Prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol has long-lasting, transgenerational impacts on fertility and reproductive development

Removal of contaminants of emerging concern by Wolffia arrhiza and Lemna minor depending on the process conditions, pollutants concentration, and matrix type

Research was carried out on the removal of a group of six contaminants of emerging concern: bisphenol A, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, diethylstilbestrol, triclosan, estrone and estradiol from the water matrix during contact with small floating macrophytes Wolffia arrhiza and Lemna minor. The optimal conditions for the process, such as pH, light exposure per day, and plant mass, were determined using the design of experiments chemometric approach based on central composite design. Experiments conducted under the designated optimal conditions showed that after 7 days, the removal efficiency equals 88-98% in the case of W. arrhiza and 87-97% in the case of L. minor, while after 14 days of the experiment, these values are 93-99.6% and 89-98%, respectively. The primary mechanism responsible for removing CECs is the plant uptake, with the mean uptake rate constant equal to 0.299 day-1 and 0.277 day-1 for W. arrhiza and L. minor, respectively. Experiments conducted using municipal wastewater as a sample matrix showed that the treatment efficiency remains high (the average values 84% and 75%; in the case of raw wastewater, 93% and 89%, and in the case of treated wastewater, for W. arrhiza and L. minor, respectively). Landfill leachate significantly reduces plants' ability to remove pollutants (the average removal efficiency equals 59% and 56%, for W. arrhiza and L. minor, respectively).

New uses for an old technique: live imaging on the slice organ culture to study reproductive processes†

Reproductive processes are dynamic and involve extensive morphological remodeling and cell-cell interactions. Live imaging of organs enhances our understanding of how biological processes occur in real time. Slice culture is a type of organ culture where thick slices are collected from an organ and cultured for several days. Slice culture is a useful and easy-to-implement technique for live imaging of reproductive events at cellular resolution. Here we describe a pipeline of live imaging on slice culture to visualize the process of urethra closure in mouse embryonic penis as a proof of principle. In combination with genetic reporter mice, nuclear stains, and exposure experiments, we demonstrate the feasibility of slice culture on a reproductive organ. We also provide a step-by-step protocol and troubleshooting guide to facilitate the adoption of slice culture with live imaging in other reproductive organs. Lastly, we discuss potential utilities and experiments that could be implemented with slice culture in reproductive sciences.

Transgenerational Transmission of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) Effects in Human Granulosa Cells: The Role of MicroRNAs

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) might contribute to the increase in female-specific cancers in Western countries. 2,3,7,8-tetrachlordibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is considered the "prototypical toxicant" to study EDCs' effects on reproductive health. Epigenetic regulation by small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNA), is crucial for controlling cancer development. The aim of this study was to analyze transcriptional activity and sncRNA expression changes in the KGN cell line after acute (3 h) and chronic (72 h) exposure to 10 nM TCDD in order to determine whether sncRNAs' deregulation may contribute to transmitting TCDD effects to the subsequent cell generations (day 9 and day 14 after chronic exposure). Using Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 4.0 arrays, 109 sncRNAs were found to be differentially expressed (fold change < -2 or >2; p-value < 0.05) between cells exposed or not (control) to TCDD for 3 h and 72 h and on day 9 and day 14 after chronic exposure. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis predicted that following the acute and chronic exposure of KGN cells, sncRNAs linked to cellular development, growth and proliferation were downregulated, and those linked to cancer promotion were upregulated on day 9 and day 14. These results indicated that TCDD-induced sncRNA dysregulation may have transgenerational cancer-promoting effects.