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Kim M, Lee J, Cai L, Choi H, Oh D, Jawad A, Hyun SH. Neurotrophin-4 promotes the specification of trophectoderm lineage after parthenogenetic activation and enhances porcine early embryonic development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1194596. [PMID: 37519302 PMCID: PMC10373506 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1194596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), a neurotrophic factor, appears to affect early embryonic development because it is secreted not only by neurons but also by oviductal and uterine epithelial cells. However, no studies have characterized the effects of NT-4 on early embryonic development in pigs. In this study, we applied the experimental model of parthenogenetic-activation (PA)-derived embryos. Herein, we investigated the effect of NT-4 supplementation during the in vitro culture (IVC) of embryos, analyzed the transcription levels of specific genes, and outlined the first cell lineage specification for porcine PA-derived blastocysts. We confirmed that NT-4 and its receptor proteins were localized in both the inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) in porcine blastocysts. Across different concentrations (0, 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL) of NT-4 supplementation, the optimal concentration of NT-4 to improve the developmental competence of porcine parthenotes was 10 ng/mL. NT-4 supplementation during porcine IVC significantly (p < 0.05) increased the proportion of TE cells by inducing the transcription of TE lineage markers (CDX2, PPAG3, and GATA3 transcripts). NT-4 also reduced blastocyst apoptosis by regulating the transcription of apoptosis-related genes (BAX and BCL2L1 transcripts) and improved blastocyst quality via the interaction of neurotrophin-, Hippo-yes-associated protein (Hippo-YAP) and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway. Additionally, NT-4 supplementation during IVC significantly (p < 0.05) increased YAP1 transcript levels and significantly (p < 0.01) decreased LATS2 transcript levels, respectively, in the porcine PA-derived blastocysts. We also confirmed through fluorescence intensity that the YAP1 protein was significantly (p < 0.001) increased in the NT-4-treated blastocysts compared with that in the control. NT-4 also promoted differentiation into the TE lineage rather than into the ICM lineage during porcine early embryonic development. In conclusion, 10 ng/mL NT-4 supplementation enhanced blastocyst quality by regulating the apoptosis- and TE lineage specification-related genes and interacting with neurotrophin-, Hippo-YAP-, and MAPK/ERK signaling pathway during porcine in vitro embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirae Kim
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Joohyeong Lee
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Lian Cai
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Veterinary Biosecurity and Protection, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyerin Choi
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongjin Oh
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ali Jawad
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hwan Hyun
- Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- Graduate School of Veterinary Biosecurity and Protection, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
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Lee Y, Lee J, Hyun SH, Lee GS, Lee E. In vitro maturation using αMEM containing reduced NaCl enhances maturation and developmental competence of pig oocytes after somatic cell nuclear transfer. J Vet Sci 2022; 23:e31. [PMID: 35363440 PMCID: PMC8977537 DOI: 10.4142/jvs.21279] [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: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Compared to medium containing 108 mM sodium chloride (NaCl), in vitro maturation (IVM) using a simple medium with reduced (61.6 mM) NaCl increases the cytoplasmic maturation and embryonic development of pig oocytes. Objectives This study determines the effect of a complex medium containing reduced NaCl on the IVM and embryonic development of pig oocytes. Methods Pig oocytes were matured in Minimum Essential Medium Eagle-alpha modification (αMEM) supplemented with 61.6 (61αMEM) or 108 (108αMEM) mM NaCl, and containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (αMEMP) or pig follicular fluid (PFF) (αMEMF). Medium-199 (M199) served as the control for conventional IVM. Cumulus cell expansion, nuclear maturation, intra-oocyte glutathione (GSH) contents, size of perivitelline space (PVS), and embryonic development after parthenogenesis (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) were evaluated after IVM. Results Regardless of PVA or PFF supplementation, oocytes matured in 61αMEM showed increased intra-oocyte GSH contents and width of PVS (p < 0.05), as well as increased blastocyst formation (p < 0.05) after PA and SCNT, as compared to oocytes matured in 108αMEMP and M199. Under conditions of PFF-enriched αMEM, SCNT oocytes matured in 61αMEMF showed higher blastocyst formation (p < 0.05), compared to maturation in 108αMEMF and M199, whereas PA cultured oocytes showed no significant difference. Conclusions IVM in αMEM supplemented with reduced NaCl (61.6 mM) enhances the embryonic developmental competence subsequent to PA and SCNT, which attributes toward improved oocyte maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjin Lee
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
| | - Joohyeong Lee
- Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
| | - Sang-Hwan Hyun
- Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
| | - Geun-Shik Lee
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
| | - Eunsong Lee
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
- Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University and Institute of Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
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Li X, Zou C, Li M, Fang C, Li K, Liu Z, Li C. Transcriptome Analysis of In Vitro Fertilization and Parthenogenesis Activation during Early Embryonic Development in Pigs. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12101461. [PMID: 34680856 PMCID: PMC8535918 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parthenogenesis activation (PA), as an important artificial breeding method, can stably preserve the dominant genotype of a species. However, the delayed development of PA embryos is still overly severe and largely leads to pre-implantation failure in pigs. The mechanisms underlying the deficiencies of PA embryos have not been completely understood. For further understanding of the molecular mechanism behind PA embryo failure, we performed transcriptome analysis among pig oocytes (meiosis II, MII) and early embryos at three developmental stages (zygote, morula, and blastocyst) in vitro fertilization (IVF) and PA group. Totally, 11,110 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 4694 differentially expressed lincRNAs (DELs) were identified, and most DEGs enriched the regulation of apoptotic processes. Through cis- and trans-manner functional prediction, we found that hub lincRNAs were mostly involved in abnormal parthenogenesis embryonic development. In addition, twenty DE imprinted genes showed that some paternally imprinted genes in IVF displayed higher expression than that in PA. Notably, we identified that three DELs of imprinted genes (MEST, PLAGL1, and DIRAS3) were up regulated in IVF, and there was no significant change in PA group. Disordered expression of key genes for embryonic development might play key roles in abnormal parthenogenesis embryonic development. Our study indicates that embryos derived from different production techniques have varied in vitro development to the blastocyst stage, and they also affect the transcription level of corresponding genes, such as imprinted genes. This work will help future research on these genes and molecular-assisted breeding for pig parthenotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.L.); (C.Z.); (M.L.); (C.F.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Cheng Zou
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.L.); (C.Z.); (M.L.); (C.F.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Mengxun Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.L.); (C.Z.); (M.L.); (C.F.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chengchi Fang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.L.); (C.Z.); (M.L.); (C.F.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Kui Li
- Agricultural Genome Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518124, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Zhiguo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Institute of Animal Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
- Correspondence: (Z.L.); (C.L.)
| | - Changchun Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (X.L.); (C.Z.); (M.L.); (C.F.)
- The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Wuhan 430070, China
- Correspondence: (Z.L.); (C.L.)
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van der Weijden VA, Schmidhauser M, Kurome M, Knubben J, Flöter VL, Wolf E, Ulbrich SE. Transcriptome dynamics in early in vivo developing and in vitro produced porcine embryos. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:139. [PMID: 33639836 PMCID: PMC7913449 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07430-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transcriptional changes around the time of embryonic genome activation in pre-implantation embryos indicate that this process is highly dynamic. In vitro produced porcine blastocysts are known to be less competent than in vivo developed blastocysts. To understand the conditions that compromise developmental competence of in vitro embryos, it is crucial to evaluate the transcriptional profile of porcine embryos during pre-implantation stages. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome dynamics in in vivo developed and in vitro produced 4-cell embryos, morulae and hatched blastocysts. RESULTS In vivo developed and in vitro produced embryos displayed largely similar transcriptome profiles during development. Enriched canonical pathways from the 4-cell to the morula transition that were shared between in vivo developed and in vitro produced embryos included oxidative phosphorylation and EIF2 signaling. The shared canonical pathways from the morula to the hatched blastocyst transition were 14-3-3-mediated signaling, xenobiotic metabolism general signaling pathway, and NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response. The in vivo developed and in vitro produced hatched blastocysts further were compared to identify molecular signaling pathways indicative of lower developmental competence of in vitro produced hatched blastocysts. A higher metabolic rate and expression of the arginine transporter SLC7A1 were found in in vitro produced hatched blastocysts. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that embryos with compromised developmental potential are arrested at an early stage of development, while embryos developing to the hatched blastocyst stage display largely similar transcriptome profiles, irrespective of the embryo source. The hatched blastocysts derived from the in vitro fertilization-pipeline showed an enrichment in molecular signaling pathways associated with lower developmental competence, compared to the in vivo developed embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera A van der Weijden
- ETH Zurich, Animal Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Meret Schmidhauser
- ETH Zurich, Animal Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mayuko Kurome
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, and Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Knubben
- Physiology Weihenstephan, Technical University Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Veronika L Flöter
- ETH Zurich, Animal Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland.,Physiology Weihenstephan, Technical University Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Eckhard Wolf
- Chair for Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, and Center for Innovative Medical Models (CiMM), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Susanne E Ulbrich
- ETH Zurich, Animal Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitätstrasse 2, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Intranuclear characteristics of pig oocytes stained with brilliant cresyl blue and nucleologenesis of resulting embryos. ZYGOTE 2019; 27:232-240. [PMID: 31397243 DOI: 10.1017/s0967199419000352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) vital labelling is a powerful method for analyzing the quality of porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes. Our aim was to investigate the correlation between the selection of porcine oocytes using BCB labelling and selected intranuclear characteristics of porcine oocytes and parthenotes. Moreover, BCB labelling was correlated with the diameter of the oocyte and the developmental potential of the parthenotes. The following methods were used: BCB labelling, measurement of the diameter of the oocyte, parthenogenetic activation, immunocytochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, enucleation and relative protein concentration (RPC) analysis. We determined that the diameter of the oocytes in the BCB-positive (BCB+) group was significantly larger than in the BCB-negative (BCB-) group. Immediately after oocyte selection according to BCB labelling, we found significant difference in chromatin configuration between the analyzed groups. BCB+ oocytes were significantly better at maturation than BCB- oocytes. BCB+ embryos were significantly more competent at cleaving and in their ability to reach the blastocyst stage than BCB- embryos. Ultrastructural analyses showed that the formation of active nucleoli in the BCB+ group started at the 8-cell stage. Conversely, most BCB- embryos at the 8-cell and 16-cell stages were fragmented. No statistically significant difference in RPC in nucleolus precursor bodies (NPBs) between BCB+ and BCB- oocytes was found. We can conclude that BCB labelling could be suitable for assessing the quality of porcine oocytes. Moreover, the evaluation of RPC indicates that the quantitative content of proteins in NPB is already established in growing oocytes.
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Bogolyubova IO, Sailau ZK, Bogolyubov DS. The dynamics of DAXX protein distribution in the nucleus of mouse early embryos. Acta Histochem 2019; 121:522-529. [PMID: 31029404 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2019.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear distribution of Death-associated protein 6 (Daxx) was studied using fluorescent and electron microscopy in mouse embryos at different stages of development in vivo, from zygote to morula. Daxx was found in association with transcriptionally silent chromatin predominantly with a heterochromatin rim surrounding the nucleolus precursor bodies (NPBs) at all stages studied. At the zygote stage, Daxx was detected only at the periphery of NPBs both in male and female pronuclei. At the late two-cell stage, Daxx was localized not only in the heterochromatin rim at the periphery of NPBs but also in heterochromatin zones not associated with NPBs. At the morula stage, a diffuse distribution of Daxx prevailed. Scarce Daxx-positive zones were detected only in some embryos at the nucleolar periphery. Thus, Daxx is noticeably redistributed during mouse embryo cleavage, and the most conspicuous areas of Daxx concentration are observed at the end of two-cell stage. Daxx is found colocalized with the chromatin-remodeling protein ATRX exclusively in two-cell embryos, but the heterochromatin areas containing either Daxx or ATRX individually are also observed at this stage. However, most zones containing both Daxx and ATRX demonstrated a low FRET-efficiency. This suggest that two molecules are not approached sufficiently close for molecular interactions to occur. Our data suggests that Daxx may function without cooperation with ATRX at least at some stages of early mouse development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina O Bogolyubova
- Laboratory of Cell Morphology, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Science, 4 Tikhoretsky Ave., 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Zhuldyz K Sailau
- St. Petersburg State University, 7/9 Universitetskaya Emb., 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Dmitry S Bogolyubov
- Laboratory of Cell Morphology, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Science, 4 Tikhoretsky Ave., 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia
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Luo ZB, Jin L, Guo Q, Wang JX, Xing XX, Xuan MF, Luo QR, Zhang GL, Yin XJ, Kang JD. Cotreatment with RepSox and LBH589 improves the in vitro developmental competence of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos. Reprod Fertil Dev 2018; 30:1342-1351. [DOI: 10.1071/rd17543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that aberrant epigenetic reprogramming and low pluripotency of donor nuclei lead to abnormal development of cloned embryos and underlie the inefficiency of mammalian somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The present study demonstrates that treatment with the small molecule RepSox alone upregulates the expression of pluripotency-related genes in porcine SCNT embryos. Treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor LBH589 significantly increased the blastocyst formation rate, whereas treatment with RepSox did not. Cotreatment with 12.5 μM RepSox and 50 nM LBH589 (RepSox + LBH589) for 24 h significantly increased the blastocyst formation rate compared with that of untreated embryos (26.9% vs 8.5% respectively; P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression of pluripotency-related genes octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (NANOG) and SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2 (SOX2) were found to significantly increased in the RepSox + LBH589 compared with control group at both the 4-cell and blastocyst stages. In particular, the expression of NANOG was 135-fold higher at the blastocyst stage in the RepSox + LBH589 group. Moreover, RepSox + LBH589 improved epigenetic reprogramming. In summary, RepSox + LBH589 increases the expression of developmentally important genes, optimises epigenetic reprogramming and improves the in vitro development of porcine SCNT embryos.
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Abstract
It is well known that nucleoli of fully grown mammalian oocytes are indispensable for embryonic development. Therefore, the embryos originated from previously enucleolated (ENL) oocytes undergo only one or two cleavages and then their development ceases. In our study the interspecies (mouse/pig) nucleolus transferred embryos (NuTE) were produced and their embryonic development was analyzed by autoradiography, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunofluorescence (C23 and upstream binding factor (UBF)). Our results show that the re-injection of isolated oocyte nucleoli, either from the pig (P + P) or mouse (P + M), into previously enucleolated and subsequently matured porcine oocytes rescues their development after parthenogenetic activation and some of these develop up to the blastocyst stage (P + P, 11.8%; P + M, 13.5%). In nucleolus re-injected 8-cell and blastocyst stage embryos the number of nucleoli labeled with C23 in P + P and P + M groups was lower than in control (non-manipulated) group. UBF was localized in small foci within the nucleoli of blastocysts in control and P + P embryos, however, in P + M embryos the labeling was evenly distributed in the nucleoplasm. The TEM and autoradiographic evaluations showed the formation of functional nucleoli and de novo rRNA synthesis at the 8-cell stage in both, control and P + P group. In the P + M group the formation of comparable nucleoli was delayed. In conclusion, our results indicate that the mouse nucleolus can rescue embryonic development of enucleolated porcine oocytes, but the localization of selected nucleolar proteins, the timing of transcription activation and the formation of the functional nucleoli in NuTE compared with control group show evident aberrations.
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Recipient of the 2017 IETS Pioneer Award: Prof. Dr. Heiner Niemann. Reprod Fertil Dev 2017. [DOI: 10.1071/rdv29n1_pa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Li R, Liu Y, Pedersen HS, Callesen H. Cytoplasmic membrane activities during first cleavage of zona-free porcine embryos: description and consequences. Reprod Fertil Dev 2017; 29:557-564. [DOI: 10.1071/rd15179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Already at first embryo cleavage subsequent blastocyst formation can be predicted based on morphology but the finer morphological details can be difficult to determine due to the presence of the zona pellucida (ZP). Therefore, we monitored zona-free porcine parthenogenetically activated (PA) embryos in a time-lapse system to: (1) describe and characterise the morphological activity of the cytoplasmic membrane and the distribution to the two nuclei during first cleavage and (2) determine the relationship between specific morphological activities and subsequent embryonic development. After ZP removal the membrane surface activities were clearly visible, so all cleaved embryos could be divided into two groups depending on the surface activity during first cleavage: regular morphology (MN) or irregular morphology with ‘bumps’ (MB). The two nuclei were more unequal in MB embryos in both nucleus size and DNA quantity. After first cleavage, MB embryos could be further divided into three types of irregularities (MB1, MB2, MB3) based on their subsequent behaviour. Clear differences in developmental patterns were found between MN and MB embryos, such as delayed first cleavage, compromised blastocyst formation and total cell number. The predictive value of these new types of morphological events was comparable to the more traditionally used time of first cleavage. In conclusion, zona-free embryos allow visualisation of finer morphological details that can provide an early prediction of embryo developmental potential, but further studies are needed on other type of embryos.
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Bunkar N, Pathak N, Lohiya NK, Mishra PK. Epigenetics: A key paradigm in reproductive health. Clin Exp Reprod Med 2016; 43:59-81. [PMID: 27358824 PMCID: PMC4925870 DOI: 10.5653/cerm.2016.43.2.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that there is a heritable element of susceptibility to chronic human ailments, yet there is compelling evidence that some components of such heritability are transmitted through non-genetic factors. Due to the complexity of reproductive processes, identifying the inheritance patterns of these factors is not easy. But little doubt exists that besides the genomic backbone, a range of epigenetic cues affect our genetic programme. The inter-generational transmission of epigenetic marks is believed to operate via four principal means that dramatically differ in their information content: DNA methylation, histone modifications, microRNAs and nucleosome positioning. These epigenetic signatures influence the cellular machinery through positive and negative feedback mechanisms either alone or interactively. Understanding how these mechanisms work to activate or deactivate parts of our genetic programme not only on a day-to-day basis but also over generations is an important area of reproductive health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Bunkar
- Translational Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Dr. Hari Singh Central University, Sagar, India
| | - Neelam Pathak
- Translational Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Dr. Hari Singh Central University, Sagar, India.; Reproductive Physiology Laboratory, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
| | - Nirmal Kumar Lohiya
- Reproductive Physiology Laboratory, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India
| | - Pradyumna Kumar Mishra
- Translational Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Dr. Hari Singh Central University, Sagar, India.; Department of Molecular Biology, National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (ICMR), Bhopal, India
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Liu Y, Ostrup O, Li R, Li J, Vajta G, Kragh PM, Schmidt M, Purup S, Hyttel P, Klærke D, Callesen H. Long-term effect on in vitro cloning efficiency after treatment of somatic cells with Xenopus egg extract in the pig. Reprod Fertil Dev 2015; 26:1017-31. [PMID: 25145414 DOI: 10.1071/rd13147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2013] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), donor cell reprogramming is considered as a biologically important and vulnerable event. Various donor cell pre-treatments with Xenopus egg extracts can promote reprogramming. Here we investigated if the reprogramming effect of one treatment with Xenopus egg extract on donor cells was maintained for several cell passages. The extract treatment resulted in increased cell-colony formation from early passages in treated porcine fibroblasts (ExTES), and increased development of cloned embryos. Partial dedifferentiation was observed in ExTES cells, shown as a tendency towards upregulation of NANOG, c-MYC and KLF-4 and downregulation of DESMIM compared with ExTES at Passage 2. Compared with our routine SCNT, continuously increased development of cloned embryos was observed in the ExTES group, and ExTES cloned blastocysts displayed hypermethylated DNA patterns and hypermethylation of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in ICM compared with TE. All seven recipients became pregnant after transferral of ExTES cloned embryos and gave birth to 7-22 piglets per litter (average 12). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that one treatment of porcine fibroblasts with Xenopus egg extract can result in long-term increased ability of the cells to promote their in vitro function in subsequent SCNT. Finally these cells can also result in successful development of cloned embryos to term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Olga Ostrup
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Juan Li
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Gábor Vajta
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Peter M Kragh
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Mette Schmidt
- Department of Veterinary Reproduction and Obstetrics, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Stig Purup
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
| | - Poul Hyttel
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Dan Klærke
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Henrik Callesen
- Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
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13
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Østrup O, Pedersen HS, Holm HM, Hyttel P. Analysis of nucleolar morphology and protein localization as an indicator of nuclear reprogramming. Methods Mol Biol 2015; 1222:161-174. [PMID: 25287345 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1594-1_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
When a cell is reprogrammed to a new phenotype, the nucleolus undergoes more or less dramatic modulations, which can be used as a marker for the occurrence of the reprogramming. This phenomenon is most pronounced when differentiated cells are reprogrammed to totipotency when they are submitted to cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer. However, when cells are reprogrammed by less fundamental means, as for example treatment by Xenopus extract or expression of pluripotency genes, more subtle nucleolar modulations can also be noted. The monitoring and understanding of the reprogramming-related nucleolar modulations are based upon detailed knowledge about the nucleolar changes that occur during normal development from the developing oocyte over oocyte maturation and fertilization to the activation of the embryonic genome in the early embryo. Below, the ultrastructural and molecular modulations of the nucleolus are summarized in this developmental context, but also as they occur in assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization and somatic cell nuclear transfer. Moreover, detailed protocols for monitoring the nucleolar changes by transmission electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Østrup
- Department of Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital RH, Oslo, Norway,
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14
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Song Y, Hai T, Wang Y, Guo R, Li W, Wang L, Zhou Q. Epigenetic reprogramming, gene expression and in vitro development of porcine SCNT embryos are significantly improved by a histone deacetylase inhibitor--m-carboxycinnamic acid bishydroxamide (CBHA). Protein Cell 2014; 5:382-93. [PMID: 24627095 PMCID: PMC3996156 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-014-0034-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 11/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Insufficient epigenetic reprogramming of donor nuclei is believed to be one of the most important causes of low development efficiency of mammalian somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Previous studies have shown that both the in vitro and in vivo development of mouse SCNT embryos could be increased significantly by treatment with various histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), including Trichostatin A, Scriptaid, and m-carboxycinnamic acid bishydroxamide (CBHA), in which only the effect of CBHA has not yet been tested in other species. In this paper we examine the effect of CBHA treatment on the development of porcine SCNT embryos. We have discovered the optimum dosage and time for CBHA treatment: incubating SCNT embryos with 2 μmol/L CBHA for 24 h after activation could increase the blastocyst rate from 12.7% to 26.5%. Immunofluorescence results showed that the level of acetylation at histone 3 lysine 9 (AcH3K9), acetylation at histone 3 lysine 18 (AcH3K18), and acetylation at histone 4 lysine 16 (AcH4K16) was raised after CBHA treatment. Meanwhile, CBHA treatment improved the expression of development relating genes such as pou5f1, cdx2, and the imprinted genes like igf2. Despite these promising in vitro results and histone reprogramming, the full term development was not significantly increased after treatment. In conclusion, CBHA improves the in vitro development of pig SCNT embryos, increases the global histone acetylation and corrects the expression of some developmentally important genes at early stages. As in mouse SCNT, we have shown that nuclear epigenetic reprogramming in pig early SCNT embryos can be modified by CBHA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuran Song
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
- Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
| | - Tang Hai
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Ying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Runfa Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Liu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Qi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
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15
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Østrup O, Andersen IS, Collas P. Chromatin-linked determinants of zygotic genome activation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2013; 70:1425-37. [PMID: 22965566 PMCID: PMC11113722 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-012-1143-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2012] [Revised: 08/13/2012] [Accepted: 08/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The merging of the maternal and paternal genomes into a single pronucleus after fertilization is accompanied by a remarkable reconfiguration of chromatin in the newly formed zygote. The first stages of embryonic chromatin remodeling take place in the absence of ongoing transcription, during a species-specific developmental time-frame. Once post-fertilization chromatin states are organized, zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is initiated, and embryonic transcripts gradually take control of development. We review here transitions in chromatin modifications associated with the onset of ZGA, and the role of transcription factors and DNA motifs in the regulation of ZGA. We propose a model of sequential chromatin remodeling events preceding ZGA, leading to the onset of embryonic transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Østrup
- Stem Cell Epigenetics Laboratory, and Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1112 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingrid S. Andersen
- Stem Cell Epigenetics Laboratory, and Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1112 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Philippe Collas
- Stem Cell Epigenetics Laboratory, and Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, PO Box 1112 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
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16
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Update on the state of play of Animal Health and Welfare and Environmental Impact of Animals derived from SCNT Cloning and their Offspring, and Food Safety of Products Obtained from those Animals. EFSA J 2012. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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