DNA methylation reprogramming during oogenesis and interference by reproductive technologies: Studies in mouse and bovine models

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Anckaert ◽  
Trudee Fair

The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to overcome fertility problems has continued to increase since the birth of the first baby conceived by ART over 30 years ago. Similarly, embryo transfer is widely used as a mechanism to advance genetic gain in livestock. Despite repeated optimisation of ART treatments, pre- and postnatal outcomes remain compromised. Epigenetic mechanisms play a fundamental role in successful gametogenesis and development. The best studied of these is DNA methylation; the appropriate establishment of DNA methylation patterns in gametes and early embryos is essential for healthy development. Superovulation studies in the mouse indicate that specific ARTs are associated with normal imprinting establishment in oocytes, but abnormal imprinting maintenance in embryos. A similar limited impact of ART on oocytes has been reported in cattle, whereas the majority of embryo-focused studies have used cloned embryos, which do exhibit aberrant DNA methylation. The present review discusses the impact of ART on oocyte and embryo DNA methylation with regard to data available from mouse and bovine models.

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terisha Ghazi ◽  
Thilona Arumugam ◽  
Ashmika Foolchand ◽  
Anil A. Chuturgoon

Cancer initiation and progression is an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic modifications. DNA methylation is a common epigenetic modification that regulates gene expression, and aberrant DNA methylation patterns are considered a hallmark of cancer. The human diet is a source of micronutrients, bioactive molecules, and mycotoxins that have the ability to alter DNA methylation patterns and are thus a contributing factor for both the prevention and onset of cancer. Micronutrients such as betaine, choline, folate, and methionine serve as cofactors or methyl donors for one-carbon metabolism and other DNA methylation reactions. Dietary bioactive compounds such as curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, and sulforaphane reactivate essential tumor suppressor genes by reversing aberrant DNA methylation patterns, and therefore, they have shown potential against various cancers. In contrast, fungi-contaminated agricultural foods are a source of potent mycotoxins that induce carcinogenesis. In this review, we summarize the existing literature on dietary micronutrients, bioactive compounds, and food-borne mycotoxins that affect DNA methylation patterns and identify their potential in the onset and treatment of cancer.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonidas Chouliaras ◽  
Roy Lardenoije ◽  
Gunter Kenis ◽  
Diego Mastroeni ◽  
Patrick R. Hof ◽  
...  

Abstract Brain aging has been associated with aberrant DNA methylation patterns, and changes in the levels of DNA methylation and associated markers have been observed in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. DNA hydroxymethylation, however, has been sparsely investigated in aging and AD. We have previously reported robust decreases in 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) in the hippocampus of AD patients compared to non-demented controls. In the present study, we investigated 3- and 9-month-old APPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenic and wild-type mice for possible age-related alterations in 5-mC and 5-hmC levels in three hippocampal sub-regions using quantitative immunohistochemistry. While age-related increases in levels of both 5-mC and 5-hmC were found in wild-type mice, APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice showed decreased levels of 5-mC at 9 months of age and no age-related changes in 5-hmC throughout the hippocampus. Altogether, these findings suggest that aberrant amyloid processing impact on the balance between DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in the hippocampus during aging in mice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (383) ◽  
pp. MISC1-MISC3
Author(s):  
Andrea Maugeri

Retinal degenerative diseases are the leading causes of blindness and low vision among working-age and older adults worldwide, with 170 and 130 million individuals suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, respectively. Although several studies began to show benefits from dietary interventions against retinal degenerative disease, an integrated approach is needed to understand molecular mechanisms underpinning the protective or risky effect of dietary factors. A specific area of research that elucidates mechanisms involved in gene-diet interaction is the Nutri-epigenomics, the study of the impact of diet on gene expression by modulating epigenetic mechanisms. The present research investigated the role of DNA methylation – one of the most commonly analysed epigenetic mechanisms - in the pathophysiology of retinal degenerative diseases, by exploiting a multiple integrated approach. In vitro studies initially helped us to understand how pathological features of retinal degeneration (e.g. oxidative stress, inflammation and hyperglycaemia) modulated functions of enzymes involved in the methylation of Long Interspersed Nuclear Element 1 (LINE-1) sequences in retinal cells. We also proved that some nutrients (e.g. resveratrol and curcumin) might counteract these effects and restore DNA methylation level in retinal cells under oxidative, inflammatory and high glucose conditions. We further analysed whether LINE-1 methylation level differed between patients with AMD and controls without posterior segment eye diseases. Interestingly, we noted a significant difference between the two groups, with higher LINE-1 methylation level in blood samples from AMD patients. This evidence -albeit promising for biomarker discovery- requires confirmation by further large-size prospective studies taking into account different factors. Our research, in fact, also suggested that the risk of retinal degenerative diseases derives from the combination of genetic risk variants, clinical characteristics, environmental exposures and unhealthy lifestyles, which in turn are interrelated. Thus, it would be interesting to study how the exposome -the totality of exposures individuals experience over the course of life- might induce epigenetic mechanisms able to reduce or increase the risk for retinal degenerative diseases.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Jin Liew ◽  
Emily J. Howells ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Craig T. Michell ◽  
John A. Burt ◽  
...  

MainThe notion that intergenerational or transgenerational inheritance operates solely through genetic means is slowly being eroded: epigenetic mechanisms have been shown to induce heritable changes in gene activity in plants1,2and metazoans1,3. Inheritance of DNA methylation provides a potential pathway for environmentally induced phenotypes to contribute to evolution of species and populations1–4. However, in basal metazoans, it is unknown whether inheritance of CpG methylation patterns occurs across the genome (as in plants) or as rare exceptions (as in mammals)4. Here, we demonstrate genome-wide intergenerational transmission of CpG methylation patterns from parents to sperm and larvae in a reef-building coral. We also show variation in hypermethylated genes in corals from distinct environments, indicative of responses to variations in temperature and salinity. These findings support a role of DNA methylation in the transgenerational inheritance of traits in corals, which may extend to enhancing their capacity to adapt to climate change.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangeetha Muthamilselvan ◽  
Abirami Raghavendran ◽  
Ashok Palaniappan

Abstract Background: Aberrant DNA methylation acts epigenetically to skew the gene transcription rate up or down, with causative roles in the etiology of cancers. However research on the role of DNA methylation in driving the progression of cancers is limited. In this study, we have developed a comprehensive computational framework for the stage-differentiated modelling of DNA methylation landscapes in colorectal cancer (CRC), and unravelled significant stagewise signposts of CRC progression. Methods: The methylation β - matrix was derived from the public-domain TCGA data, converted into M-value matrix, annotated with AJCC stages, and analysed for stage-salient genes using multiple approaches involving stage-differentiated linear modelling of methylation patterns and/or expression patterns. Differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were identified using a contrast against controls (adjusted p-value <0.001 and |log fold-change of M-value| >2). These results were filtered using a series of all possible pairwise stage contrasts (p-value <0.05) to obtain stage-salient DMGs. These were then subjected to a consensus analysis, followed by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis to evaluate the impact of methylation patterns of consensus stage-salient biomarkers on disease prognosis.Results: We found significant genome-wide changes in methylation patterns in cancer cases relative to controls agnostic of stage. Our stage-differentiated analysis yielded the following stage-salient genes: one stage-I gene (FBN1), one stage-II gene (FOXG1), one stage-III gene (HCN1) and four stage-IV genes (NELL1, ZNF135, FAM123A, LAMA1). All the biomarkers were hypermethylated, indicating down-regulation and signifying a CpG island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP) manifestation. A significant prognostic signature consisting of FBN1 and FOXG1 survived all the steps of our analysis pipeline, and represents a novel early-stage biomarker. Conclusions: We have designed a workflow for stage-differentiated consensus analysis, and identified stage-salient diagnostic biomarkers and an early-stage prognostic biomarker panel. Our studies further yield a novel CIMP-like signature of potential clinical import underlying CRC progression.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Canovas ◽  
Elena Ivanova ◽  
Raquel Romar ◽  
Soledad García-Martínez ◽  
Cristina Soriano-Úbeda ◽  
...  

The number of children born since the origin of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) exceeds 5 million. The majority seem healthy, but a higher frequency of defects has been reported among ART-conceived infants, suggesting an epigenetic cost. We report the first whole-genome DNA methylation datasets from single pig blastocysts showing differences between in vivo and in vitro produced embryos. Blastocysts were produced in vitro either without (C-IVF) or in the presence of natural reproductive fluids (Natur-IVF). Natur-IVF embryos were of higher quality than C-IVF in terms of cell number and hatching ability. RNA-Seq and DNA methylation analyses showed that Natur-IVF embryos have expression and methylation patterns closer to in vivo blastocysts. Genes involved in reprogramming, imprinting and development were affected by culture, with fewer aberrations in Natur-IVF embryos. Methylation analysis detected methylated changes in C-IVF, but not in Natur-IVF, at genes whose methylation could be critical, such as IGF2R and NNAT.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Congru Li ◽  
Yang Yu

Abstract Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age and is the main cause of anovulatory infertility. To increase the number of oocytes obtained, controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) has become a routine choice for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET), which is one of the common assisted reproductive technologies for PCOS patients. However, for these patients, there is a high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Obtaining in vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes, and then in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer of mature oocytes provides a possible way for people to solve the above problems. Since the IVM technology will expose oocytes to in vitro conditions for a longer period of time, theoretically increasing the risk of the oocytes being affected by the culture environment, further research and explorations are needed for study in gene programming, epigenetics, etc. Therefore, to explore the impact of IVM operation on embryonic development is of great significance for further clarifying assisted reproductive safety and improving IVM operation conditions. Here we focused on DNA methylation reprogramming process which was essential for embryonic development. We tested the DNA methylation of sperm, IVM oocytes and IVM generated early stage embryos including pronucleus, 4cell, 8cell, morula, inner cell mass, trophoectoderm (TE) as well as six-week embryos by Nimble Gen Human DNA Methylation 3x729K CpG Island Plus RefSeq Promoter Array and compared the data with our published genome-wide DNA methylomes of human gametes and early embryos generated from in vivo maturation oocytes. We showed that IVM embryos show abnormal DNA methylation reprogramming pattern. By analyzing the abnormally reprogrammed promoters, we further found that IVM may affect the functions of demethylation related genes. Oocytes from IVM manipulation were tested with higher DNA methylation levels, and their abnormal methylated promoters mainly enriched in immune and metabolism pathways. Furthermore, we investigated the DNA methylation of TE, which was directly related with implantation process and revealed the abnormal methylated promoters were related with metabolism pathway too. Our data support that IVM may influence the DNA methylome of oocytes, which in turn affects the methylome of their embryos. However, due to the limited number of samples and the inability of the chip to cover all CpG sites, the results of this study require further research and validation.


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