Does government regulation inhibit embryonic stem cell research and can it be effective?

The UK was one of the first countries to introduce legislation regulating embryo research, and the British Parliament has taken a liberal view of the field. However, even in the UK, regulation of human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research has had drawbacks, and the regulatory framework is somewhat inconsistent and imposes considerable bureaucracy. There are around 33 countries that have broadly liberal legislation; each has a different view of what is permissible. Only about eight of these countries have contributed significantly to published research in the field. Paradoxically, in spite of tight federal restrictions, the USA remains the most productive country in terms of the number and quality of peer review research publications. But even in our increasingly global society, complex regulation will become progressively irrelevant and impossible to impose effectively because attitudes will continue to vary widely in different countries and because of international travel and trade. Consequently, there is a universal need for scientists to demonstrate their recognition of the ethical and commercial conflicts that may arise in their research and engage in public debate and dialogue to ensure responsible activity that benefits their research and reflects the values of society.

Caspase activity and expression of cell death genes during development of human preimplantation embryos

It has been observed that apoptosis occurs in human blastocysts. In other types of cell, the characteristic morphological changes seen in apoptotic cells are executed by caspases, which are regulated by the BCL-2 family of proteins. This study investigated whether these components of the apoptotic cascade are present throughout human preimplantation development. Developing and arrested two pronucleate embryos at all stages were incubated with a fluorescently tagged caspase inhibitor that binds only to active caspases, fixed, counterstained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) to assess nuclear morphology and examined using confocal microscopy. Active caspases were detected only after compaction, at the morula and blastocyst stages, and were frequently associated with apoptotic nuclei. Occasional labelling was seen in arrested embryos. Expression of proapoptotic BAX and BAD and anti-apoptotic BCL-2 was examined in single embryos using RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. BAX and BCL-2 mRNAs were expressed throughout development, whereas BAD mRNA was expressed mainly after compaction. Simultaneous expression of BAX and BCL-2 proteins within individual embryos was confirmed using immunohistochemistry. The onset of caspase activity and BAD expression after compaction correlates with the previously reported appearance of apoptotic nuclei. As in other types of cell, human embryos express common molecular components of the apoptotic cascade, although apoptosis appears to be suppressed before compaction and differentiation.

First application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis to neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2)

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is a dominantly inherited cancer predisposition syndrome that is caused bymutations in the NF2 gene. We report here the first clinical preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) forNF2. A protocol was developed to simultaneously amplify the mutation and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located within the gene. The mutation and polymorphism were analysed by simultaneous fluorescent single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) on an automated DNA sequencer. The mutation, carried by the male partner, was a single base pair substitution affecting a splice site in intron 4 of the gene. The female partner was infertile due to polycystic ovary syndrome and would require IVF to conceive. The couple was found to be informative at a linked intragenic SNP situated in the 5' untranslated region of the gene. The SNP was included in the assay to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis due to allele dropout (ADO). The couple underwent three cycles of treatment during which a total of 43 blastomeres were biopsied from 31 embryos. Amplification at both loci was obtained in 35 cells (81%). A total of five embryos were transferred, two in the first cycle, two in the second and one in the third. No pregnancy ensued. The results of the diagnoses indicated that, in this couple, the inheritance of the mutation may be non-Mendelian. Out of a total of 32 embryos tested only four were found not to carry the mutation. The reasons for this apparent skew remain unknown.