1
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Stringa B, Solnica-Krezel L. Signaling mechanisms that direct cell fate specification and morphogenesis in human embryonic stem cells-based models of human gastrulation. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:383-396. [PMID: 38087898 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230084] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
During mammalian gastrulation, a mass of pluripotent cells surrounded by extraembryonic tissues differentiates into germ layers, mesoderm, endoderm, and ectoderm. The three germ layers are then organized into a body plan with organ rudiments via morphogenetic gastrulation movements of emboly, epiboly, convergence, and extension. Emboly is the most conserved gastrulation movement, whereby mesodermal and endodermal progenitors undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and move via a blastopore/primitive streak beneath the ectoderm. Decades of embryologic, genetic, and molecular studies in invertebrates and vertebrates, delineated a BMP > WNT > NODAL signaling cascade underlying mesoderm and endoderm specification. Advances have been made in the research animals in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying gastrulation morphogenesis. In contrast, little is known about human gastrulation, which occurs in utero during the third week of gestation and its investigations face ethical and methodological limitations. This is changing with the unprecedented progress in modeling aspects of human development, using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem cells (hESC)-based embryo-like models (SCEMs). In one approach, hESCs of various pluripotency are aggregated to self-assemble into structures that resemble pre-implantation or post-implantation embryo-like structures that progress to early gastrulation, and some even reach segmentation and neurulation stages. Another approach entails coaxing hESCs with biochemical signals to generate germ layers and model aspects of gastrulation morphogenesis, such as EMT. Here, we review the recent advances in understanding signaling cascades that direct germ layers specification and the early stages of gastrulation morphogenesis in these models. We discuss outstanding questions, challenges, and opportunities for this promising area of developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blerta Stringa
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, U.S.A
| | - Lilianna Solnica-Krezel
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, U.S.A
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2
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Lecointre G, Aish A, Améziane N, Chekchak T, Goupil C, Grandcolas P, Vincent JFV, Sun JS. Revisiting Nature's "Unifying Patterns": A Biological Appraisal. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:362. [PMID: 37622967 PMCID: PMC10452652 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8040362] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Effective bioinspiration requires dialogue between designers and biologists, and this dialogue must be rooted in a shared scientific understanding of living systems. To support learning from "nature's overarching design lessons" the Biomimicry Institute has produced ten "Unifying Patterns of Nature". These patterns have been developed to engage with those interested in finding biologically inspired solutions to human challenges. Yet, although well-intentioned and appealing, they are likely to dishearten biologists. The aim of this paper is to identify why and propose alternative principles based on evolutionary theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Lecointre
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution et Biodiversité, UMR ISYEB 7205 CNRS MNHN SU EPHE UA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 50, 45 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Annabelle Aish
- Bioinspire-Museum, Direction Générale Déléguée à la Recherche, l’Expertise, la Valorisation et l’Enseignement (DGD REVE), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP 17, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Nadia Améziane
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution et Biodiversité, UMR ISYEB 7205 CNRS MNHN SU EPHE UA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 50, 45 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Tarik Chekchak
- Institut des Futurs Souhaitables, 127 Avenue Ledru Rollin, 75011 Paris, France
| | - Christophe Goupil
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Énergies de Demain (LIED), UMR 8236 CNRS, Université Paris-Cité, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Grandcolas
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution et Biodiversité, UMR ISYEB 7205 CNRS MNHN SU EPHE UA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 50, 45 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Julian F. V. Vincent
- Nature Inspired Manufacturing Centre, School of Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
| | - Jian-Sheng Sun
- Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, UMR 7196—U1154, MNHN CNRS INSERM, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 43 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
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3
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Poh QH, Rai A, Salamonsen LA, Greening DW. Omics insights into extracellular vesicles in embryo implantation and their therapeutic utility. Proteomics 2023; 23:e2200107. [PMID: 36591946 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202200107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Implantation success relies on intricate interplay between the developing embryo and the maternal endometrium. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent an important player of this intercellular signalling through delivery of functional cargo (proteins and RNAs) that reprogram the target cells protein and RNA landscape. Functionally, the signalling reciprocity of endometrial and embryo EVs regulates the site of implantation, preimplantation embryo development and hatching, antioxidative activity, embryo attachment, trophoblast invasion, arterial remodelling, and immune tolerance. Omics technologies including mass spectrometry have been instrumental in dissecting EV cargo that regulate these processes as well as molecular changes in embryo and endometrium to facilitate implantation. This has also led to discovery of potential cargo in EVs in human uterine fluid (UF) and embryo spent media (ESM) of diagnostic and therapeutic value in implantation success, fertility, and pregnancy outcome. This review discusses the contribution of EVs in functional hallmarks of embryo implantation, and how the integration of various omics technologies is enabling design of EV-based diagnostic and therapeutic platforms in reproductive medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Hui Poh
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alin Rai
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Baker Department of Cardiovascular Research, Translation and Implementation, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lois A Salamonsen
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - David W Greening
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Baker Department of Cardiovascular Research, Translation and Implementation, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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4
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Eboreime J, Choi SK, Yoon SR, Sadybekov A, Katritch V, Calabrese P, Arnheim N. Germline selection of PTPN11 (HGNC:9644) variants make a major contribution to both Noonan syndrome's high birth rate and the transmission of sporadic cancer variants resulting in fetal abnormality. Hum Mutat 2022; 43:2205-2221. [PMID: 36349709 PMCID: PMC10099774 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24493] [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: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Some spontaneous germline gain-of-function mutations promote spermatogonial stem cell clonal expansion and disproportionate variant sperm production leading to unexpectedly high transmission rates for some human genetic conditions. To measure the frequency and spatial distribution of de novo mutations we divided three testes into 192 pieces each and used error-corrected deep-sequencing on each piece. We focused on PTPN11 (HGNC:9644) Exon 3 that contains 30 different PTPN11 Noonan syndrome (NS) mutation sites. We found 14 of these variants formed clusters among the testes; one testis had 11 different variant clusters. The mutation frequencies of these different clusters were not correlated with their case-recurrence rates nor were case recurrence rates of PTPN11 variants correlated with their tyrosine phosphatase levels thereby confusing PTPN11's role in germline clonal expansion. Six of the PTPN11 exon 3 de novo variants associated with somatic mutation-induced sporadic cancers (but not NS) also formed testis clusters. Further, three of these six variants were observed among fetuses that underwent prenatal ultrasound screening for NS-like features. Mathematical modeling showed that germline selection can explain both the mutation clusters and the high incidence of NS (1/1000-1/2500).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Eboreime
- Department of Biological Sciences, Molecular and Computational Biology Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Soo-Kyung Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Molecular and Computational Biology Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Song-Ro Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Molecular and Computational Biology Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Anastasiia Sadybekov
- Department of Chemistry, Bridge Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Vsevolod Katritch
- Department of Chemistry, Bridge Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Peter Calabrese
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Norman Arnheim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Molecular and Computational Biology Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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5
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Cacheiro P, Westerberg CH, Mager J, Dickinson ME, Nutter LMJ, Muñoz-Fuentes V, Hsu CW, Van den Veyver IB, Flenniken AM, McKerlie C, Murray SA, Teboul L, Heaney JD, Lloyd KCK, Lanoue L, Braun RE, White JK, Creighton AK, Laurin V, Guo R, Qu D, Wells S, Cleak J, Bunton-Stasyshyn R, Stewart M, Harrisson J, Mason J, Haseli Mashhadi H, Parkinson H, Mallon AM, Smedley D. Mendelian gene identification through mouse embryo viability screening. Genome Med 2022; 14:119. [PMID: 36229886 PMCID: PMC9563108 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-022-01118-7] [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: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The diagnostic rate of Mendelian disorders in sequencing studies continues to increase, along with the pace of novel disease gene discovery. However, variant interpretation in novel genes not currently associated with disease is particularly challenging and strategies combining gene functional evidence with approaches that evaluate the phenotypic similarities between patients and model organisms have proven successful. A full spectrum of intolerance to loss-of-function variation has been previously described, providing evidence that gene essentiality should not be considered as a simple and fixed binary property. METHODS Here we further dissected this spectrum by assessing the embryonic stage at which homozygous loss-of-function results in lethality in mice from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, classifying the set of lethal genes into one of three windows of lethality: early, mid, or late gestation lethal. We studied the correlation between these windows of lethality and various gene features including expression across development, paralogy and constraint metrics together with human disease phenotypes. We explored a gene similarity approach for novel gene discovery and investigated unsolved cases from the 100,000 Genomes Project. RESULTS We found that genes in the early gestation lethal category have distinct characteristics and are enriched for genes linked with recessive forms of inherited metabolic disease. We identified several genes sharing multiple features with known biallelic forms of inborn errors of the metabolism and found signs of enrichment of biallelic predicted pathogenic variants among early gestation lethal genes in patients recruited under this disease category. We highlight two novel gene candidates with phenotypic overlap between the patients and the mouse knockouts. CONCLUSIONS Information on the developmental period at which embryonic lethality occurs in the knockout mouse may be used for novel disease gene discovery that helps to prioritise variants in unsolved rare disease cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Cacheiro
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Jesse Mager
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Mary E Dickinson
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lauryl M J Nutter
- The Hospital for Sick Children, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | - Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Chih-Wei Hsu
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Education, Innovation and Technology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ignatia B Van den Veyver
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ann M Flenniken
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | - Colin McKerlie
- The Hospital for Sick Children, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Lydia Teboul
- The Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Jason D Heaney
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - K C Kent Lloyd
- Mouse Biology Program, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Louise Lanoue
- Mouse Biology Program, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Amie K Creighton
- The Hospital for Sick Children, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | - Valerie Laurin
- The Hospital for Sick Children, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ruolin Guo
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | - Dawei Qu
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sara Wells
- The Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - James Cleak
- The Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | - Michelle Stewart
- The Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Jackie Harrisson
- The Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell Institute, Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Jeremy Mason
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Hamed Haseli Mashhadi
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Helen Parkinson
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | | | | | | | - Damian Smedley
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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6
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Ankeny RA, Munsie MJ, Leach J. Developing a Reflexive, Anticipatory, and Deliberative Approach to Unanticipated Discoveries: Ethical Lessons from iBlastoids. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2022; 22:36-45. [PMID: 34596479 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2021.1974976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we explore the recent creation of "iBlastoids," which are 3-D structures that resemble early human embryos prior to implantation which formed via self-organization of reprogrammed adult skin cells. We explore some of the ethical, philosophical, social, and regulatory issues related to this research, with focus particularly on what it means to "anticipate" research outcomes when using novel methods or when serendipitous discoveries are made. We defend the need for reflexive, anticipatory, and deliberative ethical and conceptual work by researchers working in emerging and contentious research domains, in collaboration with interdisciplinary scholars, as well as regulators, funders, and publics.
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7
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Goedel A, Lanner F. A peek into the black box of human embryology. Nature 2021; 600:223-224. [PMID: 34789887 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-03381-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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8
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Vajta G, Parmegiani L, Machaty Z, Chen WB, Yakovenko S. Back to the future: optimised microwell culture of individual human preimplantation stage embryos. J Assist Reprod Genet 2021; 38:2563-2574. [PMID: 33864207 PMCID: PMC8581087 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-021-02167-4] [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: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although in vitro culture of human embryos is a crucial step in assisted reproduction, the lack of focused research hampers worldwide standardisation and consistent outcomes. Only 1.2% of research papers published in five leading journals in human reproduction in 2019 focused on in vitro culture conditions, creating the impression that the optimisation process has approached its limits. On the other hand, in vitro culture of mammalian embryos is based on old principles, while there is no consensus on basic issues as density, time, medium change, gas atmosphere and small technical details including the way of drop preparation. This opinion paper aims to highlight and analyse the slow advancement in this field and stimulate research for simple and affordable solutions to meet the current requirements. A possible way for advancement is discussed in detail. Selection of embryos with the highest developmental competence requires individual culture and modification of the widely used "drop under oil" approach. Current use of three-dimensional surfaces instead of large flat bottoms is restricted to time-lapse systems, but these wells are designed for optical clarity, not for the needs of embryos. The size and shape of the original microwells (Well of the Well; WOW) offer a practical and straightforward solution to combine the benefits of communal and individual incubation and improve the overall quality of cultured embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Vajta
- RVT Australia, Cairns, QLD 4870 Australia
- VitaVitro Biotech Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Zoltan Machaty
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
| | | | - Sergey Yakovenko
- Altravita IVF Clinic, Moscow, Russia
- Biophysics Department, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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9
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Moris N, Alev C, Pera M, Martinez Arias A. Biomedical and societal impacts of in vitro embryo models of mammalian development. Stem Cell Reports 2021; 16:1021-1030. [PMID: 33979591 PMCID: PMC8185435 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, a diverse array of in vitro cell-derived models of mammalian development have been described that hold immense potential for exploring fundamental questions in developmental biology, particularly in the case of the human embryo where ethical and technical limitations restrict research. These models open up new avenues toward biomedical advances in in vitro fertilization, clinical research, and drug screening with potential to impact wider society across many diverse fields. These technologies raise challenging questions with profound ethical, regulatory, and social implications that deserve due consideration. Here, we discuss the potential impacts of embryo-like models, and their biomedical potential and current limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Moris
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK.
| | - Cantas Alev
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8510, Japan.
| | - Martin Pera
- The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
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10
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Swegen A. Maternal recognition of pregnancy in the mare: does it exist and why do we care? Reproduction 2021; 161:R139-R155. [PMID: 33957605 PMCID: PMC8183633 DOI: 10.1530/rep-20-0437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) is a process by which an early conceptus signals its presence to the maternal system and prevents the lysis of the corpus luteum, thus ensuring a maternal milieu supportive of pregnancy continuation. It is a fundamental aspect of reproductive biology, yet in the horse, the mechanism underlying MRP remains unknown. This review seeks to address some of the controversies surrounding the evidence and theories of MRP in the equine species, such as the idea that the horse does not conform to the MRP paradigm established in other species or that equine MRP involves a mechanical, rather than chemical, signal. The review examines the challenges of studying this particularly clandestine phenomenon along with the new tools in scientific research that will drive this quest forward in coming years, and discusses the value of knowledge gleaned along this path in the context of clinical applications for improving breeding outcomes in the horse industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleona Swegen
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
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11
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Vajta G, Parmegiani L, Machaty Z, Chen WB, Yakovenko S. Back to the future: optimised microwell culture of individual human preimplantation stage embryos. J Assist Reprod Genet 2021. [PMID: 33864207 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-021-02167-4.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although in vitro culture of human embryos is a crucial step in assisted reproduction, the lack of focused research hampers worldwide standardisation and consistent outcomes. Only 1.2% of research papers published in five leading journals in human reproduction in 2019 focused on in vitro culture conditions, creating the impression that the optimisation process has approached its limits. On the other hand, in vitro culture of mammalian embryos is based on old principles, while there is no consensus on basic issues as density, time, medium change, gas atmosphere and small technical details including the way of drop preparation. This opinion paper aims to highlight and analyse the slow advancement in this field and stimulate research for simple and affordable solutions to meet the current requirements. A possible way for advancement is discussed in detail. Selection of embryos with the highest developmental competence requires individual culture and modification of the widely used "drop under oil" approach. Current use of three-dimensional surfaces instead of large flat bottoms is restricted to time-lapse systems, but these wells are designed for optical clarity, not for the needs of embryos. The size and shape of the original microwells (Well of the Well; WOW) offer a practical and straightforward solution to combine the benefits of communal and individual incubation and improve the overall quality of cultured embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Vajta
- RVT Australia, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia. .,VitaVitro Biotech Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
| | | | - Zoltan Machaty
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | | | - Sergey Yakovenko
- Altravita IVF Clinic, Moscow, Russia.,Biophysics Department, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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12
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Abstract
Genetic diseases cause numerous complex and intractable pathologies. DNA sequences encoding each human's complexity and many disease risks are contained in the mitochondrial genome, nuclear genome, and microbial metagenome. Diagnosis of these diseases has unified around applications of next-generation DNA sequencing. However, translating specific genetic diagnoses into targeted genetic therapies remains a central goal. To date, genetic therapies have fallen into three broad categories: bulk replacement of affected genetic compartments with a new exogenous genome, nontargeted addition of exogenous genetic material to compensate for genetic errors, and most recently, direct correction of causative genetic alterations using gene editing. Generalized methods of diagnosis, therapy, and reagent delivery into each genetic compartment will accelerate the next generations of curative genetic therapies. We discuss the structure and variability of the mitochondrial, nuclear, and microbial metagenomic compartments, as well as the historical development and current practice of genetic diagnostics and gene therapies targeting each compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore L Roth
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA; .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
| | - Alexander Marson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.,Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, California 94129, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.,Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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13
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Effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on androgen synthesis and release from the pig endometrium during the fetal peri-implantation period. Anim Reprod Sci 2021; 226:106694. [PMID: 33486154 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2021.106694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
An electromagnetic field (EMF) may have effects on female reproduction. This study was conducted to determine whether EMF [50 and 120 Hz, 2 and 4 h of incubation in the presence or absence of progesterone (P4, 10-5 M)] affects androgen synthesis and release from the pig endometrium. Endometrial slices were collected from pigs (n = 5) during the fetal peri-implantation period (i.e., days 15-16 of gestation) and treated in vitro with EMF. The selected endometrial slices were treated with P4 to determine whether this hormone has effects on protection of the tissue from EMF radiation. The CYP17A1 and HSD3B1 mRNA transcript abundance, steroid 17αhydroxylase/17, 20-lyase (cytochrome P450c17) and hydroxyΔ5steroid dehydrogenase/3β and steroidΔisomerase (3βHSD) protein abundance were examined using Real-Time PCR and Western Blot procedures, respectively. In media collected after incubation, the concentrations of androstenedione (A4) and testosterone (T) were quantified used a RIA. When P4 was added to the culture medium, EMF radiation had suppressive effects on endometrial T release after 2 and 4 h of incubation when the EMF treatment was occurring and increased A4 release after 4 h of incubation with EMF at 120 Hz. When there was no inclusion of P4, release of A4 was decreased after 2 h of EMF treatment at 120 Hz and after 4 h of EMF treatment at 50 and 120 Hz. Progesterone did not have functions that protected the pig endometrium against EMF radiation during the fetal peri-implantation period.
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14
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Yu Y, Chang HM, Schjenken JE. Editorial: Reproduction and the Inflammatory Response. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:835854. [PMID: 35173683 PMCID: PMC8842655 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.835854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yu
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology and Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Center of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hsun-Ming Chang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - John Even Schjenken
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Infertility and Reproduction Research Program, Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
- *Correspondence: John Even Schjenken,
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15
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Critchley HOD, Babayev E, Bulun SE, Clark S, Garcia-Grau I, Gregersen PK, Kilcoyne A, Kim JYJ, Lavender M, Marsh EE, Matteson KA, Maybin JA, Metz CN, Moreno I, Silk K, Sommer M, Simon C, Tariyal R, Taylor HS, Wagner GP, Griffith LG. Menstruation: science and society. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020; 223:624-664. [PMID: 32707266 PMCID: PMC7661839 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Women's health concerns are generally underrepresented in basic and translational research, but reproductive health in particular has been hampered by a lack of understanding of basic uterine and menstrual physiology. Menstrual health is an integral part of overall health because between menarche and menopause, most women menstruate. Yet for tens of millions of women around the world, menstruation regularly and often catastrophically disrupts their physical, mental, and social well-being. Enhancing our understanding of the underlying phenomena involved in menstruation, abnormal uterine bleeding, and other menstruation-related disorders will move us closer to the goal of personalized care. Furthermore, a deeper mechanistic understanding of menstruation-a fast, scarless healing process in healthy individuals-will likely yield insights into a myriad of other diseases involving regulation of vascular function locally and systemically. We also recognize that many women now delay pregnancy and that there is an increasing desire for fertility and uterine preservation. In September 2018, the Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development convened a 2-day meeting, "Menstruation: Science and Society" with an aim to "identify gaps and opportunities in menstruation science and to raise awareness of the need for more research in this field." Experts in fields ranging from the evolutionary role of menstruation to basic endometrial biology (including omic analysis of the endometrium, stem cells and tissue engineering of the endometrium, endometrial microbiome, and abnormal uterine bleeding and fibroids) and translational medicine (imaging and sampling modalities, patient-focused analysis of menstrual disorders including abnormal uterine bleeding, smart technologies or applications and mobile health platforms) to societal challenges in health literacy and dissemination frameworks across different economic and cultural landscapes shared current state-of-the-art and future vision, incorporating the patient voice at the launch of the meeting. Here, we provide an enhanced meeting report with extensive up-to-date (as of submission) context, capturing the spectrum from how the basic processes of menstruation commence in response to progesterone withdrawal, through the role of tissue-resident and circulating stem and progenitor cells in monthly regeneration-and current gaps in knowledge on how dysregulation leads to abnormal uterine bleeding and other menstruation-related disorders such as adenomyosis, endometriosis, and fibroids-to the clinical challenges in diagnostics, treatment, and patient and societal education. We conclude with an overview of how the global agenda concerning menstruation, and specifically menstrual health and hygiene, are gaining momentum, ranging from increasing investment in addressing menstruation-related barriers facing girls in schools in low- to middle-income countries to the more recent "menstrual equity" and "period poverty" movements spreading across high-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary O D Critchley
- Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
| | - Elnur Babayev
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Serdar E Bulun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Iolanda Garcia-Grau
- Igenomix Foundation-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Clínico, INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Peter K Gregersen
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY
| | | | | | | | - Erica E Marsh
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Kristen A Matteson
- Division of Research, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Jacqueline A Maybin
- Medical Research Council Centre for Reproductive Health, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Christine N Metz
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY
| | - Inmaculada Moreno
- Igenomix Foundation-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Clínico, INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain
| | - Kami Silk
- Department of Communication, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
| | - Marni Sommer
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY
| | - Carlos Simon
- Igenomix Foundation-Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Clínico, INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, MA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | - Hugh S Taylor
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Günter P Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
| | - Linda G Griffith
- Center for Gynepathology Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
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16
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Chen Q, Di Z, García Roger EM, Li H, Richmond P, Roehner BM. Magnitude and significance of the peak of early embryonic mortality. J Biol Phys 2020; 46:233-251. [PMID: 32803624 PMCID: PMC7441109 DOI: 10.1007/s10867-020-09555-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development is of great importance because it determines congenital anomalies and influences their severity. However, little is known about the actual probabilities of success or failure and about the nature of early embryonic defects. Here, we propose that the analysis of embryonic mortality as a function of post-fertilization time provides a simple way to identify major defects. By reviewing the literature, we show that even small initial defects, e.g., spatial cellular asymmetries or irregularities in the timing of development, carry with them lethal effects in subsequent stages of embryogenesis. Although initially motivated by human study, in this contribution, we review the few embryonic mortality data available for farm animals and highlight zebrafish as a particularly suited organism for such a kind of study because embryogenesis can be followed from its very beginning and observed easily thanks to eggshell transparency. In line with the few other farm animals for which data are available, we provide empirical evidence that embryonic mortality in zebrafish has a prominent peak shortly after fertilization. Indeed, we show how subsequent mortality rates decay according to a power law, supporting the role of the early embryonic mortality peak as a screening process rapidly removing defective embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinghua Chen
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zengru Di
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Eduardo M. García Roger
- Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, University of València, València, Spain
| | - Hui Li
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Peter Richmond
- School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bertrand M. Roehner
- Institute for Theoretical and High Energy Physics (LPTHE), Pierre and Marie Curie Campus, Sorbonne University, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris, France
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17
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Abstract
In 2002, in a judgment relating to the use of the morning-after pill, Mr Justice Munby held that pregnancy begins with the implantation of an embryo into the uterus of a woman. The case involved a large body of expert witness evidence including medical and physiological details of human reproduction. Munby J. emphasised one particular aspect of this evidence: namely, the developmental failure rate of human embryos after fertilisation. Under natural conditions, embryo loss is approximately 10-40% before implantation, and total loss from fertilisation to birth is 40-60% (Jarvis, 2016). By contrast, and based on expert witness testimony, Munby J. stated that not much more than 25% of successfully fertilised eggs reach the implantation stage, and that fewer than 15% of fertilised eggs result in a birth, figures that do not accurately represent scientific knowledge regarding human embryo mortality and pregnancy loss under natural conditions. Rather, these figures were derived from experimental laboratory data and clinical outcomes from
in vitro fertilisation treatment. Testimony provided by other expert witnesses directly contradicted these specific numerical claims. In emphasising these figures, Munby J. gave the impression that human embryo mortality is substantially higher than available scientific evidence indicated. In this critique, all the scientific expert witness evidence is presented and reviewed, and an explanation provided for why the emphasised figures are wrong. Whether there are implications of Munby J.’s scientific misjudgment on the legal outcome is for others to consider.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin E Jarvis
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
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18
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Batista MR, Diniz P, Torres A, Murta D, Lopes-da-Costa L, Silva E. Notch signaling in mouse blastocyst development and hatching. BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 20:9. [PMID: 32482162 PMCID: PMC7265256 DOI: 10.1186/s12861-020-00216-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Background Mammalian early embryo development requires a well-orchestrated interplay of cell signaling pathways. Notch is a major regulatory pathway involved in cell-fate determination in embryonic and adult scenarios. However, the role of Notch in embryonic pre-implantation development is controversial. In particular, Notch role on blastocyst development and hatching remains elusive, and a complete picture of the transcription and expression patterns of Notch components during this time-period is not available. Results This study provided a comprehensive view on the dynamics of individual embryo gene transcription and protein expression patterns of Notch components (receptors Notch1–4; ligands Dll1 and Dll4, Jagged1–2; and effectors Hes1–2), and their relationship with transcription of gene markers of pluripotency and differentiation (Sox2, Oct4, Klf4, Cdx2) during mouse blastocyst development and hatching. Transcription of Notch1–2, Jagged1–2 and Hes1 was highly prevalent and dynamic along stages of development, whereas transcription of Notch3–4, Dll4 and Hes2 had a low prevalence among embryos. Transcription levels of Notch1, Notch2, Jagged2 and Hes1 correlated with each other and with those of pluripotency and differentiation genes. Gene transcription was associated to protein expression, except for Jagged2, where high transcription levels in all embryos were not translated into protein. Presence of Notch signaling activity was confirmed through nuclear NICD and Hes1 detection, and downregulation of Hes1 transcription following canonical signaling blockade with DAPT. In vitro embryo culture supplementation with Jagged1 had no effect on embryo developmental kinetics. In contrast, supplementation with Jagged2 abolished Jagged1 transcription, downregulated Cdx2 transcription and inhibited blastocyst hatching. Notch signaling blockade by DAPT downregulated transcription of Sox2, and retarded embryo hatching. Conclusion Transcription of Notch genes showed a dynamic pattern along blastocyst development and hatching. Data confirmed Notch signaling activity, and lead to the suggestion that Notch canonical signaling may be operating through Notch1, Notch3, Jagged1 and Hes1. Embryo culture supplementation with Jagged1 and Jagged2 unveiled a possible regulatory effect between Jagged1, Cdx2 and blastocyst hatching. Overall, results indicate that a deregulation in Notch signaling, either by its over or under-activation, affects blastocyst development and hatching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana R Batista
- Reproduction and Development Laboratory, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Diniz
- Reproduction and Development Laboratory, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Torres
- Reproduction and Development Laboratory, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Daniel Murta
- Reproduction and Development Laboratory, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal.,CBIOS - Research Centre for Biosciences and Health Technologies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University of Humanities and Technologies, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Luís Lopes-da-Costa
- Reproduction and Development Laboratory, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Elisabete Silva
- Reproduction and Development Laboratory, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
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19
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Abstract
Aim To determine how the adrenomedullin (ADM) level in a woman's serum on the day of embryo transfer affects pregnancy results. Materials & Methods Women who had undergone frozen embryo transfer between July 2018 and February 2019 were prospectively included in the study. The relation between the level of ADM and pregnancy result was examined after taking a sample of serum from each patients on the same day as the transfer. Results The results revealed that the ADM levels in patients who became pregnant were higher, but not to a statistically significant level. Conclusion Adrenomedullin is an important molecule for human embryo implantation.
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20
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Dynamics of trophoblast differentiation in peri-implantation-stage human embryos. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:22635-22644. [PMID: 31636193 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1911362116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing of cells from cultured human blastocysts has enabled us to define the transcriptomic landscape of placental trophoblast (TB) that surrounds the epiblast and associated embryonic tissues during the enigmatic day 8 (D8) to D12 peri-implantation period before the villous placenta forms. We analyzed the transcriptomes of 3 early placental cell types, cytoTB (CTB), syncytioTB (STB), and migratoryTB (MTB), picked manually from cultured embryos dissociated with trypsin and were able to follow sublineages that emerged from proliferating CTB at the periphery of the conceptus. A unique form of CTB with some features of STB was detectable at D8, while mature STB was at its zenith at D10. A form of MTB with a mixed MTB/CTB phenotype arose around D10. By D12, STB generation was in decline, CTB had entered a new phase of proliferation, and mature MTB cells had begun to move from the main body of the conceptus. Notably, the MTB transcriptome at D12 indicated enrichment of transcripts associated with IFN signaling, migration, and invasion and up-regulation of HLA-C, HLA-E, and HLA-G. The STB, which is distinct from the STB of later villous STB, had a phenotype consistent with intense protein export and placental hormone production, as well as migration and invasion. The studies show that TB associated with human embryos is in rapid developmental flux during peri-implantation period when it must invade, signal robustly to the mother to ensure that the pregnancy continues, and make first contact with the maternal immune system.
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21
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Blackshaw BP. The Ethics of Killing: Strengthening the Substance View with Time-relative Interests. New Bioeth 2019; 25:332-348. [PMID: 31596189 DOI: 10.1080/20502877.2019.1674492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The substance view is an account of personhood that regards all human beings as possessing instrinsic value and moral status equivalent to that of an adult human being. Consequently, substance view proponents typically regard abortion as impermissible in most circumstances. The substance view, however, has difficulty accounting for certain intuitions regarding the badness of death for embryos and fetuses, and the wrongness of killing them. Jeff McMahan's time-relative interest account is designed to cater for such intuitions, and so I present a proposal for strengthening the substance view by incorporating McMahan's account - the Dual-Aspect Account of the morality of killing. I show that it resolves some important issues for the substance view while preserving its central premise of moral equality for all human beings. I then compare the Dual-Aspect Account with McMahan's Two-Tiered Account of the morality of killing, which he derives from his time-relative interest account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce P Blackshaw
- Department of Philosophy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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22
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Abstract
A substantial proportion of human embryos spontaneously abort soon after conception, and ethicists have argued this is problematic for the pro-life view that a human embryo has the same moral status as an adult from conception. Firstly, if human embryos are our moral equals, this entails spontaneous abortion is one of humanity's most important problems, and it is claimed this is absurd, and a reductio of the moral status claim. Secondly, it is claimed that pro-life advocates do not act as if spontaneous abortion is important, implying they are failing to fulfill their moral obligations. We report that the primary cause of spontaneous abortion is chromosomal defects, which are currently unpreventable, and show that as the other major cause of prenatal death is induced abortion, pro-life advocates can legitimately continue efforts to oppose it. We also defend the relevance of the killing and letting die distinction, which provides further justification for pro-life priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce P Blackshaw
- a Department of Philosophy , University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK
| | - Daniel Rodger
- b School of Health and Social Care , London South Bank University , London , UK
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23
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Mathew B, Muñoz-Descalzo S, Corujo-Simon E, Schröter C, Stelzer EHK, Fischer SC. Mouse ICM Organoids Reveal Three-Dimensional Cell Fate Clustering. Biophys J 2018; 116:127-141. [PMID: 30514631 PMCID: PMC6341222 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
During mammalian preimplantation, cells of the inner cell mass (ICM) adopt either an embryonic or an extraembryonic fate. This process is tightly regulated in space and time and has been studied previously in mouse embryos and embryonic stem cell models. Current research suggests that cell fates are arranged in a salt-and-pepper pattern of random cell positioning or a spatially alternating pattern. However, the details of the three-dimensional patterns of cell fate specification have not been investigated in the embryo nor in in vitro systems. We developed ICM organoids as a, to our knowledge, novel three-dimensional in vitro stem cell system to model mechanisms of fate decisions that occur in the ICM. ICM organoids show similarities to the in vivo system that arise regardless of the differences in geometry and total cell number. Inspecting ICM organoids and mouse embryos, we describe a so far unknown local clustering of cells with identical fates in both systems. These findings are based on the three-dimensional quantitative analysis of spatiotemporal patterns of NANOG and GATA6 expression in combination with computational rule-based modeling. The pattern identified by our analysis is distinct from the current view of a salt-and-pepper pattern. Our investigation of the spatial distributions both in vivo and in vitro dissects the contributions of the different parts of the embryo to cell fate specifications. In perspective, our combination of quantitative in vivo and in vitro analyses can be extended to other mammalian organisms and thus creates a powerful approach to study embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biena Mathew
- Physikalische Biologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Silvia Muñoz-Descalzo
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom; Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias, Universidad Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Elena Corujo-Simon
- Instituto Universitario de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Sanitarias, Universidad Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Christian Schröter
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Ernst H K Stelzer
- Physikalische Biologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sabine C Fischer
- Physikalische Biologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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24
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Zuber PLF, Moran AC, Chou D, Renaud F, Halleux C, Peña-Rosas JP, Viswanathan K, Lackritz E, Jakob R, Mason E, Lamprianou S, Guillard-Maure C. Mapping the landscape of global programmes to evaluate health interventions in pregnancy: the need for harmonised approaches, standards and tools. BMJ Glob Health 2018; 3:e001053. [PMID: 30364289 PMCID: PMC6195154 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Pregnant women and their babies are among the populations most vulnerable to untoward health outcomes. Yet current standards for evaluating health interventions cannot be met during pregnancy because of lack of adequate evidence. The situation is even more concerning in low-income and middle-income countries, where the need for effective interventions is the greatest. Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals for health will require strengthened attention to maternal and child health. In this paper we examine ongoing initiatives aimed at improving the assessment of maternal interventions. We review current methodologies to monitor outcomes of maternal interventions and identify where harmonisation is needed. Based on this analysis we identify settings where different minimal data sets should be considered taking into consideration the clinical realities. Stronger coordination mechanisms and a roadmap to support harmonised monitoring of maternal interventions across programmes and partners, working on improving pregnancy and early childhood health events, will greatly enhance ability to generate evidence-based policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick L F Zuber
- Safety and Vigilance, Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Allisyn C Moran
- Department of Epidemiology, Monitoring and Evaluation, Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Doris Chou
- Adolescents and at-Risk Populations, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Françoise Renaud
- Strategic Information and Planning, Department of HIV/AIDS, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christine Halleux
- Intervention and Implementation Research, Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Juan Pablo Peña-Rosas
- Evidence and Programme Guidance, Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kavitha Viswanathan
- Global Platform for Measurement and Accountability, Department of Information, Evidence and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Eve Lackritz
- High Threat Pathogens, Department of Infectious Hazard Management, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Robert Jakob
- Data Standards and Informatics, Department of Information, Evidence and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Smaragda Lamprianou
- Safety and Vigilance, Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christine Guillard-Maure
- Safety and Vigilance, Department of Essential Medicines and Health Products, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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25
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Abstract
How many human embryos die between fertilisation and birth under natural conditions? It is widely accepted that natural human embryo mortality is high, particularly during the first weeks after fertilisation, with total prenatal losses of 70% and higher frequently claimed. However, the first external sign of pregnancy occurs two weeks after fertilisation with a missed menstrual period, and establishing the fate of embryos before this is challenging. Calculations are additionally hampered by a lack of data on the efficiency of fertilisation under natural conditions. Four distinct sources are used to justify quantitative claims regarding embryo loss: (i) a hypothesis published by Roberts & Lowe in TheLancet is widely cited but has no practical quantitative value; (ii) life table analyses give consistent assessments of clinical pregnancy loss, but cannot illuminate losses at earlier stages of development; (iii) studies that measure human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) reveal losses in the second week of development and beyond, but not before; and (iv) the classic studies of Hertig and Rock offer the only direct insight into the fate of human embryos from fertilisation under natural conditions. Re-examination of Hertig's data demonstrates that his estimates for fertilisation rate and early embryo loss are highly imprecise and casts doubt on the validity of his numerical analysis. A recent re-analysis of hCG study data concluded that approximately 40-60% of embryos may be lost between fertilisation and birth, although this will vary substantially between individual women. In conclusion, natural human embryo mortality is lower than often claimed and widely accepted. Estimates for total prenatal mortality of 70% or higher are exaggerated and not supported by the available data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin E. Jarvis
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
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26
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Abstract
It is generally accepted that natural human embryo mortality during pregnancy is high - losses of 70% and higher from fertilisation to birth are frequently claimed. The first external sign of pregnancy occurs two weeks after fertilisation with a missed menstrual period. Establishing the fate of embryos before this is challenging, and hampered by a lack of data on the efficiency of fertilisation under natural conditions. Four distinct sources are cited to justify quantitative claims regarding embryo loss: (i) a hypothesis published by Roberts & Lowe in TheLancet is widely cited but has no quantitative value; (ii) life table analyses give consistent assessments of clinical pregnancy loss, but cannot illuminate losses at earlier stages of development; (iii) studies that measure human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) reveal losses in the second week of development and beyond, but not before; and (iv) the classic studies of Hertig and Rock offer the only direct insight into the fate of human embryos from fertilisation under natural conditions. Re-examination of Hertig's data demonstrates that his estimates for fertilisation rate and early embryo loss are highly imprecise and casts doubt on the validity of his numerical analysis. A recent re-analysis of hCG study data suggests that approximately 40-60% of embryos may be lost between fertilisation and birth, although this will vary substantially between individual women. In conclusion, it is clear that some published estimates of natural embryo mortality are exaggerated. Although available data do not provide a precise estimate, natural human embryo mortality is lower than is often claimed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin E. Jarvis
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
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