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Wilcox AJ, Ikemoto LC. Early Pregnancy Loss in an Era of "Wrongful Embryonic Death". JAMA 2024; 332:99-100. [PMID: 38856985 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2024.7403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
This Viewpoint examines the possible legal consequences of pregnancy loss following the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision to extend personhood to laboratory-conceived embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen J Wilcox
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, North Carolina (retired)
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2
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Fleck LM. Public Reason, Bioethics, and Public Policy: A Seductive Delusion or Ambitious Aspiration? Camb Q Healthc Ethics 2024:1-15. [PMID: 38465673 DOI: 10.1017/s0963180124000124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Can Rawlsian public reason sufficiently justify public policies that regulate or restrain controversial medical and technological interventions in bioethics (and the broader social world), such as abortion, physician aid-in-dying, CRISPER-cas9 gene editing of embryos, surrogate mothers, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis of eight-cell embryos, and so on? The first part of this essay briefly explicates the central concepts that define Rawlsian political liberalism. The latter half of this essay then demonstrates how a commitment to Rawlsian public reason can ameliorate (not completely resolve) many of the policy disagreements related to bioethically controversial medical interventions today. The goal of public reason is to reduce the size of the disagreement by eliminating features of the disagreement that violate the norms of public reason. The norms of public reason are those norms that are politically necessary to preserve the liberal, pluralistic, democratic character of this society. What remains is reasonable disagreement to be addressed through normal democratic deliberative processes. Specific issues addressed from a public reason perspective include personal responsibility for excessive health costs, the utility of a metaphysical definition of death for organ transplantation, and the moral status of excess embryos generated through IVF and/or their use in medical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard M Fleck
- Center for Bioethics and Social Justice, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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3
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Perera CD, Idrees M, Khan AM, Haider Z, Ullah S, Kang JS, Lee SH, Kang SM, Kong IK. PDGFRβ Activation Induced the Bovine Embryonic Genome Activation via Enhanced NFYA Nuclear Localization. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17047. [PMID: 38069370 PMCID: PMC10707662 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic genome activation (EGA) is a critical step during embryonic development. Several transcription factors have been identified that play major roles in initiating EGA; however, this gradual and complex mechanism still needs to be explored. In this study, we investigated the role of nuclear transcription factor Y subunit A (NFYA) in bovine EGA and bovine embryonic development and its relationship with the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFRβ) by using a potent selective activator (PDGF-BB) and inhibitor (CP-673451) of PDGF receptors. Activation and inhibition of PDGFRβ using PDGF-BB and CP-673451 revealed that NFYA expression is significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the PDGFRβ. In addition, PDGFRβ mRNA expression was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the activator group and significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the inhibitor group when compared with PDGFRα. Downregulation of NFYA following PDGFRβ inhibition was associated with the expression of critical EGA-related genes, bovine embryo development rate, and implantation potential. Moreover, ROS and mitochondrial apoptosis levels and expression of pluripotency-related markers necessary for inner cell mass development were also significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the downregulation of NFYA while interrupting trophoblast cell (CDX2) differentiation. In conclusion, the PDGFRβ-NFYA axis is critical for bovine embryonic genome activation and embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chalani Dilshani Perera
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Muhammad Idrees
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
- Institute of Agriculture and Life Science (IALS), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
| | - Abdul Majid Khan
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Zaheer Haider
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Safeer Ullah
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Ji-Su Kang
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Seo-Hyun Lee
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Seon-Min Kang
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
| | - Il-Keun Kong
- Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea; (C.D.P.); (M.I.); (A.M.K.); (Z.H.); (S.U.); (J.-S.K.); (S.-H.L.); (S.-M.K.)
- Institute of Agriculture and Life Science (IALS), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
- The King Kong Corp. Ltd., Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
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Benagiano G, Mancuso S, Guo SW, Di Renzo GC. Events Leading to the Establishment of Pregnancy and Placental Formation: The Need to Fine-Tune the Nomenclature on Pregnancy and Gestation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15420. [PMID: 37895099 PMCID: PMC10607313 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015420] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Today, there is strong and diversified evidence that in humans at least 50% of early embryos do not proceed beyond the pre-implantation period. This evidence comes from clinical investigations, demography, epidemiology, embryology, immunology, and molecular biology. The purpose of this article is to highlight the steps leading to the establishment of pregnancy and placenta formation. These early events document the existence of a clear distinction between embryonic losses during the first two weeks after conception and those occurring during the subsequent months. This review attempts to highlight the nature of the maternal-embryonic dialogue and the major mechanisms active during the pre-implantation period aimed at "selecting" embryos with the ability to proceed to the formation of the placenta and therefore to the completion of pregnancy. This intense molecular cross-talk between the early embryo and the endometrium starts even before the blastocyst reaches the uterine cavity, substantially initiating and conditioning the process of implantation and the formation of the placenta. Today, several factors involved in this dialogue have been identified, although the best-known and overall, the most important, still remains Chorionic Gonadotrophin, indispensable during the first 8 to 10 weeks after fertilization. In addition, there are other substances acting during the first days following fertilization, the Early Pregnancy Factor, believed to be involved in the suppression of the maternal response, thereby allowing the continued viability of the early embryo. The Pre-Implantation Factor, secreted between 2 and 4 days after fertilization. This linear peptide molecule exhibits a self-protective and antitoxic action, is present in maternal blood as early as 7 days after conception, and is absent in the presence of non-viable embryos. The Embryo-Derived Platelet-activating Factor, produced and released by embryos of all mammalian species studied seems to have a role in the ligand-mediated trophic support of the early embryo. The implantation process is also guided by signals from cells in the decidualized endometrium. Various types of cells are involved, among them epithelial, stromal, and trophoblastic, producing a number of cellular molecules, such as cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and adhesion molecules. Immune cells are also involved, mainly uterine natural killer cells, macrophages, and T cells. In conclusion, events taking place during the first two weeks after fertilization determine whether pregnancy can proceed and therefore whether placenta's formation can proceed. These events represent the scientific basis for a clear distinction between the first two weeks following fertilization and the rest of gestation. For this reason, we propose that a new nomenclature be adopted specifically separating the two periods. In other words, the period from fertilization and birth should be named "gestation", whereas that from the completion of the process of implantation leading to the formation of the placenta, and birth should be named "pregnancy".
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Benagiano
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
- Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Salvatore Mancuso
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy;
| | - Sun-Wei Guo
- Research Institute, Shanghai Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China;
| | - Gian Carlo Di Renzo
- Center for Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine, University of Perugia, 06156 Perugia, Italy
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119146 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
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Micronucleus formation during early cleavage division is a potential hallmark of preimplantation embryonic loss in cattle. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 617:25-32. [PMID: 35689839 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.05.075] [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: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In assisted reproductive technology (ART)-derived embryos of non-rodent mammals, including humans and cattle, chromosome segregation errors are highly likely to occur during early cleavage division, resulting in aneuploidy, including mosaicism. However, the relationship between chromosomal segregation errors during early cleavage and subsequent embryonic development has not been detailed in these mammals. In the present study, we developed non-invasive live-cell imaging of chromosome segregation dynamics using a histone H2B-mCherry mRNA probe in bovine preimplantation embryos. Chromosome segregation errors in early cleavage affected blastocyst formation. Especially, embryos that underwent abnormal chromosome segregation (ACS) with multiple or large micronucleus formation rarely developed into blastocysts. Embryos with the severe ACS had prolonged cell cycle duration. After transfer of blastocysts with live-cell imaging of chromosome segregation to ten cows, six became pregnant and four of them gave full-term offspring. Interestingly, two of them were derived from blastocysts with ACS. Hence, chromosomal segregation errors with micronucleus formation during early cleavage can be a fatal hallmark of preimplantation embryogenesis in cattle. This technique has shown potential for understanding the relationship between chromosome segregation error and subsequent embryo development, and for selecting viable ART-derived embryos for medical and livestock production.
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Nikitina TV, Lebedev IN. Stem Cell-Based Trophoblast Models to Unravel the Genetic Causes of Human Miscarriages. Cells 2022; 11:1923. [PMID: 35741051 PMCID: PMC9221414 DOI: 10.3390/cells11121923] [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: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Miscarriage affects approximately 15% of clinically recognized pregnancies, and 1-3% of couples experience pregnancy loss recurrently. Approximately 50-60% of miscarriages result from chromosomal abnormalities, whereas up to 60% of euploid recurrent abortions harbor variants in candidate genes. The growing number of detected genetic variants requires an investigation into their role in adverse pregnancy outcomes. Since placental defects are the main cause of first-trimester miscarriages, the purpose of this review is to provide a survey of state-of-the-art human in vitro trophoblast models that can be used for the functional assessment of specific abnormalities/variants implicated in pregnancy loss. Since 2018, when primary human trophoblast stem cells were first derived, there has been rapid growth in models of trophoblast lineage. It has been found that a proper balance between self-renewal and differentiation in trophoblast progenitors is crucial for the maintenance of pregnancy. Different responses to aneuploidy have been shown in human embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages. Stem cell-based models provide a powerful tool to explore the effect of a specific aneuploidy/variant on the fetus through placental development, which is important, from a clinical point of view, for deciding on the suitability of embryos for transfer after preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana V. Nikitina
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, 634050 Tomsk, Russia;
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Ebdrup NH, Knudsen UB, Schullehner J, Arendt LH, Liew Z, Lyngsø J, Bay B, Clemmensen PJ, Sigsgaard T, Hansen B, Ramlau-Hansen CH. Nitrate in Drinking Water and Time to Pregnancy or Medically Assisted Reproduction in Women and Men: A Nationwide Cohort Study in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Clin Epidemiol 2022; 14:475-487. [PMID: 35444467 PMCID: PMC9014114 DOI: 10.2147/clep.s354926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose No studies have investigated if drinking water nitrate affects human fecundity. Experimental studies point at detrimental effects on fetal development and on female and male reproduction. This cohort study aimed to explore if female and male preconception and long-term exposure to nitrate in drinking water was associated with fecundability measured as time to pregnancy (TTP) or use of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment. Methods The study population consisted of pregnant women recruited in their first trimester in 1996–2002 to the Danish National Birth Cohort. Preconception drinking-water nitrate exposure was estimated for the pregnant women (89,109 pregnancies), and long-term drinking water nitrate exposure was estimated from adolescence to conception for the pregnant women (77,474 pregnancies) and their male partners (62,000 pregnancies) by linkage to the national drinking water quality-monitoring database Jupiter. Difference in risk of TTP >12 months or use of MAR treatment between five exposure categories and log-transformed continuous models of preconception and long-term nitrate in drinking water were estimated. Binominal regression models for risk ratios (RR) were adjusted for age, occupation, education, population density, and lifestyle factors. Results Nitrate in drinking water (median preconception exposure: 1.9 mg/L; median long-term exposure: 3.3 mg/L) was not associated with TTP >12 months or use of MAR treatment, neither in the categorical nor in the continuous models. Conclusion We found no association between preconception or long-term exposure to drinking water nitrate and fecundability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninna Hinchely Ebdrup
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Horsens Regional Hospital, Horsens, Denmark
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Correspondence: Ninna Hinchely Ebdrup, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Horsens Regional Hospital, Regionshospitalet Horsens, Sundvej 30, Horsens, 8700, Denmark, Tel +4528472111, Email
| | - Ulla Breth Knudsen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Horsens Regional Hospital, Horsens, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jörg Schullehner
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Linn Håkonsen Arendt
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Zeyan Liew
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Julie Lyngsø
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bjørn Bay
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Horsens Regional Hospital, Horsens, Denmark
- Maigaard Fertility Clinic, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Torben Sigsgaard
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrated Register-based Research at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Logsdon DM, Grimm CK, West RC, Engelhorn HJ, Kile R, Reed LC, Swain JE, Katz-Jaffe M, Schoolcraft WB, Krisher RL, Yuan Y. Maternal physiology and blastocyst morphology are correlated with an inherent difference in peri-implantation human embryo development. Fertil Steril 2022; 117:1311-1321. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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9
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Keegan G, Patten MM. Selfish evolution of placental hormones. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:391-397. [PMID: 36050940 PMCID: PMC9426663 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We hypothesize that some placental hormones—specifically those that arise by tandem duplication of genes for maternal hormones—may behave as gestational drivers, selfish genetic elements that encourage the spontaneous abortion of offspring that fail to inherit them. Such drivers are quite simple to evolve, requiring just three things: a decrease in expression or activity of some essential maternal hormone during pregnancy; a compensatory increase in expression or activity of the homologous hormone by the placenta; and genetic linkage between the two effects. Gestational drive may therefore be a common selection pressure experienced by any of the various hormones of mammalian pregnancy that have arisen by tandem gene duplication. We examine the evolution of chorionic gonadotropin in the human lineage in light of this hypothesis. Finally, we postulate that some of the difficulties of human pregnancy may be a consequence of the action of selfish genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Keegan
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University , Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Manus M Patten
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University , Washington, DC 20057, USA
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10
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Xiao L, Dang Y, Hu B, Luo L, Zhao P, Wang S, Zhang K. Overlapping functions of RBBP4 and RBBP7 in regulating cell proliferation and histone H3.3 deposition during mouse preimplantation development. Epigenetics 2021; 17:1205-1218. [PMID: 34709113 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2021.1999006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Preimplantation development is critical for reproductive successes in mammals. Thus, it is important to understand how preimplantation embryogenesis is regulated. As a key event of preimplantation development, epigenetic reprogramming has been widely studied, yet how epigenetic complexes regulate preimplantation development remains largely unknown. Retinoblastoma binding protein 4 (RBBP4) and 7 (RBBP7) are integral components of epigenetic complexes including SIN3A, NuRD, and CoREST. Here, we demonstrate that double knockdown of Rbbp4 and 7, but not individually, causes embryonic lethality during the morula-to-blastocyst transition. Mechanistically, depletion of RBBP4 and 7 results in dysregulation of genes related to cell cycle, lineage development, and regulation of transcription, which is accompanied by cell cycle block, disrupted lineage specification and chromatin structure. Interestingly, RBBP4/7 depletion leads to a dramatic increase in H3.3 and H3K27ac abundance during morula-to-blastocyst transition. ChIP-seq analysis in early embryos and embryonic stem cells reveals enrichment of H3.3 at the promoter regions of RBBP4/7 target genes. In summary, our studies demonstrate the compensatory role of RBBP4/7 and reveal its potential mechanisms in preimplantation development.Summary sentence:RBBP4 and RBBP7 play a compensatory role in regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and histone H3.3 deposition during preimplantation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lieying Xiao
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yanna Dang
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Bingjie Hu
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lei Luo
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Panpan Zhao
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shaohua Wang
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kun Zhang
- Laboratory of Mammalian Molecular Embryology, College of Animal Sciences, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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11
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Lie RT. Invited Commentary: Ionizing Radiation and Future Reproductive Health-Old Cohorts Still Deserve Attention. Am J Epidemiol 2021; 190:2334-2336. [PMID: 34023897 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwab156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiation from nuclear weapons or power plants has caused great concern among the public-concern that needs to be addressed with the best available data. Among the concerns associated with ionizing radiation are possible serious and far-reaching effects on reproductive health. Relevant data that can be used to address these concerns are scarce. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings of World War II and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine are probably among the most dramatic and important sources of information on health effects, but much of the information is historical, and the exposed cohorts are getting old. In their accompanying article, Yamada et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(11):2323-2333) revisit data on reproductive health outcomes in survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings during the years after the blasts. Exposure levels were very high, but after Yamada et al.'s reanalysis, effect estimates were low, and the evidence for overall effects on birth defects and perinatal mortality is still weak. The authors acknowledge that their data have limitations and that the generalizability of the findings is limited by the devastating conditions that prevailed in the 2 Japanese cities after the blasts.
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12
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Marikawa Y, Menor M, Deng Y, Alarcon VB. Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and trophectoderm lineage specification by the mevalonate pathway in the mouse preimplantation embryo. Mol Hum Reprod 2021; 27:6156636. [PMID: 33677573 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaab015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Early embryos are vulnerable to environmental insults, such as medications taken by the mother. Due to increasing prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, more women of childbearing potential are taking cholesterol-lowering medications called statins. Previously, we showed that inhibition of the mevalonate pathway by statins impaired mouse preimplantation development, by modulating HIPPO signaling, a key regulator for trophectoderm (TE) lineage specification. Here, we further evaluated molecular events that are altered by mevalonate pathway inhibition during the timeframe of morphogenesis and cell lineage specification. Whole transcriptome analysis revealed that statin treatment dysregulated gene expression underlying multiple processes, including cholesterol biosynthesis, HIPPO signaling, cell lineage specification and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response. We explored mechanisms that link the mevalonate pathway to ER stress, because of its potential impact on embryonic health and development. Upregulation of ER stress-responsive genes was inhibited when statin-treated embryos were supplemented with the mevalonate pathway product, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). Inhibition of geranylgeranylation was sufficient to upregulate ER stress-responsive genes. However, ER stress-responsive genes were not upregulated by inhibition of ras homolog family member A (RHOA), a geranylgeranylation target, although it interfered with TE specification and blastocyst cavity formation. In contrast, inhibition of Rac family small GTPase 1 (RAC1), another geranylgeranylation target, upregulated ER stress-responsive genes, while it did not impair TE specification or cavity formation. Thus, our study suggests that the mevalonate pathway regulates cellular homeostasis (ER stress repression) and differentiation (TE lineage specification) in preimplantation embryos through GGPP-dependent activation of two distinct small GTPases, RAC1 and RHOA, respectively. Translation of the findings to human embryos and clinical settings requires further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Marikawa
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
| | - Mark Menor
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
| | - Youping Deng
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
| | - Vernadeth B Alarcon
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
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13
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Post-conception heat exposure increases clinically unobserved pregnancy losses. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1987. [PMID: 33479337 PMCID: PMC7820015 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81496-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence of the relationship between temperature during pregnancy and human embryo mortality is limited. Most importantly, the literature lacks causal estimations and studies on early pregnancy losses. Here, we estimate the impact of early pregnancy temperature exposure on the clinically unobserved pregnancy loss rate. We use administrative data of clinically observed pregnancies from more than three decades for Hungary. We apply an empirical approach that allows us to infer the impact of temperature on the clinically unobserved pregnancy loss rate from the estimated effects on the clinically observed conception rate. The results show that exposure to hot temperatures during the first few weeks after the conception week increases the clinically unobserved pregnancy loss rate, whereas exposure to colder temperatures seems to decrease it. Importantly, the temperature-induced changes represent changes in the total number of pregnancy losses rather than a compositional change between clinically observed and clinically unobserved pregnancy losses.
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14
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Albertini DF. Closing the circle of reverse genetics in reproductive medicine. J Assist Reprod Genet 2020; 37:2631-2633. [PMID: 33111221 PMCID: PMC7590987 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-020-01992-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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15
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Abstract
Gene regulatory networks and tissue morphogenetic events drive the emergence of shape and function: the pillars of embryo development. Although model systems offer a window into the molecular biology of cell fate and tissue shape, mechanistic studies of our own development have so far been technically and ethically challenging. However, recent technical developments provide the tools to describe, manipulate and mimic human embryos in a dish, thus opening a new avenue to exploring human development. Here, I discuss the evidence that supports a role for the crosstalk between cell fate and tissue shape during early human embryogenesis. This is a critical developmental period, when the body plan is laid out and many pregnancies fail. Dissecting the basic mechanisms that coordinate cell fate and tissue shape will generate an integrated understanding of early embryogenesis and new strategies for therapeutic intervention in early pregnancy loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta N Shahbazi
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
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16
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Correction to: Dealing with loss of life across the spectrum of humankind. J Assist Reprod Genet 2020; 37:2049. [PMID: 32601908 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-020-01868-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The references of the original version of this article unfortunately were missing.
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