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Pérez-Sánchez M, Pardiñas ML, Díez-Juan A, Quiñonero A, Domínguez F, Martin A, Vidal C, Beltrán D, Mifsud A, Mercader A, Pellicer A, Cobo A, de Los Santos MJ. The effect of vitrification on blastocyst mitochondrial DNA dynamics and gene expression profiles. J Assist Reprod Genet 2023; 40:2577-2589. [PMID: 37801195 PMCID: PMC10643482 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-023-02952-3] [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: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Does vitrification/warming affect the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and the gene expression profile of blastocysts? METHODS Prospective cohort study in which 89 blastocysts were obtained from 50 patients between July 2017 and August 2018. mtDNA was measured in a total of 71 aneuploid blastocysts by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Transcriptomic analysis was performed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in an additional 8 aneuploid blastocysts cultured for 0 h after warming, and 10 aneuploid blastocysts cultured for 4-5 h after warming. RESULTS A significant decrease in mtDNA content just during the first hour after the warming process in blastocysts was found (P < 0.05). However, mtDNA content experimented a significantly increased along the later culture hours achieving the original mtDNA levels before vitrification after 4-5 h of culture (P < 0.05). Gene expression analysis and functional enrichment analysis revealed that such recovery was accompanied by upregulation of pathways associated with embryo developmental capacity and uterine embryo development. Interestingly, the significant increase in mtDNA content observed in blastocysts just after warming also coincided with the differential expression of several cellular stress response-related pathways, such as apoptosis, DNA damage, humoral immune responses, and cancer. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating in humans, a modulation in blastocysts mtDNA content in response to vitrification and warming. These results will be useful in understanding which pathways and mechanisms may be activated in human blastocysts following vitrification and warming before a transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pérez-Sánchez
- IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 - Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Luisa Pardiñas
- IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 - Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Antonio Díez-Juan
- Department of Research, Igenomix, Parque Tecnológico, Rda. de Narcís Monturiol, nº11, B, 46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alicia Quiñonero
- IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 - Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Francisco Domínguez
- IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 - Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Angel Martin
- IVI Foundation, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IIS La Fe), Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 - Torre A, Planta 1ª, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carmina Vidal
- Department of Gynaecology, IVIRMA Global, Plaça de La Policía Local, 3, Valencia, 46015, Spain
| | - Diana Beltrán
- IVF Laboratory, IVIRMA Global, Plaça de La Policía Local, 3, 46015, Valencia, Spain
| | - Amparo Mifsud
- IVF Laboratory, IVIRMA Global, Plaça de La Policía Local, 3, 46015, Valencia, Spain
| | - Amparo Mercader
- IVF Laboratory, IVIRMA Global, Plaça de La Policía Local, 3, 46015, Valencia, Spain
| | - Antonio Pellicer
- Department of Gynaecology, IVIRMA Global, Largo Ildebrando Pizzetti, 1, Rome, 00197, Italy
| | - Ana Cobo
- IVF Laboratory, IVIRMA Global, Plaça de La Policía Local, 3, 46015, Valencia, Spain
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Pastor WA, Kwon SY. Distinctive aspects of the placental epigenome and theories as to how they arise. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:569. [PMID: 36287261 PMCID: PMC9606139 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04568-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The placenta has a methylome dramatically unlike that of any somatic cell type. Among other distinctions, it features low global DNA methylation, extensive “partially methylated domains” packed in dense heterochromatin and methylation of hundreds of CpG islands important in somatic development. These features attract interest in part because a substantial fraction of human cancers feature the exact same phenomena, suggesting parallels between epigenome formation in placentation and cancer. Placenta also features an expanded set of imprinted genes, some of which come about by distinctive developmental pathways. Recent discoveries, some from far outside the placental field, shed new light on how the unusual placental epigenetic state may arise. Nonetheless, key questions remain unresolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A Pastor
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6, Canada.
- Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A3, Canada.
| | - Sin Young Kwon
- Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6, Canada
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