1
|
Martinez CA, Marteinsdottir I, Josefsson A, Sydsjö G, Theodorsson E, Rodriguez-Martinez H. Epigenetic modifications appear in the human placenta following anxiety and depression during pregnancy. Placenta 2023; 140:72-79. [PMID: 37549439 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2023.07.298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The future health of the offspring can be influenced by longstanding maternal anxiety and depression disorders during pregnancy. The present study aimed to explore the effect of psychiatric disorders during pregnancy on placental epigenetics. METHODS We measured DNA methylation patterns in term-placentas of women either suffering longstanding anxiety and depression symptoms (Index group, with overt symptoms), or a healthy population (Control, none/only mild symptoms). Whole genome DNA methylation profiling was performed using the TruSeq® Methyl Capture EPIC Library Prep Kit (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) for library preparation and NGS technology for genomic DNA sequencing. RESULTS The results of high-throughput DNA methylation analysis revealed that the Index group had differential DNA methylation at epigenome-wide significance (p < 0.05) in 226 genes in the placenta. Targeted enrichment analyses identified hypermethylation of genes associated with psychiatric disorders (BRINP1, PUM1), and ion homeostasis (COMMD1), among others. The ECM (extracellular matrix)-receptor interaction pathway was significantly dysregulated in the Index group compared to the Control. In addition, DNA methylation/mRNA integration analyses revealed that four genes with key roles in neurodevelopment and other important processes (EPB41L4B, BMPR2, KLHL18, and UBAP2) were dysregulated at both, DNA methylation and transcriptome levels in the Index group compared to Control. DISCUSSION The presented results increase our understanding of how maternal psychiatric disorders may affect the newborn through placental differential epigenome, suggesting DNA methylation status as a biomarker when aiming to design new preventive techniques and interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 , Linköping, Sweden; Department of Animal Reproduction, National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (CSIC-INIA), Ctra de la Coruña KM 5.9, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ina Marteinsdottir
- Department of Medicine and Optometry, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Hus Vita, Kalmar, 43157, Sweden.
| | - Ann Josefsson
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 , Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Gunilla Sydsjö
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 , Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Elvar Theodorsson
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology, Linköping University, Sweden.
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 , Linköping, Sweden.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Gonzalez-Ramiro H, Gil MA, Cuello C, Cambra JM, Gonzalez-Plaza A, Vazquez JM, Vazquez JL, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Lucas-Sanchez A, Parrilla I, Martinez CA, Martinez EA. The Use of a Brief Synchronization Treatment after Weaning, Combined with Superovulation, Has Moderate Effects on the Gene Expression of Surviving Pig Blastocysts. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13091568. [PMID: 37174605 PMCID: PMC10177444 DOI: 10.3390/ani13091568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The combination of estrus synchronization and superovulation (SS) treatments causes alterations in ovarian and endometrial gene expression patterns, resulting in abnormal follicle and oocyte growth, fertilization, and embryo development. However, the impact of combined SS treatments on the transcriptome of the surviving embryos remains unidentified. In this study, we examined gene expression changes in day 6 blastocysts that survived a brief regimen of synchronization treatment combined with superovulation. The sows were included in one of three groups: SS7 group (n = 6), sows were administered Altrenogest (ALT) 7 days from the day of weaning and superovulated with eCG 24 h after the end of ALT treatment and hCG at the onset of estrus; SO group (n = 6), ALT nontreated sows were superovulated with eCG 24 h postweaning and hCG at the onset of estrus; control group (n = 6), weaned sows displaying natural estrus. Six days after insemination, the sows underwent a surgical intervention for embryo collection. Transcriptome analysis was performed on blastocyst-stage embryos with good morphology. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups were detected using one-way ANOVA with an un-adjusted p-value < 0.05 and a fold change </> 1.5. The effect of SO treatment on the number of altered pathways and DEGs within each pathway was minimal. Only four pathways were disrupted comprising only a total of four altered transcripts, which were not related to reproductive functions or embryonic development. On the other hand, the surviving blastocysts subjected to SS7 treatments exhibited moderate gene expression changes in terms of DEGs and fold changes, with seven pathways disrupted containing a total of 10 transcripts affected. In this case, the up-regulation of certain pathways, such as the metabolic pathway, with two up-regulated genes associated with reproductive functions, namely RDH10 and SPTLC2, may suggest suboptimal embryo quality, while the down-regulation of others, such as the glutathione metabolism pathway, with down-regulated genes related to cellular detoxification of reactive oxygen species, namely GSTK1 and GSTO1, could depress the embryos' response to oxidative stress, thereby impairing subsequent embryo development. The gene expression changes observed in the present study in SS7 embryos, along with previous reports indicating SS7 can negatively affect fertilization, embryo production, and reproductive tract gene expression, make its use in embryo transfer programs unrecommendable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henar Gonzalez-Ramiro
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Research and Development, Grupo Agropor I+D+I, AIE, 30565 Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Plaza
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan M Vazquez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose L Vazquez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | | | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Reproduction, National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA-CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Pascual Parrilla), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gonzalez-Plaza A, Cambra JM, Garcia-Canovas M, Parrilla I, Gil MA, Martinez EA, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Martinez CA, Cuello C. Cryotop vitrification of large batches of pig embryos simultaneously provides excellent postwarming survival rates and minimal interference with gene expression. Theriogenology 2023; 206:1-10. [PMID: 37148716 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The most commonly used technique to vitrify pig embryos is the super open pulled straw (SOPS), where a maximum of 6 embryos can be vitrified simultaneously per device without compromising the minimum volume necessary for optimal preservation. Since optimal embryo transfer (ET) demands a transfer of 20-40 embryos per recipient, the customary use of SOPS complicates embryo warming and ET in field conditions. Such complications could be avoided when using the Cryotop® (OC) system, which has been proven to be an effective option for vitrifying at least 20 porcine embryos simultaneously. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the transcriptome of blastocysts caused by vitrification using both systems. In vivo-derived blastocysts were OC- (n = 60; 20 embryos/device) and SOPS- (n = 60; 4-6 embryos/device) vitrified and cultured for 24 h after warming. Nonvitrified blastocysts (n = 60) cultured for 24 h postcollection acted as controls. At the end of culture, 48 viable embryos from each group (6 pools of 8 embryos) were selected for microarray (GeneChip® Porcine Genome Array, P/N 900624, Affymetrix) analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The survival rate of embryos vitrified with the OC and SOPS systems (>97%) was similar to that of the control embryos (100%). Microarray analysis of each vitrification system compared to the control group showed 245 DEGs (89 downregulated and 156 upregulated) for the OC system and 210 (44 downregulated and 166 upregulated) for the SOPS system. Two pathways were enriched for the DEGs specifically altered in each vitrification system compared to the control (glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and carbon metabolism pathways for the OC system and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism and lysosome pathways in the SOPS group). The OC group showed 31 downregulated and 24 upregulated genes and two enriched pathways (mineral absorption and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism pathways) when compared to the SOPS group. In summary, vitrification with the OC system altered fewer genes related to apoptosis and activated genes related to cell proliferation. We conclude that vitrification with either the OC or SOPS system has a moderate to low effect on the transcriptome of in vivo-derived porcine blastocysts. Further investigation is needed to elucidate how the differences in the transcriptome of embryos vitrified with these systems affect their subsequent developmental ability after ET.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gonzalez-Plaza
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Manuela Garcia-Canovas
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Reproduction. National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine & Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education & Research (CMN), University of Murcia. Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Martinez CA, Rizos D, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Funahashi H. Oocyte-cumulus cells crosstalk: New comparative insights. Theriogenology 2023; 205:87-93. [PMID: 37105091 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian follicles are constituted of a complex structure composed of several layers of granulosa cells surrounding the oocyte and of theca cells that reside beneath its basement membrane. During folliculogenesis, granulosa cells separate into two anatomically and functionally distinct sub-types; the mural cells lining the follicle wall and the oocyte-surrounding cumulus cells, i.e. those in intimate metabolic contact with the oocyte. The cumulus cells connecting with the oocyte have trans-zonal cytoplasmic projections which, penetrating the zona pellucida, form the cumulus-oocyte complex. The connections through gap junctions allow the transfer of small molecules between oocyte and cumulus cells, such as ions, metabolites, and amino acids necessary for oocyte growth, as well as small regulatory molecules that control oocyte development. The bi-directional communication between the oocyte and cumulus cells is crucial for the development and functions of both cell types. Our current knowledge of the relationship between the oocyte and its surrounding cumulus cells continues to change as we gain a greater understanding of factors regulating oocyte development and folliculogenesis. This review will mainly focus on the reciprocal interaction between oocytes and cumulus cells during the latter stages of follicle development i.e. through antral development to periovulatory events including oocyte maturation, expansion, and degradation of the cumulus matrix.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Science, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan; Department of Animal Reproduction, INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain; Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Gonzalez‐Plaza A, Brullo C, Cambra JM, Garcia M, Iacono E, Parrilla I, Gil MA, Martinez EA, Martinez CA, Cuello C. Equilibration time with cryoprotectants, but not melatonin supplementation during in vitro maturation, affects viability and metaphase plate morphology of vitrified porcine mature oocytes. Reprod Domest Anim 2022; 57 Suppl 5:58-63. [PMID: 35567517 PMCID: PMC9790282 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of different equilibration times with cryoprotectants on viability and metaphase plate morphology of vitrified-warmed porcine mature oocytes (Experiment 1) and to evaluate the effects of supplementation with 10-9 M melatonin during in vitro maturation on these parameters (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, 2,392 mature oocytes were vitrified using different equilibration times of oocytes with cryoprotectants (3, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60 and 80 min). Fresh oocytes matured in vitro for 44 hr (n = 509) were used as controls. In Experiment 2, a total of 573 COCs were used. COCs were matured with 10-9 M melatonin supplementation or without melatonin (control). Some oocytes from each group were vitrified with a 60-min equilibration time with cryoprotectants according to the results of Experiment 1. The remaining oocytes from each maturation group were used as fresh control groups. In both experiments, oocytes were stained with 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofuorescein diacetate and Hoechst 33342 to assess viability and metaphase plate morphology, respectively. Vitrification and warming affected (p < .01) oocyte viability compared with controls, which were all viable after 44 hr of IVM. In Experiment 1, the longer the equilibration time with cryoprotectants, the higher the viability. Oocytes equilibrated for 60 and 80 min had the highest (p < .05) viability and similar metaphase plate characteristics to the fresh control oocytes. In Experiment 2, supplementation with melatonin during in vitro maturation had no effect on oocyte viability or metaphase plate morphology of vitrified-warmed oocytes. In conclusion, under our experimental conditions, vitrified porcine mature oocytes equilibrated with cryoprotectants for 60 or 80 min exhibited the highest viability and similar metaphase plate characteristics to fresh controls. Furthermore, supplementation with 10-9 M melatonin during in vitro maturation had no effect on these parameters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gonzalez‐Plaza
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| | - Cristiano Brullo
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences and CIRI‐SDVUniversity of BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Josep M. Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| | - Manuela Garcia
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| | - Eleonora Iacono
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences and CIRI‐SDVUniversity of BolognaBolognaItaly
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| | - Maria Antonia Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| | - Emilio A. Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| | - Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesLinköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN)University of MurciaMurciaSpain,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB‐Arrixaca)MurciaSpain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Castany Quintana M, Gardela J, Ruiz‐Conca M, López‐Béjar M, Martinez CA, Rodríguez‐Martinez H, Álvarez‐Rodríguez M. Changes in aquaporins mRNA expression and liquid storage at 17°C: A potential biomarker of boar sperm quality? Reprod Domest Anim 2022; 57 Suppl 5:78-81. [PMID: 35467055 PMCID: PMC9790750 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Artificial insemination (AI) for pigs relies on liquid storage of extended semen at 17°C, which preserves sperm quality and ensures its fertilizing capacity. Routine quality controls include the evaluation of sperm motility, viability and capacitation status. The physiological functions of all these features depend on transmembrane aquaporins (AQPs), proteins playing key roles in osmoadaptation. In this study, we made a relative quantification, using RT-qPCR, of the mRNA of several sperm AQPs in AI-liquid semen doses before and after a 48-hr incubation period, aiming to determine possible quantitative compromising expression changes during the process that could serve as a diagnostic tool. Our results showed a decrease in classical sperm motility variables (total and progressive motility and velocity) and sperm viability after 48-hr storage, whereas capacitation status increased overtime. mRNA expression increased in the orthodox AQP4 and AQP6 after 48-hr incubation, relative to control (0 hr) and 24-hr time-points. Moreover, mRNA expression of aquaglyceroporins AQP3, AQP7 and AQP10 was higher after 48-hr incubation, confirmed by AQP7-protein validation using Western blot. Our results indicate that expression levels of AQPs-mRNA can change in ejaculated pig spermatozoa under conditions of ex-vivo incubation that could modify sperm homeostasis, suggesting it could eventually become a relevant molecular biomarker to assess the efficiency of liquid storage of pig semen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaume Gardela
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV)Linköping UniversityLinköpingSweden,Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary FacultyUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterra, BarcelonaSpain
| | - Mateo Ruiz‐Conca
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV)Linköping UniversityLinköpingSweden,Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary FacultyUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterra, BarcelonaSpain
| | - Manel López‐Béjar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary FacultyUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterra, BarcelonaSpain,College of Veterinary MedicineWestern University of Health SciencesPomonaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV)Linköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | | | - Manuel Álvarez‐Rodríguez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV)Linköping UniversityLinköpingSweden,Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary FacultyUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterra, BarcelonaSpain,Department of Animal ReproductionINIA‐CSICMadridSpain
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gonzalez-Ramiro H, Parrilla I, Cambra JM, Gonzalez-Plaza A, Gil MA, Cuello C, Martinez EA, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Martinez CA. Combined synchronization and superovulation treatments negatively impact embryo viability possibly by the downregulation of WNT/β-catenin and Notch signaling genes in the porcine endometrium. J Anim Sci 2022; 100:6726244. [PMID: 36169657 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skac315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of estrus synchronization and superovulation treatments introduces molecular modifications whose effects are yet to be disclosed. Here, reproductive parameters and gene expression changes in ovaries and endometrium were explored on Day 6 after artificial insemination (AI), when synthetic progestin altrenogest (ALT) was combined with gonadotropins. Sows were administered ALT for 7 days beginning on the day of weaning and superovulated with Equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) 24 h later and Human chorionic gonadotropins (hCG) at the onset of estrus (SS-7 group; n=6). The controls were either superovulated sows with eCG 24 h postweaning and hCG at the onset of estrus (SC group; n=6) or sows with postweaning spontaneous estrus (NC group; n=6). Ovary examination and embryo and tissue collection were performed in all sows via laparotomy on Day 6 post-AI. RNA-Seq was conducted to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups. Statistical analysis of the reproductive parameters was conducted with an ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests. DEGs were analyzed with an ANOVA (fold changes ≥2 or ≤2, p value <0.05). Hormonal treatments almost doubled (p<0.03) the number of corpora lutea (39.8±10.2 and 38.3±11.1 in SS-7 and SC sows, respectively) compared with that in the NC group (23.1±3.8). In contrast, embryo viability was significantly decreased (p<0.003) in response to SS-7 treatment (75.1%±15.2%) compared to SC and NC groups (93.8±7.6% and 91.8±6.9%, respectively). RNA-Seq analyses revealed 675 and 1583 DEGs in the SS-7 group compared to both SC and NC groups in endometrial and ovarian samples, respectively. Interestingly, many genes with key roles in the Wnt/β-catenin and Notch signaling pathways were differentially expressed in SS-7 sows relative to SC and NC groups (e.g., Ctnnb1, Myc, Gli3, Scyl2, Ccny, Daam1, Ppm1n, Rbpj, and Usp8). A key finding in this study was the downregulation of β-catenin (Ctnnb1) gene expression in the SS-7 endometrium, suggesting that this treatment influences embryo-uterine dialogue by triggering a cascade of events leading to embryo maldevelopment. These data explain the proliferative defects in SS-7 embryos and suggest a novel mechanism of porcine embryo-maternal crosstalk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henar Gonzalez-Ramiro
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - J Miquel Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Plaza
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - M Antonia Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, 30100, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58225, Sweden
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58225, Sweden.,Department of Animal Reproduction, National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA), Madrid, 28006, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Martinez CA, Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Rodriguez-Martinez H. A decreased expression of interferon stimulated genes in peri-implantation endometrium of embryo transfer recipient sows could contribute to embryo death. Animal 2022; 16:100590. [PMID: 35843191 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pig pregnancy succeeds thanks to a well-coordinated system ruling both maternal immune activation and embryonic antigen tolerance. In physiological pregnancies, the maternal immune system should tolerate the presence of hemi-allogeneic conceptuses from the pre-implantation phase to term, while maintaining maternal defence against pathogens. Allogeneic pregnancies, as after embryo transfer (ET), depict high embryo mortality during the attachment phase, calling for studies of the dynamic modifications in immune processes occurring at the maternal-foetal interface, for instance, of interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs). These ISGs are generally activated by IFN secreted by the conceptus during the process of maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) and responsible for recruiting immune cells to the site of embryo attachment, thus facilitating cell-antigen presentation and angiogenesis. We performed RNA-Seq analysis in peri-implantation (days 18 and 24) endometrial samples retrieved from artificially inseminated sows (hemi-allogeneic embryos (HAL) group) or sows subjected to ET (allogeneic embryos (AL) group) to monitor alterations of gene expression that could be jeopardising early pregnancy. Our results showed that endometrial gene expression patterns related to immune responses differed between hemi- or allogeneic embryo presence, with allogeneic embryos apparently inducing conspicuous modifications of immune-related genes and pathways. A decreased expression (P < 0.05; FC < -2) of several interferon ISGs, such as CXCL8, CXCL10, IRF1, IRF9, STAT1, and B2M, among others was detected in the endometrium of sows carrying allogeneic embryos on day 24 of pregnancy. This severe downregulation of ISGs in allogeneic pregnancies could represent a failure of ET-embryos to signal IFN to the endometrium to warrant the development of adequate immunotolerance mechanisms to facilitate embryo development, thus contributing to elevated embryo death.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden.
| | - M Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - H Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Martinez CA, Rodriguez‐Martinez H. Context is key: Maternal immune responses to pig allogeneic embryos. Mol Reprod Dev 2022. [PMCID: PMC9542102 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Successful establishment of pregnancy includes the achievement of a state of immune tolerance toward the embryos (and placenta), where the well‐coordinated maternal immune system is capable of recognizing conceptus antigens while maintaining maternal defense against pathogens. In physiological pregnancies, following natural mating or artificial insemination (AI), the maternal immune system is exposed to the presence of hemi‐allogeneic embryos, that is, embryos containing maternal self‐antigens and foreign antigens from the paternal side. In this scenario, the hemi‐allogeneic embryo is recognized by the mother, but the immune system is locally modified to facilitate embryo implantation and pregnancy progression. Pig allogeneic pregnancies (with embryos containing both paternal and maternal material foreign to the recipient female), occur during embryo transfer (ET), with conspicuously high rates of embryonic death. Mortality mainly occurs during the peri‐attachment phase, suggesting that immune responses to allogeneic embryos are more complex and less efficient, hindering the conceptuses to survive to term. Reaching a similar maternal tolerance as in conventional breeding would render ET successful. The present review critically summarizes mechanisms of maternal immune recognition of pregnancy and factors associated with impaired maternal immune response to the presence of allogeneic embryos in the porcine species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Linköping University Linköping Sweden
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez‐Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Linköping University Linköping Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Gonzalez-Plaza A, Cambra JM, Parrilla I, Gil MA, Martinez EA, Martinez CA, Cuello C. The Open Cryotop System Is Effective for the Simultaneous Vitrification of a Large Number of Porcine Embryos at Different Developmental Stages. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:936753. [PMID: 35812891 PMCID: PMC9257686 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.936753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The Superfine Open Pulled Straw (SOPS) system is the most commonly used method for vitrification of pig embryos. However, this system only allows the vitrification of four to seven embryos per straw. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the open (OC) and closed (CC) Cryotop® systems to simultaneously vitrify a larger number of porcine embryos. Morulae, early blastocysts and full blastocysts were vitrified with the open Cryotop® (n = 250; 20 embryos per device) system, the closed Cryotop® (n = 158; 20 embryos per device) system and the traditional superfine open pulled straw (SOPS; n = 241; 4–7 embryos per straw) method. Fresh embryos from each developmental stage constituted the control group (n = 132). Data expressed as percentages were compared with the Fisher's exact test. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the effect of the different vitrification systems on the embryo quality parameters and two-by-two comparisons were accomplished with the Mann-Whitney U test. Differences were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05. Vitrified and control embryos were incubated for 24 h and examined for viability and quality. At the warming step, the embryo recovery rate for the CC system was 51%, while all embryos were recovered when using OC and SOPS. There were no differences between the vitrification and control groups in the postwarming viability of full blastocysts. In contrast, morulae and early blastocysts that were vitrified-warmed with the SOPS system had lower viability (p < 0.01) compared to those from the OC, CC and control groups. The embryonic viability was similar between the OC and control groups, regardless of the developmental stage considered. Moreover, the embryos from the OC group had comparable total cell number and cells from the inner cell mass and apoptotic index than the controls. In conclusion, the OC system is suitable for the simultaneous vitrification of 20 porcine embryos at different developmental stages and provides comparable viability and quality results to fresh embryos subjected to 24 h of in vitro culture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Gonzalez-Plaza
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Josep M. Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A. Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A. Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Children's and Women's Health/Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Cristina A. Martinez
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research (CMN), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
- Cristina Cuello
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Martinez CA, Marteinsdottir I, Josefsson A, Sydsjö G, Theodorsson E, Rodriguez-Martinez H. Prenatal stress, anxiety and depression alter transcripts, proteins and pathways associated with immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface†. Biol Reprod 2021; 106:449-462. [PMID: 34935902 PMCID: PMC8934694 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During pregnancy, the immune system is modified to allow developmental developmental tolerance of the semi-allogeneic fetus and placenta to term. Pregnant women suffering from stress, anxiety and depression show dysfunctions of their immune system that may be responsible for fetal and/or newborn disorders, provided that provided that placental gene regulation is compromised. The present study explored the effects of maternal chronic self-perceived stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy on the expression of immune related-genes and pathways in term placenta. Pregnancies were clinically monitored with the Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A cutoff threshold for BAI/EPDS of 10 divided patients into two groups: Index group (≥10, n = 11) and a Control group (<10, n = 11), whose placentae were sampled at delivery. The placental samples were subjected to RNA-Sequencing, demonstrating that stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy induced a major downregulation of placental transcripts related to immune processes such as T-cell regulation, interleukin and cytokine signaling or innate immune responses. Expression differences of main immune related genes such as CD46, CD15, CD8α & β ILR7α and CCR4 among others, were found in the index group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the key immune-like pathway involved in humoral and cellular immunity named "Primary immunodeficiency" was significantly downregulated in the index group compared to controls. Our results show that mechanisms ruling immune system functions are compromised at the maternal-fetal interface following self-perceived depressive symptoms and anxiety during pregnancy. These findings may help unveil mechanisms ruling the impact of maternal psychiatric symptoms and lead to new prevention/intervention strategies in complicated pregnancies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Ina Marteinsdottir
- Department of Medicine and Optometry, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Linnaeus University, Hus Vita, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Ann Josefsson
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Gunilla Sydsjö
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elvar Theodorsson
- Division of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Cuello C, Martinez CA, Cambra JM, González-Plaza A, Parrilla I, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Gil MA, Martinez EA. Vitrification Effects on the Transcriptome of in vivo-Derived Porcine Morulae. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:771996. [PMID: 34869745 PMCID: PMC8633305 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.771996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the reported promising farrowing rates after non-surgical and surgical transfers of vitrified porcine morulae and blastocysts produced in vivo (range: 70–75%), the pregnancy loss is 5–15 fold higher with vitrified than with fresh embryos. The present study aimed to investigate whether vitrification affects the transcriptome of porcine morulae, using microarrays and RT-qPCR validation. Morulae were obtained surgically from weaned sows (n = 13) on day 6 (day 0 = estrus onset). A total of 60 morulae were vitrified (treatment group). After 1 week of storage, the vitrified morulae were warmed. Vitrified-warmed and non-vitrified fresh morulae (control; n = 40) were cultured for 24 h to assess embryo survival by stereomicroscopy after. A total of 30 vitrified/warmed embryos that were deemed viable and 30 fresh control embryos (three pools of 10 for each experimental group) were selected for microarray analysis. Gene expression was assessed with a GeneChip® Porcine Genome Array (Affymetrix). An ANOVA analysis p-unadjusted <0.05 and a fold change cut-off of ±1.5 were set to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Data analysis and biological interpretation were performed using the Partek Genomic Suite 7.0 software. The survival rate of morulae after vitrification and warming (92.0 ± 8.3%) was similar to that of the control (100%). A total of 233 DEGs were identified in vitrified morulae (38 upregulated and 195 downregulated), compared to the control group. Nine pathways were significantly modified. Go-enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly related to the Biological Process functional group. Up-regulated DEGs were involved in glycosaminoglycan degradation, metabolic pathways and tryptophan metabolism KEGG pathways. The pathways related to the down-regulated DEGs were glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, protein export and fatty acid elongation. The disruption of metabolic pathways in morulae could be related to impaired embryo quality and developmental potential, despite the relatively high survival rates after warming observed in vitro. In conclusion, vitrification altered the gene expression pattern of porcine morulae produced in vivo, generating alterations in the transcriptome that may interfere with subsequent embryo development and pregnancy after embryo transfer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum," Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum," Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alejandro González-Plaza
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum," Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum," Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum," Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum," Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Martinez CA, Roca J, Rodriguez-Martinez H. mRNA expression of oxidative-reductive proteins in boars with documented different fertility can identify relevant prognostic biomarkers. Res Vet Sci 2021; 141:195-202. [PMID: 34763256 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2021.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxidative stress unbalance is a major factor causing impairment of sperm function and, ultimately, sperm death. In this study, we identified transcriptomic and proteomic markers for oxidative-related protectors from the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in spermatozoa from breeding boars with documented high- or low-fertility. Particular attention was paid to glutathione peroxidases, and to transcripts related to DNA stabilization and compaction, as protamine and transition proteins. mRNA cargo analysis was performed using porcine-specific micro-arrays (GeneChip® miRNA 4.0 and GeneChip® Porcine Gene 1.0 ST) and qPCR validation. Differences between fertility-classed boars were ample among biomarkers; some upregulated only at protein level (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and glutathione proteins), or only at the mRNA level (ATOX1, Antioxidant Protein 1). In addition, protamines 2 and 3, essential for sperm DNA condensation and also transition proteins 1 and 2 (TNP1 and TNP2), required during histone-to-protamine replacement, were overexpressed in spermatozoa from high-fertile boars. This up-regulation seems concerted to reduce DNA accessibility to ROS attack, protecting the DNA. The upregulated intracellular phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx4), in high-fertile boars at mRNA level, can be considered a most relevant biomarker for fertility disclosure during sperm evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Cuello C, Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Parrilla I, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Gil MA, Martinez EA. Effects of Vitrification on the Blastocyst Gene Expression Profile in a Porcine Model. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031222. [PMID: 33513717 PMCID: PMC7865857 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the impact of vitrification on the transcriptome profile of blastocysts using a porcine (Sus scrofa) model and a microarray approach. Blastocysts were collected from weaned sows (n = 13). A total of 60 blastocysts were vitrified (treatment group). After warming, vitrified embryos were cultured in vitro for 24 h. Non-vitrified blastocysts (n = 40) were used as controls. After the in vitro culture period, the embryo viability was morphologically assessed. A total of 30 viable embryos per group (three pools of 10 from 4 different donors each) were subjected to gene expression analysis. A fold change cut-off of ±1.5 and a restrictive threshold at p-value < 0.05 were used to distinguish differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The survival rates of vitrified/warmed blastocysts were similar to those of the control (nearly 100%, n.s.). A total of 205 (112 upregulated and 93 downregulated) were identified in the vitrified blastocysts compared to the control group. The vitrification/warming impact was moderate, and it was mainly related to the pathways of cell cycle, cellular senescence, gap junction, and signaling for TFGβ, p53, Fox, and MAPK. In conclusion, vitrification modified the transcriptome of in vivo-derived porcine blastocysts, resulting in minor gene expression changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Cam-pus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.C.); (I.P.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Bue-navista s/n, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden;
- Correspondence:
| | - Josep M. Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Cam-pus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.C.); (I.P.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Bue-navista s/n, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Cam-pus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.C.); (I.P.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Bue-navista s/n, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden;
| | - Maria A. Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Cam-pus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.C.); (I.P.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Bue-navista s/n, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A. Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Cam-pus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (C.C.); (J.M.C.); (I.P.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Bue-navista s/n, 30120 Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Martinez CA, Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Casado-Bedmar M, Rodriguez-Martinez H. In Vitro Maturation of Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes and In Vitro Sperm Capacitation Significantly Increase the Expression and Enhance the Location of the CXCL12 and CXCR4 Anchoring Attractant Complex in Pigs. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11010153. [PMID: 33440865 PMCID: PMC7826865 DOI: 10.3390/ani11010153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The process of mammalian fertilization is dependent on many mechanisms mediated by regulatory genes and proteins expressed in the gametes and/or the female genital tract. This study aimed to determine the expression and location of the cytokine complex CXCL12:CXCR4 in the porcine gametes: oocytes and spermatozoa. This complex is known to play a pivotal role for sperm attraction towards the oocyte prior to internal fertilization in several mammalian species. Gene and protein expressions were analyzed in female and male porcine gametes. The results showed that the CXCL12 gene expression was higher in mature cumulus cells, and CXCR4 was higher in capacitated spermatozoa, both being requisites for gametes to accomplish fertilization. Moreover, for the first time, the CXCL12 protein was located in the cytoplasm of cumulus cells from mature COCs, and the CXCR4 protein was expressed in the midpiece and principal piece of uncapacitated spermatozoa and also in the sperm head of capacitated spermatozoa. These findings increase our current knowledge on porcine physiology of fertilization and reproduction, leading to possible improvements in the performance of reproductive technologies. Abstract Successful internal fertilization in mammals depends on several mechanisms, including those triggering the so-called “sperm attraction” towards the oocyte, which include some oocyte-derived sperm chemoattractants and interactive protein complexes, such as the cytokine C-X-C motif chemokine 12/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCL12-CXCR4) receptor complex. The presence and precise localization of these crucial proteins was determined hereby, for the first time, in porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) and spermatozoa. CXCL12 was overexpressed in the cumulus cells of in vitro matured, compared to immature COCs (p < 0.05), with its receptor (CXCR4) being up-regulated in capacitated spermatozoa (p < 0.03) compared to uncapacitated spermatozoa. The CXCR4 appeared specifically localized in the sperm tail of non-capacitated spermatozoa and also in the sperm head of capacitated spermatozoa, suggesting that the CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling complex would play a pivotal role in attracting capacitated spermatozoa towards the oocyte, facilitating fertilization in pigs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.A.-R.); (H.R.-M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.A.-R.); (H.R.-M.)
| | - Maite Casado-Bedmar
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), KOO/Surgery, Orthopedics and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden;
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.A.-R.); (H.R.-M.)
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Cambra JM, Jauregi-Miguel A, Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Parrilla I, Gil MA, Martinez EA, Cuello C, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Martinez CA. Allogeneic Embryos Disregulate Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) and Its Receptor in the Porcine Endometrium During Implantation. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:611598. [PMID: 33330727 PMCID: PMC7732548 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.611598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite its advantages for pig breeding, embryo transfer (ET) has a major handicap: high embryo mortality during the pre- and implantation period, probably caused by divergent phenomena of tolerance between the immunologically unrelated (i.e., allogeneic) embryos and the recipient sow. Thus, to reach a similar maternal tolerance as in conventional breeding by artificial insemination (AI) would be the key to ET-success. For this reason, we studied the expression of the leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) cytokine and its receptor in the pig endometrium during the implantation period (days 18 and 24) in sows subjected to ET (AL group) vs. post-cervical-AI controls (Hemi-AL group). Quantification of expression was performed at both mRNA (rt-qPCR) and protein (WB) levels. The expression of endometrial LIF on day 24 was considerably lower in ET than in AI pregnancies. Correlations between endometrial mRNA levels of LIF and LIF-R showed that, contrary to early AI-pregnancies, ET-pregnancies lack an inverse relation between cytokine and receptor levels. In conclusion, ET-pregnancies lack sufficient endometrial levels of LIF to develop adequate immunotolerance mechanisms to prevent the rejection of allogeneic ET-embryos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Amaia Jauregi-Miguel
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.,Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ruiz-Conca M, Gardela J, Jauregi-Miguel A, Martinez CA, Rodríguez-Martinez H, López-Béjar M, Alvarez-Rodriguez M. Seminal Plasma Triggers the Differential Expression of the Glucocorticoid Receptor ( NR3C1/GR) in the Rabbit Reproductive Tract. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E2158. [PMID: 33228207 PMCID: PMC7699521 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabbits are interesting as research animal models for reproduction, due to their condition of species of induced ovulation, with the release of endogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) due to coitus. Glucocorticoid (GC) signaling, crucial for physiological homeostasis, is mediated through a yet unclear mechanism, by the GC receptor (NR3C1/GR). After mating, the female reproductive tract undergoes dynamic modifications, triggered by gene transcription, a pre-amble for fertilization and pregnancy. This study tested the hypothesis that when ovulation is induced, the expression of NR3C1 is influenced by sperm-free seminal plasma (SP), similarly to after mating (whole semen), along the different segments of the internal reproductive tract of female rabbits. Semen (mating) was compared to vaginal infusion of sperm-free SP (Experiment 1), and changes over time were also evaluated, i.e., 10, 24, 36, 68, and 72 h post-mating, corresponding to specific stages, i.e., ovulation, fertilization, and the interval of early embryo development up to the morula stage (Experiment 2). All does were treated with GnRH to induce ovulation. Samples were retrieved from seven segments of the reproductive tract (from the cervix to infundibulum), at 20 h post-mating or sperm-free SP infusion (Experiment 1) or at 10, 24, 36, 68, and 72 h post-mating (Experiment 2). Gene expression of NR3C1 was analyzed by qPCR. Results showed an increase in NR3C1 expression in the infundibulum compared to the other anatomical regions in the absence of spermatozoa when sperm-free SP infusion was performed (Experiment 1). Moreover, during the embryo transport through the oviduct, the distal isthmus was time-course upregulated, especially at 72 h, when morulae are retained in this anatomical region, while it was downregulated in the distal uterus at 68 h (Experiment 2). The overall results suggest that NR3C1, the GC receptor gene, assessed in the reproductive tract of does for the first time, shows differential expression changes during the interval of oviductal and uterine embryo transport that may imply a relevant role of the GC action, not only close to the site of ovulation and fertilization, but also in the endometrium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mateo Ruiz-Conca
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Children’s and Women Health (BKH), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain or
| | - Jaume Gardela
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Children’s and Women Health (BKH), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain or
| | - Amaia Jauregi-Miguel
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology (MMV), Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden;
| | - Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Children’s and Women Health (BKH), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
| | - Heriberto Rodríguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Children’s and Women Health (BKH), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
| | - Manel López-Béjar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain or
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Division of Children’s and Women Health (BKH), Obstetrics and Gynecology, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain or
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Parrilla I, Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Lucas X, Ferreira-Dias G, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Cuello C, Gil MA, Martinez EA. Blastocyst-Bearing Sows Display a Dominant Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Profile Compared to Cyclic Sows at Day 6 of the Cycle. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10112028. [PMID: 33158034 PMCID: PMC7692685 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary A proper uterine environment is basic for obtaining optimal embryo transfer outputs in domestic species, including the pig. However, scarce information is available about the uterine immune response of recipient (uninseminated) sows when receiving embryos during embryo transfer. Endometrial cytokine profile is among the main factors regulating uterine receptivity to embryos. In this study, using Luminex MAP® technology, we found important differences in the endometrial production in most of the 16 cytokines analyzed between recipient sows and embryo-bearing (inseminated) sows six days after estrus, with a predominant cytokine anti-inflammatory environment in the embryo-bearing endometria. These observations suggest that insemination components and/or early embryos induce an endometrium immune-tolerant cytokine profile at Day 6 of the cycle. The findings could contribute importantly to design strategies to maximize the reproductive performance of recipients after embryo transfer in swine. Abstract In the context of porcine embryo transfer (ET) technology, understanding the tightly regulated local uterine immune environment is crucial to achieve an adequate interaction between the transferred embryos and the receiving endometrium. However, information is limited on the uterine immune status of cyclic-recipient sows when receiving embryos during ET. The present study postulated that the anti- and proinflammatory cytokine profile 6 days after the onset of estrus differs between endometria from uninseminated cyclic sows and blastocyst-bearing sows. On Day 6 of the cycle, endometrial explants were collected from sows inseminated or not inseminated during the postweaning estrus and cultured for 22 h. The culture medium was then analyzed for the contents of a total of 16 cytokines using Luminex MAP® technology. The results showed important differences in the endometrial production of most cytokines between the sow categories, with a predominant anti-inflammatory environment displayed by the blastocyst-bearing endometria. These findings suggest that sperm, seminal plasma (SP) and/or early embryos modify the uterine environment by inducing an immune-tolerant cytokine profile already visible at Day 6. Whether the SP or some of its active components may help to develop strategies to maximize the reproductive performance of recipients after ET needs further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada Parrilla
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
- Correspondence: (I.P.); (C.A.M.)
| | - Cristina A. Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden;
- Correspondence: (I.P.); (C.A.M.)
| | - Josep M. Cambra
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
| | - Xiomara Lucas
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
| | - Graça Ferreira-Dias
- CIISA—Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal;
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical & Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden;
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A. Gil
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A. Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30071 Murcia, Spain; (J.M.C.); (X.L.); (C.C.); (M.A.G.); (E.A.M.)
- Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), 30071 Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Martinez CA, Rubér M, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Alvarez-Rodriguez M. Pig Pregnancies after Transfer of Allogeneic Embryos Show a Dysregulated Endometrial/Placental Cytokine Balance: A Novel Clue for Embryo Death? Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10040554. [PMID: 32260537 PMCID: PMC7226322 DOI: 10.3390/biom10040554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pig embryo transfer (ET) is burdened by high embryo mortality, with cytokines playing a significant role in recruitment of immune cells during embryo attachment and placentation. We hereby tested if their levels in endometrium and placenta from sows carrying hemi-allogeneic (artificially inseminated sows; C+ positive control) or allogeneic embryos (sows subjected to ET; ET) during peri-implantation (D18) or post-implantation (D24) are suitable mirrors of embryo rejection or tolerance after ET. Non-pregnant sows (C-) were used as negative controls. A set of cytokines was assayed in the tissues through multiplexed microsphere-based flow cytometry (Luminex xMAP, Millipore. USA). Fewer (58.7%. p < 0.003) conceptuses were recovered at D24 after ET compared to C+ (80.9%); with more than 20% of the ET conceptuses being developmentally delayed. Cytokine levels shifted during implantation. Anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in ET sows compared to C+ at D24 of pregnancy. The C+ controls (carrying hemi-allogeneic embryos) consistently showed higher levels of pro-inflammatory TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2 cytokines at D18 and IL-1α at D24, compared to the ET group. This clear dysregulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in sows subjected to ET could be associated with an impaired maternal immune tolerance, explaining the high embryonic mortality of ET programs.
Collapse
|
20
|
Martinez CA, Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Wright D, Rodriguez-Martinez H. Does the Pre-Ovulatory Pig Oviduct Rule Sperm Capacitation In Vivo Mediating Transcriptomics of Catsper Channels? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21051840. [PMID: 32155986 PMCID: PMC7084628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Spermatozoa need to conduct a series of biochemical changes termed capacitation in order to fertilize. In vivo, capacitation is sequentially achieved during sperm transport and interaction with the female genital tract, by mechanisms yet undisclosed in detail. However, when boar spermatozoa are stored in the tubal reservoir pre-ovulation, most appear to be in a non-capacitated state. This study aimed at deciphering the transcriptomics of capacitation-related genes in the pig pre-ovulatory oviduct, following the entry of semen or of sperm-free seminal plasma (SP). Ex-vivo samples of the utero-tubal junction (UTJ) and isthmus were examined with a microarray chip (GeneChip® Porcine Gene 1.0 ST Array, Thermo Fisher Scientific) followed by bioinformatics for enriched analysis of functional categories (GO terms) and restrictive statistics. The results confirmed that entry of semen or of relative amounts of sperm-free SP modifies gene expression of these segments, pre-ovulation. It further shows that enriched genes are differentially associated with pathways relating to sperm motility, acrosome reaction, single fertilization, and the regulation of signal transduction GO terms. In particular, the pre-ovulation oviduct stimulates the Catsper channels for sperm Ca2+ influx, with AKAPs, CATSPERs, and CABYR genes being positive regulators while PKIs and CRISP1 genes appear to be inhibitors of the process. We postulate that the stimulation of PKIs and CRISP1 genes in the pre-ovulation sperm reservoir/adjacent isthmus, mediated by SP, act to prevent premature massive capacitation prior to ovulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A. Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.A.-R.); (H.R.-M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-678077708
| | - Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.A.-R.); (H.R.-M.)
| | - Dominic Wright
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering; Linköping University, SE-58183 Linköping, Sweden;
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.A.-R.); (H.R.-M.)
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Martinez EA, Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Maside C, Lucas X, Vazquez JL, Vazquez JM, Roca J, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Gil MA, Parrilla I, Cuello C. Achievements and future perspectives of embryo transfer technology in pigs. Reprod Domest Anim 2020; 54 Suppl 4:4-13. [PMID: 31625238 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Commercial embryo transfer (ET) has unprecedented productive and economic implications for the pig sector. However, pig ET has been considered utopian for decades mainly because of the requirements of surgical techniques for embryo collection and embryo deposition into recipients, alongside challenges to preserve embryos. This situation has drastically changed in the last decade since the current technology allows non-surgical ET and short- and long-term embryo preservation. Here, we provide a brief review of the improvements in porcine ET achieved by our laboratory in the past 20 years. This review includes several aspects of non-surgical ET technology and different issues affecting ET programmes and embryo preservation systems. The future perspectives of ET technology are also considered. We will refer only to embryos produced in vivo since they are the only type of embryos with possible short-term use in pig production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine (IKE), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Carolina Maside
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Xiomara Lucas
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose L Vazquez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan Maria Vazquez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Maria Antonia Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Maside C, Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Lucas X, Martinez EA, Gil MA, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Parrilla I, Cuello C. Supplementation with exogenous coenzyme Q10 to media for in vitro maturation and embryo culture fails to promote the developmental competence of porcine embryos. Reprod Domest Anim 2020; 54 Suppl 4:72-77. [PMID: 31625244 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a potent antioxidant with critical protection role against cell oxidative stress, caused by the mitochondrial dysfunction. This study evaluated the effects of CoQ10 supplementation to in vitro maturation (IVM) or embryo culture media on the maturation, fertilization and subsequent embryonic development of pig oocytes and embryos. Maturation (Experiment 1) or embryo culture (Experiment 2) media were supplemented with 0 (control), 10, 25, 50 and 100 μM CoQ10. The addition of 10-50 μM CoQ10 to the IVM medium did not affect the percentage of MII oocytes nor the fertilization or the parameters of subsequent embryonic development. Exogenous CoQ10 in the culture medium neither did affect the development to the 2-4-cell stage nor rates of blastocyst formation. Moreover, the highest concentration of CoQ10 (100 μM) in the maturation medium negatively affected blastocyst rates. In conclusion, exogenous CoQ10 supplementation of maturation or embryo culture media failed to improve the outcomes of our in vitro embryo production system and its use as an exogenous antioxidant should not be encouraged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Maside
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,SaBio IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Albacete, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine (IKE), BHK/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Xiomara Lucas
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - María Antonia Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine (IKE), BHK/Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Alvarez-Rodriguez M, Ntzouni M, Wright D, Khan KI, López-Béjar M, Martinez CA, Rodriguez-Martinez H. Chicken seminal fluid lacks CD9- and CD44-bearing extracellular vesicles. Reprod Domest Anim 2020; 55:293-300. [PMID: 31894881 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The avian seminal fluid (SF) is a protein-rich fluid, derived from the testis, the rudimentary epididymis and, finally, from the cloacal gland. The SF interacts with spermatozoa and the inner cell lining of the female genital tract, to modulate sperm functions and female immune responsiveness. Its complex proteome might either be free or linked to extracellular vesicles (EVs) as it is the case in mammals, where EVs depict the tetraspanin CD9; and where those EVs derived from the epididymis (epididymosomes) also present the receptor CD44. In the present study, sperm-free SF from Red Jungle Fowl, White Leghorn and an advanced intercross (AIL, 12th generation) were studied using flow cytometry of the membrane marker tetraspanin CD9, Western blotting of the membrane receptor CD44 and electron microscopy in non-enriched (whole SF) or enriched fractions obtained by precipitation using a commercial kit (Total Exosome Precipitation Solution). Neither CD9- nor CD44 could be detected, and the ultrastructure confirmed the relative absence of EVs, raising the possibility that avian SF interacts differently with the female genitalia as compared to the seminal plasma of mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Alvarez-Rodriguez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Services (BKV), BHK/O&G Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Ntzouni
- Microscopy Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (MEDFAK), Core Facility (COREF) Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Dominic Wright
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Kabirul Islam Khan
- Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram, Bangladesh
| | - Manel López-Béjar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary, Universitat Autòmoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Services (BKV), BHK/O&G Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Parrilla I, Roca J, Ferreira-Dias G, Pallares FJ, Lucas X, Vazquez JM, Martinez EA, Gil MA, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Cuello C, Álvarez-Rodriguez M. Seminal Plasma Modifies the Transcriptional Pattern of the Endometrium and Advances Embryo Development in Pigs. Front Vet Sci 2019; 6:465. [PMID: 31921921 PMCID: PMC6930161 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Seminal plasma (SP) promotes sperm survival and fertilizing capacity, and potentially affects embryo development, presumably via specific signaling pathways to the internal female genital tract. Objectives: This study evaluated how heterologous SP, infused immediately before postcervical artificial insemination (AI) affected embryo development and the transcriptional pattern of the pig endometria containing embryos. Materials and Methods: Postweaning estrus sows (n = 34) received 40-mL intrauterine infusions of either heterologous pooled SP or Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS; control) 30 min before AI of semen extended to 10% of homologous SP. Embryos (all sows) and endometrium samples (3 sows/group) were removed during laparotomy 6 days after the infusion of SP or BTS to morphologically evaluate the embryos to determine their developmental stage and to analyze the endometrial transcriptome using microarrays (PORGENE 1.0 ST GeneChip array, Affymetrix) followed by qPCR for further validation. Results: Embryo viability was equal between the groups (~93%), but embryo development was significantly (P < 0.05) more advanced in the SP-treated group compared to control. A total of 1,604 endometrium transcripts were differentially expressed in the SP group compared to the control group. An enrichment analysis showed an overrepresentation of genes and pathways associated with the immune response, cytokine signaling, cell cycle, cell adhesion, and hormone response, among others. Conclusions: SP infusions prior to AI positively impacted the preimplantation embryo development and altered the expression of the endometrial genes and pathways potentially involved in embryo development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKE), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Graça Ferreira-Dias
- Department of Morphology and Function, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Francisco J Pallares
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Xiomara Lucas
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan M Vazquez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A Gil
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Cristina Cuello
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Murcia, Spain
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Parrilla I, Lucas X, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Martinez EA, Izpisua JC, Cuello C, Gil MA. Three-to-5-day weaning-to-estrus intervals do not affect neither efficiency of collection nor in vitro developmental ability of in vivo-derived pig zygotes. Theriogenology 2019; 141:48-53. [PMID: 31518728 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
An efficient system to collect large numbers of vital zygotes is a pre-requisite for application of zygote genome-editing technology, including development of efficient models for xenotransplantation using pigs. Owing to the sub-optimal in vitro production of zygotes in pigs, efficient collection of in vivo developed zygotes is required. Timing of ovulation is a key factor to sustain efficiency since the interval between pronuclear formation and the first division is very short in pigs. The weaning-to-estrus interval can, due to its inverse relation with length of estrus and time of ovulation, interfere with ovulation and make it asynchronous, which reduces the probability of obtaining zygotes. This retrospective study compared the effects of three weaning-to-estrus intervals of 3, 4 or 5 days on zygote collection efficiency in a total of 17 trials over a 3-year period including 223 sows. Donor sows in groups of 10-15 animals were super-ovulated with eCG 24 h after weaning and those in estrus at 48-72 h post-eCG were immediately treated with hCG, followed by insemination 6 and 24 h thereafter. Collected structures during laparotomy on Day 2 (Day 0: onset of estrus) were morphologically evaluated and only those with a single cell and two visible polar bodies were considered as zygotes. Zygotes were injected with CRISPR-Cas9 editor mixture and cultured for 6 days to evaluate their developmental ability against non-injected control zygotes. Of all recovered structures (N = 5,468), 67.4%, 30.8% and 1.8% were zygotes, 2-cell embryos and oocytes-degenerated embryos, respectively. The different weaning-to-estrus intervals did not affect either the percentages of collected zygotes (range: 64.1%-70.0%) or the percentages of sows with zygotes at collection time (range: 69.0%-73.3%). The weaning-to-estrus intervals did not affect the in vitro developmental ability of zygotes. After 24 h of culture, 78.1 ± 2.0% and 95.1 ± 0.6 (P < 0.05) of injected (N = 2,345) and non-injected (N = 335) zygotes, respectively, developed to 2-to-4-cell embryo stage. The total efficiency of the system was 64.1 ± 2.2% and 85.8 ± 1.5% (P < 0.05) for injected and non-injected zygotes, respectively. In conclusion, the results indicate that neither the efficiency of collecting in vivo derived porcine zygotes from superovulated sows nor the zygote ability to develop to blastocyst after cytoplasmic genome-editing injection were affected by a weaning-to-estrus interval between 3-to-5 days.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - J M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - I Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - X Lucas
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - H Rodriguez-Martinez
- Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine (IKE), Linköping University, Campus US, 58183, Linköping, Sweden
| | - E A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - J C Izpisua
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - C Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain.
| | - M A Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de La Salud, Carretera Buenavista S/n, 30120 El, Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Nohalez A, Parrilla I, Roca J, Vazquez JL, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Gil MA, Martinez EA, Cuello C. Prevention of hatching of porcine morulae and blastocysts by liquid storage at 20 °C. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6219. [PMID: 30996298 PMCID: PMC6470143 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42712-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Vitrification is the ideal method for long-lasting storage of porcine embryos. However, both strict airline regulations for transport of liquid nitrogen dewars and the technical problems experienced when vitrified embryos are transferred using non-surgical procedures have led to the introduction of alternative storage methods, such as preserving embryos in liquid state. This study evaluated whether a pH-stable medium containing high concentrations of either foetal calf serum (FCS; 50%) or BSA (4%) combined with storage at temperatures of 17 °C or 20 °C maintained in vivo-derived morulae and blastocysts alive and unhatched (a sanitary requirement for embryo transportation) during 72 h of storage. Neither FCS nor BSA supplements were able to counteract the negative effect of low temperatures (17 °C) on embryonic survival after storage. At 20 °C, the protective effect of FCS or BSA depended on embryo stage. While FCS successfully arrested embryo development of only blastocysts, BSA arrested the development of both morulae and blastocysts. Over 80% of BSA arrested embryos restarted development by conventional culture and progressed to further embryonic stages, including hatching. In conclusion, porcine morulae and blastocysts can survive and remain unhatched during at least 72 h when stored at 20 °C in a BSA-containing medium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Josep M Cambra
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alicia Nohalez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose L Vazquez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, Carretera Buenavista s/n, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Martinez CA, Cambra JM, Maside C, Cuello C, Roca J, Martinez EA, Parrilla I, Gil MA. High pre-freezing sperm dilution improves monospermy without affecting the penetration rate in porcine IVF. Theriogenology 2019; 131:162-168. [PMID: 30974393 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The high incidence of polyspermy is still an unresolved problem for the production of in vitro-produced porcine embryos. In this work, we modified the usual sperm processing sequence for in vitro fertilization (IVF), and the spermatozoa from four boars were frozen directly at a low sperm concentration of 20 × 106 sperm/mL (high pre-freezing sperm dilution group; F20), thawed and processed for IVF in three replicates. Spermatozoa from the same boars frozen at a conventional concentration (1000 × 106 sperm/mL) were used as the control group. The post-thaw sperm quality evaluation demonstrated that despite there being no differences in the percentage of motile spermatozoa between groups, the proportion of live spermatozoa with intact acrosomes was significantly higher in the F20 group than in the control. The in vitro penetration rate was also similar between groups; however, the co-incubation of oocytes with F20 sperm increased monospermy, IVF efficiency, cleavage rate and the efficiency of blastocyst formation compared with the results for oocytes co-incubated with control spermatozoa. These results indicate, for the first time, that a high pre-freezing sperm dilution increases monospermy without affecting penetration rates, thereby increasing blastocyst formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - J M Cambra
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - C Maside
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - C Cuello
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - J Roca
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - E A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - I Parrilla
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain.
| | - M A Gil
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Nohalez A, Martinez CA, Parrilla I, Maside C, Roca J, Gil MA, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Martinez EA, Cuello C. Eventual re-vitrification or storage in liquid nitrogen vapor does not jeopardize the practical handling and transport of vitrified pig embryos. Theriogenology 2018; 113:229-236. [PMID: 29567383 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed (1) to evaluate the in vitro post-warming survival of porcine embryos after re-vitrification and (2) to assess the efficacy of transport of embryos in dry shipper (DS) in maintaining the viability and quality of vitrified embryos for a 3-day period. Embryos at the compacted or cavitating morula (CCM) and unhatched blastocyst (UBL) stages were surgically obtained from weaned, crossbred sows. In the first experiment, more than 85% of the embryos survived an initial vitrification and warming and achieved comparable survival rates to those of their fresh counterparts. In contrast, those embryos subjected to a second vitrification and warming had clearly lower survival rates (60% and 64% for re-vitrified embryos from the CCM and UBL groups, respectively) compared to the survival rates of the initial vitrification and fresh control groups (P < 0.01). Hatching rates were similar in re-vitrified blastocysts derived from vitrified CCMs and fresh control groups (50.8% and 55.3%, respectively). However, differences (P < 0.01) in hatching rates were recorded in re-vitrified blastocysts derived from vitrified UBLs and fresh control blastocysts (14.7% and 90.0%, respectively). In the second experiment, vitrified embryos were stored in a liquid nitrogen tank for one month. Then, the straws containing the embryos were transferred to a DS (DS group) or to another liquid nitrogen tank (control group) for an additional three days. Embryos from the DS and control groups had similar survival and hatching rates, regardless of the embryonic stage considered. The DS storage of CCMs and UBLs did not affect their development after culturing, including total cell numbers, compared to the control, although their apoptotic index was slightly higher (P < 0.05), regardless of the developmental stage. In conclusion, although re-vitrification negatively affects embryo survival, this study demonstrated that >60% of vitrified embryos could be successfully re-vitrified and re-warmed. The present study also showed the effectiveness of the DS for the storage of vitrified porcine CCMs and UBLs for at least three 3 days.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Nohalez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Carolina Maside
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - María A Gil
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Emilio A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain.
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Martinez CA, Martinez EA, Gil MA. Importance of oil overlay for production of porcine embryos in vitro. Reprod Domest Anim 2017; 53:281-286. [PMID: 29164713 DOI: 10.1111/rda.13114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Technologies to edit the zygote genome have revolutionized biomedical research not only for the creation of animal models for the study of human disease but also for the generation of functional human cells and tissues through interspecies blastocyst complementation technology. The pig is the ideal species for these purposes due to its great similarity in anatomy and physiology to humans. Emerging biotechnologies require the use of oocytes and/or embryos of good quality, which might be obtained using in vitro production (IVP) techniques. However, the current porcine embryo IVP systems are still suboptimal and result in low monospermic fertilization and blastocyst formation rates and poor embryo quality. During recent years, intensive investigations have been performed to evaluate the influence of specific compounds on gametes and embryos and to avoid the use of undefined supplements (serum and serum derivate) in the incubation media. However, little consideration has been given to the use of the mineral oil (MO) to overlay incubation droplets, which, albeit being a routine component of the IVP systems, is a totally undefined and thus problematic product for the safety of gametes and embryos. In this review, we provide an overview on the advantages and disadvantages of using MO to cover the incubation media. We also review one important concern in IVP laboratories: the use of oils containing undetected contamination. Finally, we discuss the effects of different types of oils on the in vitro embryo production outcomes and the transfer of compounds from oil into the culture media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - E A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - M A Gil
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.,Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Martinez CA, Nohalez A, Parrilla I, Motas M, Roca J, Romero I, García-González DL, Cuello C, Rodriguez-Martinez H, Martinez EA, Gil MA. The overlaying oil type influences in vitro embryo production: differences in composition and compound transfer into incubation medium between oils. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10505. [PMID: 28874873 PMCID: PMC5585310 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10989-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The oil overlay micro-drop system is widely used for cultures of mammalian gametes and embryos. We evaluated hereby the effects of two unaltered commercial oils- Sigma mineral oil (S-MO) and Nidoil paraffin oil (N-PO)-on in vitro embryo production (IVP) outcomes using a pig model. The results showed that while either oil apparently did not affect oocyte maturation and fertilization rates, S-MO negatively affected embryo cleavage rates, blastocyst formation rates, and, consequently, total blastocyst efficiency of the system. No differences in the oxidation state were found between the oils or culture media incubated under S-MO or N-PO. Although both oils slightly differed in elemental composition, there were no differences in the concentrations of elements between fresh media and media incubated under oils. By contrast, we demonstrated clear oil-type differences in both the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and the transfer of some of these VOC´s (straight-chain alkanes and pentanal and 1,3-diethyl benzene) to the culture medium, which could have influenced embryonic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Alicia Nohalez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Miguel Motas
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Romero
- Instituto de la Grasa, (CSIC), Campus University Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Cristina Cuello
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Emilio A Martinez
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain.
| | - Maria A Gil
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, International Excellence Campus for Higher Education and Research "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Gil MA, Martinez CA, Nohalez A, Parrilla I, Roca J, Wu J, Ross PJ, Cuello C, Izpisua JC, Martinez EA. Developmental competence of porcine genome-edited zygotes. Mol Reprod Dev 2017; 84:814-821. [PMID: 28471514 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Genome editing in pigs has tremendous practical applications for biomedicine. The advent of genome editing technology, with its use of site-specific nucleases-including ZFNs, TALENs, and the CRISPR/Cas9 system-has popularized targeted zygote genome editing via one-step microinjection in several mammalian species. Here, we review methods to optimize the developmental competence of genome-edited porcine embryos and strategies to improve the zygote genome-editing efficiency in pigs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alicia Nohalez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jun Wu
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California
| | - Pablo J Ross
- Department of Animal Science, UC Davis, Davis, California
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan C Izpisua
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Gil MA, Nohalez A, Martinez CA, Ake-Villanueva JR, Centurion-Castro F, Maside C, Cuello C, Roca J, Parrilla I, Martinez EA. Effects of meiotic inhibitors and gonadotrophins on porcine oocytes in vitro maturation, fertilization and development. Reprod Domest Anim 2017; 52:873-880. [PMID: 28543962 DOI: 10.1111/rda.12993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of three reversible meiotic inhibitors (MINs) and their interaction with gonadotrophins (Gns) on the meiotic maturation and developmental competence of porcine oocytes. In experiment 1, the oocytes were matured for 22 hr in the presence or absence of dbcAMP (1 mM), cycloheximide (7 μM) or cilostamide (20 μM) with or without Gns, and for an additional 22 hr in the absence of MINs and Gns. At 22 hr of maturation, regardless of the presence of Gns, a higher proportion (p < .001) of oocytes cultured in the presence of MINs were effectively arrested at the germinal vesicle stage compared with the oocytes cultured without MINs. At 44 hr of maturation, the proportion of oocytes that reached MII was higher (p < .05) in groups with Gns compared with groups without Gns. In experiment 2, oocytes that were matured as in experiment 1 were inseminated and cultured for 7 days to evaluate fertilization parameters and blastocyst formation. Only oocytes from the dbcAMP + Gns group had higher (p < .05) efficiency of fertilization compared with the other treatment groups. The presence of dbcAMP during maturation also increased (p < .05) blastocyst formation and efficiency of blastocyst formation in both the presence and absence of Gns. These results indicate that the interaction of Gns with the tested MINs improved meiotic progression. In addition, regardless of supplementation with Gns, the presence of dbcAMP during the first maturation period increased and even doubled the capacity of oocytes to develop to the blastocyst stage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M A Gil
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - A Nohalez
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - C A Martinez
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - J R Ake-Villanueva
- Department Animal Reproduction and Genetic Improvement, Autonomous University of Yucatán, Mérida, Mexico
| | - F Centurion-Castro
- Department Animal Reproduction and Genetic Improvement, Autonomous University of Yucatán, Mérida, Mexico
| | - C Maside
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - C Cuello
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - J Roca
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - I Parrilla
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - E A Martinez
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Wu J, Platero-Luengo A, Sakurai M, Sugawara A, Gil MA, Yamauchi T, Suzuki K, Bogliotti YS, Cuello C, Morales Valencia M, Okumura D, Luo J, Vilariño M, Parrilla I, Soto DA, Martinez CA, Hishida T, Sánchez-Bautista S, Martinez-Martinez ML, Wang H, Nohalez A, Aizawa E, Martinez-Redondo P, Ocampo A, Reddy P, Roca J, Maga EA, Esteban CR, Berggren WT, Nuñez Delicado E, Lajara J, Guillen I, Guillen P, Campistol JM, Martinez EA, Ross PJ, Izpisua Belmonte JC. Interspecies Chimerism with Mammalian Pluripotent Stem Cells. Cell 2017; 168:473-486.e15. [PMID: 28129541 PMCID: PMC5679265 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 311] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Interspecies blastocyst complementation enables organ-specific enrichment of xenogenic pluripotent stem cell (PSC) derivatives. Here, we establish a versatile blastocyst complementation platform based on CRISPR-Cas9-mediated zygote genome editing and show enrichment of rat PSC-derivatives in several tissues of gene-edited organogenesis-disabled mice. Besides gaining insights into species evolution, embryogenesis, and human disease, interspecies blastocyst complementation might allow human organ generation in animals whose organ size, anatomy, and physiology are closer to humans. To date, however, whether human PSCs (hPSCs) can contribute to chimera formation in non-rodent species remains unknown. We systematically evaluate the chimeric competency of several types of hPSCs using a more diversified clade of mammals, the ungulates. We find that naïve hPSCs robustly engraft in both pig and cattle pre-implantation blastocysts but show limited contribution to post-implantation pig embryos. Instead, an intermediate hPSC type exhibits higher degree of chimerism and is able to generate differentiated progenies in post-implantation pig embryos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wu
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Aida Platero-Luengo
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Masahiro Sakurai
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Atsushi Sugawara
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Maria Antonia Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Takayoshi Yamauchi
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Keiichiro Suzuki
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yanina Soledad Bogliotti
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Daiji Okumura
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jingping Luo
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marcela Vilariño
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Delia Alba Soto
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Tomoaki Hishida
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sonia Sánchez-Bautista
- Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) Campus de los Jerónimos, N° 135 Guadalupe 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - M Llanos Martinez-Martinez
- Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) Campus de los Jerónimos, N° 135 Guadalupe 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - Huili Wang
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Alicia Nohalez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Emi Aizawa
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Alejandro Ocampo
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Pradeep Reddy
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Elizabeth A Maga
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | | | - W Travis Berggren
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Estrella Nuñez Delicado
- Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) Campus de los Jerónimos, N° 135 Guadalupe 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - Jeronimo Lajara
- Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) Campus de los Jerónimos, N° 135 Guadalupe 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - Isabel Guillen
- Clinica Centro Fundación Pedro Guillén, Clínica CEMTRO, Avenida Ventisquero de la Condesa 42, 28035 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Guillen
- Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) Campus de los Jerónimos, N° 135 Guadalupe 30107 Murcia, Spain; Clinica Centro Fundación Pedro Guillén, Clínica CEMTRO, Avenida Ventisquero de la Condesa 42, 28035 Madrid, Spain
| | - Josep M Campistol
- Hospital Clínico de Barcelona-IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Pablo Juan Ross
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Wu J, Platero Luengo A, Gil MA, Suzuki K, Cuello C, Morales Valencia M, Parrilla I, Martinez CA, Nohalez A, Roca J, Martinez EA, Izpisua Belmonte JC. Generation of human organs in pigs via interspecies blastocyst complementation. Reprod Domest Anim 2016; 51 Suppl 2:18-24. [DOI: 10.1111/rda.12796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J Wu
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla CA USA
| | | | - MA Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | - K Suzuki
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies; La Jolla CA USA
| | - C Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | | | - I Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | - CA Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | - A Nohalez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | - J Roca
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | - EA Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery; University of Murcia; Murcia Spain
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Cuello C, Martinez CA, Nohalez A, Parrilla I, Roca J, Gil MA, Martinez EA. Effective vitrification and warming of porcine embryos using a pH-stable, chemically defined medium. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33915. [PMID: 27666294 PMCID: PMC5036199 DOI: 10.1038/srep33915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of pH-stable media would simplify embryo vitrification and the warming of porcine embryos and might facilitate the application of embryo transfer in practice. In this work, we investigated whether a pH-stable basal medium constituted of Tyrode’s lactate medium, polyvinyl alcohol, and HEPES for buffering was suitable for porcine embryo vitrification warming in place of the conventional gas-equilibrated media. A high percentage (>90%) of embryos survived vitrification and warming in this medium, achieving in vitro survival rates similar to embryos vitrified-warmed using the conventional protocol and their fresh counterparts. The pH-stable medium did not affect the in vivo developmental competence of the vitrified-warmed embryos. A farrowing rate of 71.4% (5/7) with 10.4 ± 3.1 piglets born was obtained for the embryos vitrified and warmed in this medium and transferred to selected recipients. This medium will enable the use of simple, safe and standardized protocols for the vitrification and warming of porcine embryos for optimal embryo survival and quality when applied under field conditions. This study opens new possibilities for the widespread use of embryo transfer in pigs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alicia Nohalez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, E-3100, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Martinez EA, Nohalez A, Martinez CA, Parrilla I, Vila J, Colina I, Diaz M, Reixach J, Vazquez JL, Roca J, Cuello C, Gil MA. The Recipients' Parity Does Not Influence Their Reproductive Performance Following Non-Surgical Deep Uterine Porcine Embryo Transfer. Reprod Domest Anim 2015; 51:123-9. [PMID: 26661993 DOI: 10.1111/rda.12654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
With the development of the non-surgical deep uterine (NsDU) embryo transfer (ET) technology, the commercial applicability of ET in pigs is now possible. There are, nevertheless, many factors that influence NsDU-ET effectiveness that need to be addressed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the weaned recipients' parity on fertility and prolificacy following NsDU-ET. The recipients (n = 120) were selected based on their reproductive history and body condition and grouped into three categories according to their parity: primiparous sows, sows of parity 2 and sows of parities from 3 to 5. Thirty fresh embryos (morulae and unhatched blastocysts) were non-surgically transferred into one uterine horn of each recipient. It was possible to insert the NsDU-ET catheter through the cervix along a uterine horn in 98.3% of the recipients. The parity had no influence on the difficulty grade of the insertions or on the percentage of correct insertions. The cervix and uterine wall were not perforated during the insertions, and vaginal discharge was not observed after transfer in any of the recipients. There were no differences in the pregnancy rates (74.8%), farrowing rates (71.2%) or litter sizes (9.6 ± 3.3) between groups. Also, there were no differences between groups regarding to the piglets' birthweights or piglet production efficiency. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that weaned sows from parity 1 to 5 are appropriate to be used as recipients in NsDU-ET programs, which increase the possibilities for the utilization of ET in the recipient farms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - A Nohalez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - C A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - I Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - J Vila
- Department of Research and Development, Selección Batallé S.A., Girona, Spain
| | - I Colina
- Department of Research and Development, Selección Batallé S.A., Girona, Spain
| | - M Diaz
- Department of Research and Development, Selección Batallé S.A., Girona, Spain
| | - J Reixach
- Department of Research and Development, Selección Batallé S.A., Girona, Spain
| | - J L Vazquez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - J Roca
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - C Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - M A Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Martinez EA, Cuello C, Parrilla I, Martinez CA, Nohalez A, Vazquez JL, Vazquez JM, Roca J, Gil MA. Recent advances toward the practical application of embryo transfer in pigs. Theriogenology 2015; 85:152-61. [PMID: 26164803 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2015.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Porcine embryo transfer (ET) technology has been in demand for decades because of its potential to provide considerable improvements in pig production with important sanitary, economic, and animal welfare benefits. Despite these advantages, the commercial use of ET is practically nonexistent. However, the two main obstacles hindering the commercial use of ET in pigs in the past several decades (i.e., surgical transfer and embryo preservation) have recently been overcome. A technique for nonsurgical deep-uterine (NsDU) ET of nonsedated gilts and sows, which was seemingly an impossible challenge just a few years ago, is a reality today. The improvements in embryo preservation that have been achieved in recent years and the excellent reproductive performance of the recipients after the NsDU-ET technique coupled with short-term and long-term-stored embryos represent essential progress for the international trade of porcine embryos and the practical use of ET by the pig industry. This review focuses, with an emphasis on our own findings, on the recent advances in embryo preservation and NsDU-ET technologies, which are starting to show potential for application under field conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emilio A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Cristina Cuello
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Parrilla
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Cristina A Martinez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alicia Nohalez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose L Vazquez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Juan M Vazquez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Jordi Roca
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Maria A Gil
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Martinez CA, Nohalez A, Cuello C, Vazquez JM, Roca J, Martinez EA, Gil MA. The use of mineral oil during in vitro maturation, fertilization, and embryo culture does not impair the developmental competence of pig oocytes. Theriogenology 2015; 83:693-702. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2014.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2014] [Revised: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 11/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
39
|
Bayer DK, Martinez CA, Sorte HS, Forbes LR, Demmler-Harrison GJ, Hanson IC, Pearson NM, Noroski LM, Zaki SR, Bellini WJ, Leduc MS, Yang Y, Eng CM, Patel A, Rodningen OK, Muzny DM, Gibbs RA, Campbell IM, Shaw CA, Baker MW, Zhang V, Lupski JR, Orange JS, Seeborg FO, Stray-Pedersen A. Vaccine-associated varicella and rubella infections in severe combined immunodeficiency with isolated CD4 lymphocytopenia and mutations in IL7R detected by tandem whole exome sequencing and chromosomal microarray. Clin Exp Immunol 2014; 178:459-69. [PMID: 25046553 PMCID: PMC4238873 DOI: 10.1111/cei.12421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In areas without newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), disease-defining infections may lead to diagnosis, and in some cases, may not be identified prior to the first year of life. We describe a female infant who presented with disseminated vaccine-acquired varicella (VZV) and vaccine-acquired rubella infections at 13 months of age. Immunological evaluations demonstrated neutropenia, isolated CD4 lymphocytopenia, the presence of CD8(+) T cells, poor lymphocyte proliferation, hypergammaglobulinaemia and poor specific antibody production to VZV infection and routine immunizations. A combination of whole exome sequencing and custom-designed chromosomal microarray with exon coverage of primary immunodeficiency genes detected compound heterozygous mutations (one single nucleotide variant and one intragenic copy number variant involving one exon) within the IL7R gene. Mosaicism for wild-type allele (20-30%) was detected in pretransplant blood and buccal DNA and maternal engraftment (5-10%) demonstrated in pretransplant blood DNA. This may be responsible for the patient's unusual immunological phenotype compared to classical interleukin (IL)-7Rα deficiency. Disseminated VZV was controlled with anti-viral and immune-based therapy, and umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation was successful. Retrospectively performed T cell receptor excision circle (TREC) analyses completed on neonatal Guthrie cards identified absent TREC. This case emphasizes the danger of live viral vaccination in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) patients and the importance of newborn screening to identify patients prior to high-risk exposures. It also illustrates the value of aggressive pathogen identification and treatment, the influence newborn screening can have on morbidity and mortality and the significant impact of newer genomic diagnostic tools in identifying the underlying genetic aetiology for SCID patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D K Bayer
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Immunology, Allergy, and Rheumatology, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Cruz CRY, Lam S, Hanley PJ, Bear AS, Langston C, Cohen AJ, Liu H, Martinez CA, Krance RA, Heslop HE, Rooney CM, Hanson IC, Bollard CM. Robust T cell responses to aspergillosis in chronic granulomatous disease: implications for immunotherapy. Clin Exp Immunol 2013; 174:89-96. [PMID: 23763437 DOI: 10.1111/cei.12156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) patients are highly susceptible to invasive aspergillosis and might benefit from aspergillus-specific T cell immunotherapy, which has shown promise in treating those with known T cell defects such as haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. But whether such T cell defects contribute to increased risks for aspergillus infection in CGD is unclear. Hence, we set out to characterize the aspergillus-specific T cell response in CGD. In murine CGD models and in patients with CGD we showed that the CD4(+) T cell responses to aspergillus were unimpaired: aspergillus-specific T cell frequencies were even elevated in CGD mice (P < 0·01) and humans (P = 0·02), compared to their healthy counterparts. CD4-depleted murine models suggested that the role of T cells might be redundant because resistance to aspergillus infection was conserved in CD4(+) T cell-depleted mice, similar to wild-type animals. In contrast, mice depleted of neutrophils alone or neutrophils and CD4(+) T cells developed clinical and pathological evidence of pulmonary aspergillosis and increased mortality (P < 0·05 compared to non-depleted animals). Our findings that T cells in CGD have a robust aspergillus CD4(+) T cell response suggest that CD4(+) T cell-based immunotherapy for this disease is unlikely to be beneficial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C R Y Cruz
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, The Methodist Hospital, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Martinez CA, Grant W, Hejl SJ, Peterson MJ, Martinez A, Waggerman GL. Simulation of annual productivity and long-term population trends of white-winged doves in the Tamaulipan Biotic Province. Ecol Modell 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2004.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
42
|
Alvim FC, Carolino SM, Cascardo JC, Nunes CC, Martinez CA, Otoni WC, Fontes EP. Enhanced accumulation of BiP in transgenic plants confers tolerance to water stress. Plant Physiol 2001; 126:1042-54. [PMID: 11457955 PMCID: PMC116461 DOI: 10.1104/pp.126.3.1042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2000] [Revised: 02/19/2001] [Accepted: 03/31/2001] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The binding protein (BiP) is an important component of endoplasmic reticulum stress response of cells. Despite extensive studies in cultured cells, a protective function of BiP against stress has not yet been demonstrated in whole multicellular organisms. Here, we have obtained transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Havana) plants constitutively expressing elevated levels of BiP or its antisense cDNA to analyze the protective role of this endoplasmic reticulum lumenal stress protein at the whole plant level. Elevated levels of BiP in transgenic sense lines conferred tolerance to the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin during germination and tolerance to water deficit during plant growth. Under progressive drought, the leaf BiP levels correlated with the maintenance of the shoot turgidity and water content. The protective effect of BiP overexpression against water stress was disrupted by expression of an antisense BiP cDNA construct. Although overexpression of BiP prevented cellular dehydration, the stomatal conductance and transpiration rate in droughted sense leaves were higher than in control and antisense leaves. The rate of photosynthesis under water deficit might have caused a degree of greater osmotic adjustment in sense leaves because it remained unaffected during water deprivation, which was in marked contrast with the severe drought-induced decrease in the CO(2) assimilation in control and antisense leaves. In antisense plants, the water stress stimulation of the antioxidative defenses was higher than in control plants, whereas in droughted sense leaves an induction of superoxide dismutase activity was not observed. These results suggest that overexpression of BiP in plants may prevent endogenous oxidative stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F C Alvim
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, BIOAGRO-Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36571.000 Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Abstract
We introduce a method for sequence homology-independent protein recombination (SHIPREC) that can create libraries of single-crossover hybrids of unrelated or distantly related proteins. The method maintains the proper sequence alignment between the parents and introduces crossovers mainly at structurally related sites distributed over the aligned sequences. We used SHIPREC to create a library of interspecies hybrids of a membrane-associated human cytochrome P450 (1A2) and the heme domain of a soluble bacterial P450 (BM3). By fusing the hybrid gene library to the gene for chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT), we were able to select for soluble and properly folded protein variants. Screening for 1A2 activity (deethylation of 7-ethoxyresorufin) identified two functional P450 hybrids that were more soluble in the bacterial cytoplasm than the wild-type 1A2 enzyme.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- V Sieber
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 210-41, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA 91105, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Martinez CA, Waisberg J, Palma RT, Bromberg SH, Castro MA, Santos PA. Gastric necrosis and perforation as a complication of splenectomy. Case report and related references. Arq Gastroenterol 2000; 37:227-30. [PMID: 11460603 DOI: 10.1590/s0004-28032000000400008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Necrosis of the stomach after isolated splenectomy with the formation of gastrocutaneous fistula is a rare event that occurs in less than 1% of splenectomies. It is more frequent when the removal of the spleen is done because of hematological diseases. Its mortality index can reach 60% and its pathogenesis is controversial, as it may be attributed both to direct trauma of the gastric wall and to ischemic phenomena. Although the stomach may exhibit exuberant arterial blood irrigation, anatomical variations can cause a predisposition towards the appearance of potentially ischemic areas, especially after ligation of the short gastric vessels around the major curvature of the stomach. Once this is diagnosed in the immediate postoperative period, it becomes imperative to reoperate. The surgical procedure will depend on the conditions of the peritoneal cavity and patient's clinic status. The objective of this study was to report on the case of a patient submitted to splenectomy because of closed abdominal traumatism, who then presented peritonitis and percutaneous gastric fistula in the post-operative period. During the second operation, perforations were identified in anterior gastric wall where there had been signs of vascular stress. The lesion was sutured after revival of its borders, and the patient had good evolution. Prompt diagnosis and immediate treatment of this unusual complication are needed to reduce its high mortality rate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C A Martinez
- Instituto de Assistência Médica ao Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo (IAMSPE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Reed UC, Marie SK, Brotto MW, Martinez CA, Marchiori PE, Diament A, Levy JA. Autosomal recessive nondystrophic myotonia. Report of a case with unusual clinical course. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 1995; 53:114-7. [PMID: 7575194 DOI: 10.1590/s0004-282x1995000100017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We describe the case of a girl with a probable autosomal recessive form of nondystrophic hereditary myotonia whose clinical findings are more compatible with the dominant ones mainly myotonia congenita of Thomsen or myotonia fluctuans. Besides the clinical aspects of the atypical form presented by our patient, the efficacy of the more available drugs employed for the treatment of myotonia congenita is briefly discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- U C Reed
- Department of Neurology, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Abstract
We report the results of short-term antibiotic treatment in 19 patients with Whipple's disease (WD). The diagnosis was based on clinical features and on a characteristic small bowel biopsy. Patients received treatment for a mean of 7.9 weeks (range 4-20). Fourteen were treated with de-methyl-chlortetracycline (600 mg/day), and 1 also received chloramphenicol (1 g/day); 1 was treated with ampicillin (2 g/day), and 4 were treated with amoxicillin (1.5 g/day). In all patients, the clinical response was rapid and excellent, body weight increased significantly, diarrhea subsided, and fecal fat values returned to normal. Intestinal biopsies obtained after treatment was completed showed significant improvement based on a decrease in the number of macrophages staining positive with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), normalization of villous structure, and decreased dilatation of lymphatic channels; free bacilli were absent, as shown both by light and electron microscopy. Seventeen patients have been followed for a mean of 99.4 months (range 6-300). Two died 30 and 72 months after diagnosis of Whipple's disease, 1 of laryngeal carcinoma and the other of colonic carcinoma. Fifteen patients are in excellent health. Three patients treated with tetracycline have had clinical and/or histologic relapses. In our experience, short-course antibiotic treatment with tetracycline or ampicillin and derivatives can be effective in WD, with few relapses and excellent outcome. No neurologic symptoms, either initially or during follow-up were observed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J C Bai
- Small Bowel Section, Hospital Nacional de Gastroenterologia, Dr. Carlos Bonorino Udaondo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
de Almeida JL, Martinez CA, Bromberg SH, Goffi FS. [Malignant neoplasms of the bile ducts]. AMB Rev Assoc Med Bras 1985; 31:28-32. [PMID: 3877325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
|
48
|
Hamada M, Martinez CA, Bromberg SH, Goffi FS. [Truncal vagotomy in the treatment of postgastrectomy peptic ulcers]. Rev Paul Med 1983; 101:133-5. [PMID: 6665406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
|
49
|
Martinez CA, Mills GC. Spectrophotofluorometric determination of porphyrins in urine. Clin Chem 1971; 17:199-205. [PMID: 5543188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
|