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Sandra O, Charpigny G, Galio L, Hue I. Preattachment Embryos of Domestic Animals: Insights into Development and Paracrine Secretions. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2016; 5:205-228. [PMID: 27959670 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-022516-022900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In mammalian species, endometrial receptivity is driven by maternal factors independently of embryo signals. When pregnancy initiates, paracrine secretions of the preattachment embryo are essential both for maternal recognition and endometrium preparation for implantation and for coordinating development of embryonic and extraembryonic tissues of the conceptus. This review mainly focuses on domestic large animal species. We first illustrate the major steps of preattachment embryo development, including elongation in bovine, ovine, porcine, and equine species. We next highlight conceptus secretions that are involved in the communication between extraembryonic and embryonic tissues, as well as between the conceptus and the endometrium. Finally, we introduce experimental data demonstrating the intimate connection between conceptus secretions and endometrial activity and how adverse events perturbing this interplay may affect the progression of implantation that will subsequently impact pregnancy outcome, postnatal health, and expression of production traits in livestock offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Sandra
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350, Jouy en Josas, France; , , ,
| | - Gilles Charpigny
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350, Jouy en Josas, France; , , ,
| | - Laurent Galio
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350, Jouy en Josas, France; , , ,
| | - Isabelle Hue
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350, Jouy en Josas, France; , , ,
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Sandra O, Constant F, Vitorino Carvalho A, Eozénou C, Valour D, Mauffré V, Hue I, Charpigny G. Maternal organism and embryo biosensoring: insights from ruminants. J Reprod Immunol 2015; 108:105-13. [PMID: 25617112 DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2014.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Revised: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In terms of contribution to pregnancy, the mother not only produces gametes, but also hosts gestation, whose progression in the uterus is conditioned by early events during implantation. In ruminants, this period is associated with elongation of the extra-embryonic tissues, gastrulation of the embryonic disk and cross-talk with the endometrium. Recent data have prompted the need for accurate staging of the bovine conceptus and shown that asynchrony between elongation and gastrulation processes may account for pregnancy failure. Data mining of endometrial gene signatures has allowed the identification of molecular pathways and new factors regulated by the conceptus (e.g. FOXL2, SOCS6). Interferon-tau has been recognised to be the major signal of pregnancy recognition, but prostaglandins and lysophospholipids have also been demonstrated to be critical players at the conceptus-endometrium interface. Interestingly, up-regulation of interferon-regulated gene expression has been identified in circulating immune cells during implantation, making these factors a potential source of non-invasive biomarkers for early pregnancy. Distinct endometrial responses have been shown to be elicited by embryos produced by artificial insemination, in vitro fertilisation or somatic cell nuclear transfer. These findings have led to the concept that endometrium is an early biosensor of embryo quality. This biological property first demonstrated in cattle has been recently extended and associated with embryo selection in humans. Hence, compromised or suboptimal endometrial quality can subtly or deeply affect embryo development, with visible and sometimes severe consequences for placentation, foetal development, pregnancy outcome and the long-term health of the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Sandra
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France.
| | - Fabienne Constant
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
| | - Anais Vitorino Carvalho
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
| | - Caroline Eozénou
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
| | - Damien Valour
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
| | - Vincent Mauffré
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
| | - Isabelle Hue
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
| | - Gilles Charpigny
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France; ENVA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-94704 Maisons Alfort, France
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Wegner SH, Yu X, Pacheco Shubin S, Griffith WC, Faustman EM. Stage-specific signaling pathways during murine testis development and spermatogenesis: A pathway-based analysis to quantify developmental dynamics. Reprod Toxicol 2014; 51:31-9. [PMID: 25463528 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2014.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Revised: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Shifting the field of developmental toxicology toward evaluation of pathway perturbation requires a quantitative definition of normal developmental dynamics. This project examined a publicly available dataset to quantify pathway dynamics during testicular development and spermatogenesis and anchor toxicant-perturbed pathways within the context of normal development. Genes significantly changed throughout testis development in mice were clustered by their direction of change using K-means clustering. Gene Ontology terms enriched among each cluster were identified using MAPPfinder. Temporal pathway dynamics of enriched terms were quantified based on average expression intensity for all genes associated with a given term. This analysis captured processes that drive development, including the peak in steroidogenesis known to occur around gestational day 16.5 and the increase in meiosis and spermatogenesis-related pathways during the first wave of spermatogenesis. Our analysis quantifies dynamics of pathways vulnerable to toxicants and provides a framework for quantifying perturbation of these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna H Wegner
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, United States
| | - Xiaozhong Yu
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, United States
| | - Sara Pacheco Shubin
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, United States
| | - William C Griffith
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, United States
| | - Elaine M Faustman
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, United States.
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Sandra O, Mansouri-Attia N, Lea RG. Novel aspects of endometrial function: a biological sensor of embryo quality and driver of pregnancy success. Reprod Fertil Dev 2012; 24:68-79. [PMID: 22394719 DOI: 10.1071/rd11908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful pregnancy depends on complex biological processes that are regulated temporally and spatially throughout gestation. The molecular basis of these processes have been examined in relation to gamete quality, early blastocyst development and placental function, and data have been generated showing perturbations of these developmental stages by environmental insults or embryo biotechnologies. The developmental period falling between the entry of the blastocyst into the uterine cavity to implantation has also been examined in terms of the biological function of the endometrium. Indeed several mechanisms underlying uterine receptivity, controlled by maternal factors, and the maternal recognition of pregnancy, requiring conceptus-produced signals, have been clarified. Nevertheless, recent data based on experimental perturbations have unveiled unexpected biological properties of the endometrium (sensor/driver) that make this tissue a dynamic and reactive entity. Persistent or transient modifications in organisation and functionality of the endometrium can dramatically affect pre-implantation embryo trajectory through epigenetic alterations with lasting consequences on later stages of pregnancy, including placentation, fetal development, pregnancy outcome and post-natal health. Developing diagnostic and prognostic tools based on endometrial factors may enable the assessment of maternal reproductive capacity and/or the developmental potential of the embryo, particularly when assisted reproductive technologies are applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Sandra
- INRA, UMR1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
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Adams HA, Southey BR, Everts RE, Marjani SL, Tian CX, Lewin HA, Rodriguez-Zas SL. Transferase activity function and system development process are critical in cattle embryo development. Funct Integr Genomics 2010; 11:139-50. [PMID: 20844914 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-010-0189-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2010] [Revised: 08/19/2010] [Accepted: 08/24/2010] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Microarray gene expression experiments often consider specific developmental stages, tissue sources, or reproductive technologies. This focus hinders the understanding of the cattle embryo transcriptome. To address this, four microarray experiments encompassing three developmental stages (7, 25, 280 days), two tissue sources (embryonic or extra-embryonic), and two reproductive technologies (artificial insemination or AI and somatic cell nuclear transfer or NT) were combined using two sets of meta-analyses. The first set of meta-analyses uncovered 434 genes differentially expressed between AI and NT (regardless of stage or source) that were not detected by the individual-experiment analyses. The molecular function of transferase activity was enriched among these genes that included ECE2, SLC22A1, and a gene similar to CAMK2D. Gene POLG2 was over-expressed in AI versus NT 7-day embryos and was under-expressed in AI versus NT 25-day embryos. Gene HAND2 was over-expressed in AI versus NT extra-embryonic samples at 280 days yet under-expressed in AI versus NT embryonic samples at 7 days. The second set of meta-analyses uncovered enrichment of system, organ, and anatomical structure development among the genes differentially expressed between 7- and 25-day embryos from either reproductive technology. Genes PRDX1and SLC16A1 were over-expressed in 7- versus 25-day AI embryos and under-expressed in 7- versus 25-day NT embryos. Changes in stage were associated with high number of differentially expressed genes, followed by technology and source. Genes with transferase activity may hold a clue to the differences in efficiency between reproductive technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather A Adams
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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Ikeda S, Namekawa T, Sugimoto M, Kume SI. Expression of methylation pathway enzymes in bovine oocytes and preimplantation embryos. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 313:129-36. [PMID: 20073048 DOI: 10.1002/jez.581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The methylation pathway, which consists of two metabolic cycles of nutrients, i.e., the methionine and folate cycles, generates S-adenosylmethionine, the methyl donor for the methylation of DNA and histones. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, we examined the gene expression patterns of the methylation pathway enzymes during bovine oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryonic development up to the blastocyst stage. Bovine oocytes were demonstrated to have the mRNA of all methylation pathway enzymes examined, namely, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A (MAT1A), MAT2A, MAT2B, S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY), 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase (MTR), betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT), serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1 (SHMT1), SHMT2, and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). All the transcripts were consistently expressed throughout all developmental stages, except for MAT1A, which was not detected from the 8-cell stage onward and BHMT, which was not detected in the 8-cell stage. Immunofluorescence analysis of MAT1A protein revealed the relatively higher expression in oocytes and early cleavage stage embryos up to the 8-cell stage compared with the morula and blastocyst stage. Further, to investigate the effects of methylation pathway disruption during the earliest stages of embryonic development, the effects of exogenous homocysteine on preimplantation development and DNA methylation of bovine embryos were investigated in vitro. As results, high concentrations of homocysteine induced hypermethylation of genomic DNA as well as developmental retardation in bovine embryos. These results provide a new insight into nutrient-sensitive epigenetic regulation and perturbation at the earliest stage of our life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuntaro Ikeda
- Laboratory of Animal Physiology and Functional Anatomy, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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Evsikov AV, Marín de Evsikova C. Gene expression during the oocyte-to-embryo transition in mammals. Mol Reprod Dev 2009; 76:805-18. [PMID: 19363788 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.21038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The seminal question in modern developmental biology is the origins of new life arising from the unification of sperm and egg. The roots of this question begin from 19th to 20th century embryologists studying fertilization and embryogenesis. Although the revolution of molecular biology has yielded significant insight into the complexity of this process, the overall orchestration of genes, molecules, and cells is still not fully formed. Early mammalian development, specifically the oocyte-to-embryo transition, is essentially under "maternal command" from factors deposited in the cytoplasm during oocyte growth, independent of de novo transcription from the nascent embryo. Many of the advances in understanding this developmental period occurred in tandem with application of new methods and techniques from molecular biology, from protein electrophoresis to sequencing and assemblies of whole genomes. From this bed of knowledge, it appears that precise control of mRNA translation is a key regulator coordinating the molecular and cellular events occurring during oocyte-to-embryo transition. Notably, oocyte transcriptomes share, yet retain some uniqueness, common genetic motifs among all chordates. The common genetic motifs typically define fundamental processes critical for cellular maintenance, whereas the unique genetic features may be a source of variation and a substrate for sexual selection, genetic drift, or gene flow. One purpose for this complex interplay among genes, proteins, and cells may allow for evolution to transform and act upon the underlying processes, at molecular, structural and organismal levels, to increase diversity, which is the ultimate goal of sexual reproduction.
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