubating males, or whether novel pathways have evolved in response to the common challenges imposed by incubating developing embryos and releasing live young. The Syngnathidae are also ideal for studies of the evolution of reproductive complexity, because they exhibit multiple parallel origins of complex reproductive phenotypes. Here we assay the taxonomic distribution of syngnathid parity mode, examine the selective pressures that may have led to the emergence of male pregnancy, describe the biology of syngnathid reproduction, and highlight pressing areas for future research. Experimental tests of a range of hypotheses, including many generated with genomic tools, are required to inform overarching theories about the fitness implications of pregnancy and the evolution of male pregnancy. Such information will be widely applicable to our understanding of fundamental reproductive and evolutionary processes in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla M Whittington
- The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia.,The University of Sydney, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Christopher R Friesen
- The University of Wollongong, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia.,Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
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13
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Chen Z, Pan X, Kong Y, Jiang Y, Zhong Y, Zhang H, Zhang Z, Yuan X, Li J. Pituitary-Derived Circular RNAs Expression and Regulatory Network Prediction During the Onset of Puberty in Landrace × Yorkshire Crossbred Pigs. Front Genet 2020; 11:135. [PMID: 32180798 PMCID: PMC7059797 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Being the center of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis, the pituitary plays a key role in the onset of puberty. Recent studies show that circular RNAs (circRNAs) can perform as miRNA sponges to regulate development in animals. However, the function of pituitary-derived circRNAs in first estrus remains unclear in pigs. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification and characterization of circRNAs using pituitaries from Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred pigs at three stages: pre-, in-, and post-puberty, to describe such pituitary-derived circRNAs in pigs. A total of 5148 circRNAs were found in the gilts' pituitaries, averaging 18 682 bp in genomic distance, which consisted of approximately 91% exonic, 6% intergenic, and 3% intronic circRNAs. Furthermore, 158 novel circRNAs were identified for the first time and classified as putative pituitary-specific circRNAs. Their expression levels during the onset of puberty, significantly exceeded those of the other circRNAs, and the parental genes of these putative pituitary-specific circRNAs were enriched in "ssc04917: prolactin signaling pathway," "ssc04080: neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction," and "ssc04728: dopaminergic synapse" pathways, all of which were consistent with pituitary functioning. Additionally, 17 differentially regulated circRNAs were found and investigated for their potential interaction with miRNAs, along with genes, by constructing a circRNA-targeted miRNA-gene network. Taken together, these results provide new insight into the circRNA-mediated timing of puberty in gilts at the pituitary level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zitao Chen
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiangchun Pan
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaru Kong
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao Jiang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuyi Zhong
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaolong Yuan
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- National Engineering Research Centre for Breeding Swine Industry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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14
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Xu H, Wang X, Wang Z, Li J, Xu Z, Miao M, Chen G, Lei X, Wu J, Shi H, Wang K, Zhang T, Sun X. MicroRNA expression profile analysis in sperm reveals hsa-mir-191 as an auspicious omen of in vitro fertilization. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:165. [PMID: 32066367 PMCID: PMC7027243 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6570-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding small RNAs that play important roles in many physiological processes by regulating gene expression. Previous studies have shown that the expression levels of total miRNAs increase during mouse embryonic development, and some miRNAs control the regulatory network in development progression. However, few studies have focused on the effects of miRNAs on early human embryonic development. The relationship between miRNAs and early human embryogenesis is still unknown. RESULTS In this study, RNA-seq data collected from sperm samples from 102 patients with a normal sperm index but treated with assisted reproductive technology (ART) were analyzed for the relationships between differentially expressed small RNAs and the fertilization rate (FR), blastocyst rate and high-quality embryo rate (HQER). The sperm samples with high hsa-mir-191 expression had a higher FR, effective embryo rate (EER) and HQER. hsa-mir-191 was used as a single indicator to predict the HQER. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.686. We also found that hsa-mir-191 expression is correlated with an abnormal sperm rate (cor = 0.29, p < 0.01). We also evaluated the relationship between hsa-mir-34c and early human embryo development in these 102 sperm samples and obtained negative results. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that high hsa-mir-191-5p expression in sperm is associated with early human embryonic quality and that hsa-mir-191-5p could be used as a potential marker to screen high-quality sperm to improve the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Xu
- Shanghai JiAi Genetics & IVF Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, No.588 Fangxie Road, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Xin Wang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Hospital of SIPPR, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhikai Wang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Hospital of SIPPR, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianhui Li
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Hospital of SIPPR, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiming Xu
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Hospital of SIPPR, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Maohua Miao
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Public School, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guowu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Xiangdong Lei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jun Wu
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Pharmacy School, Fudan University, No.2140 xietu road, xuhui district, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Huijuan Shi
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Pharmacy School, Fudan University, No.2140 xietu road, xuhui district, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke Wang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Pharmacy School, Fudan University, No.2140 xietu road, xuhui district, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Tiancheng Zhang
- NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation(Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), Pharmacy School, Fudan University, No.2140 xietu road, xuhui district, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaoxi Sun
- Shanghai JiAi Genetics & IVF Institute, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, No.588 Fangxie Road, Shanghai, 200011, China. .,Key Laboratory of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200011, China.
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15
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A comparison of uterine contractile responsiveness to arginine vasopressin in oviparous and viviparous lizards. J Comp Physiol B 2019; 190:49-62. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-019-01254-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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16
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dos Santos ÍGD, de Oliveira Mendes TA, Silva GAB, Reis AMS, Monteiro-Vitorello CB, Schaker PDC, Herai RH, Fabotti ABC, Coutinho LL, Jorge EC. Didelphis albiventris: an overview of unprecedented transcriptome sequencing of the white-eared opossum. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:866. [PMID: 31730444 PMCID: PMC6858782 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6240-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The white-eared opossum (Didelphis albiventris) is widely distributed throughout Brazil and South America. It has been used as an animal model for studying different scientific questions ranging from the restoration of degraded green areas to medical aspects of Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and resistance against snake venom. As a marsupial, D. albiventris can also contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern the different stages of organogenesis. Opossum joeys are born after only 13 days, and the final stages of organogenesis occur when the neonates are inside the pouch, depending on lactation. As neither the genome of this opossum species nor its transcriptome has been completely sequenced, the use of D. albiventris as an animal model is limited. In this work, we sequenced the D. albiventris transcriptome by RNA-seq to obtain the first catalogue of differentially expressed (DE) genes and gene ontology (GO) annotations during the neonatal stages of marsupial development. RESULTS The D. albiventris transcriptome was obtained from whole neonates harvested at birth (P0), at 5 days of age (P5) and at 10 days of age (P10). The de novo assembly of these transcripts generated 85,338 transcripts. Approximately 30% of these transcripts could be mapped against the amino acid sequences of M. domestica, the evolutionarily closest relative of D. albiventris to be sequenced thus far. Among the expressed transcripts, 2077 were found to be DE between P0 and P5, 13,780 between P0 and P10, and 1453 between P5 and P10. The enriched GO terms were mainly related to the immune system, blood tissue development and differentiation, vision, hearing, digestion, the CNS and limb development. CONCLUSIONS The elucidation of opossum transcriptomes provides an out-group for better understanding the distinct characteristics associated with the evolution of mammalian species. This study provides the first transcriptome sequences and catalogue of genes for a marsupial species at different neonatal stages, allowing the study of the mechanisms involved in organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Íria Gabriela Dias dos Santos
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | | | - Gerluza Aparecida Borges Silva
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | - Amanda Maria Sena Reis
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil
| | | | - Patricia Dayane Carvalho Schaker
- Departamento de Genética, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo Brazil
| | - Roberto Hirochi Herai
- Graduate Program in Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz Lehmann Coutinho
- Departamento de Zootecnia, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo Brazil
| | - Erika Cristina Jorge
- Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil
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17
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Buddle AL, Thompson MB, Lindsay LA, Murphy CR, Whittington CM, McAllan BM. Dynamic changes to claudins in the uterine epithelial cells of the marsupial
Sminthopsis crassicaudata
(Dasyuridae) during pregnancy. Mol Reprod Dev 2019; 86:639-649. [DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice L. Buddle
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Michael B. Thompson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Laura A. Lindsay
- School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Christopher R. Murphy
- School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Camilla M. Whittington
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Sydney Sydney Australia
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science University of Sydney Sydney Australia
| | - Bronwyn M. McAllan
- School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute University of Sydney Sydney Australia
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18
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Cao X, Xu C, Zhang Y, Wei H, Liu Y, Cao J, Zhao W, Bao K, Wu Q. Comparative transcriptome analysis of embryo invasion in the mink uterus. Placenta 2019; 75:16-22. [PMID: 30712661 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In mink, as many as 65% of embryos die during gestation. The causes and the mechanisms of embryonic mortality remain unclear. The purpose of our study was to examine global gene expression changes during embryo invasion in mink, and thereby to identify potential signaling pathways involved in implantation failure and early pregnancy loss. METHODS Illumina's next-generation sequencing technology (RNA-Seq) was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in implantation (IMs) and inter-implantation sites (inter-IMs) of uterine tissue. RESULTS We identified a total of 606 DEGs, including 420 up- and 186 down-regulated genes in IMs compared to inter-IMs. Gene annotation analysis indicated multiple biological pathways to be significantly enriched for DEGs, including immune response, ECM complex, cytokine activity, chemokine activity and protein binding. The KEGG pathway including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Jak-STAT, TNF and the chemokine signaling pathway were the most enriched. A gene network was constructed, and hub nodes such as CSF3, ICAM1, FOS, IL1B, IL8, CD14 and MYC were found through network analysis. DISCUSSION This report provides a valuable resource for understanding the mechanisms of embryo implantation in mink.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyan Cao
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China.
| | - Chao Xu
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yufei Zhang
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Haijun Wei
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Embryo Development and Reproductive Regulation of Anhui Province, College of Biological and Food Engineering, Fuyang Teachers College, Fuyang, China
| | - Junguo Cao
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Weigang Zhao
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Kun Bao
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China; State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animal and Plant Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
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