251 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN PORCINE PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYOS DERIVED FROM DIFFERENT ORIGINS

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
J.-G. Kim ◽  
H.-F. Jin ◽  
B.-K. Mohana ◽  
H.-J. Song ◽  
Y.-J. Jeong ◽  
...  

The amount of information gathered on the kinetics and quantitative profile of gene expression in nuclear transferred (NT) pre-implantation embryos is still scarce and limited to a handful of genes in pig. In the present study, we compared the relative abundance (RA) of six development-related genes of pre-implantation embryos from different origins. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured, fertilized and cultured by the method of Abeydeera et al. (2000 Theriogenology 54, 787-797). Parthenogenetic (PA) and NT embryos were produced as described by Kim et al. (2005 Mol. Rep. Dev. 70, 308-313). Sets of 10 embryos each at 4-cell, 8-16-cell, morula, and Day 7 blastocyst stages were used to extract total RNA for analyzing the expression pattern of Bax (pro-apoptotic), Bcl-xl (anti-apoptotic), Oct-4 (pluripotent transcription), Stat3 (cytoplasmic transcription), IFN-tau (implantation) and VEGF (vasculogenesis) genes (three replicates) with real-time quantitative PCR (LightCycler�; Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) following RNA isolation (with Dynabeads� mRNA Direct" kit; Dynal, Oslo, Norway) and cDNA amplification (Oligo (dT)12-18 primer and Superscript" III cDNA synthesis kit; Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA). The expression of each gene was normalized to Histone H2A expression. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences in gene expression were analyzed by ANOVA. Oct-4, Stat3, Bax, and Bcl-xl were expressed at the 4-cell stage. However, IFN-tau and VEGF were expressed at the morula stage. The expression patterns of all genes throughout the embryonic development in all types of embryos were similar. However, the relative abundance (RA) of Bax in the 8-16 cell stage of NT and PA was significantly (P < 0.05) increased as compared to that in IVP counterparts. The RA of Oct-4 and Bcl-xl did not differ throughout all stages in NT and PA embryos. There were no significant differences in all types of embryos with respect to the RA of Oct-4 and Bcl-xl with exception of the blastocysts in NT (significantly decreased, P < 0.01). The RA of Stat3 was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the 8-16 cell stage (NT and PA) and in blastocysts (NT). Similarly, the RA of IFN-tau was significantly (P < 0.05) increased in NT blastocysts. The RA of VEGF was not significantly different in all stages and types of embryos except NT blastocysts (decreased expression, P < 0.01). These results suggest that expression patterns of Bax, Bcl-xl, Oct-4, Stat3, IFN-tau, and VEGF can be used as markers to assess the developmental competence of porcine nuclear transfer embryos. This work was supported by Grant No. 1000520040020000 from Biogreen 21, Republic of Korea.

Zygote ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renu Singh ◽  
Kuldeep Kumar ◽  
R. Ranjan ◽  
Manish Kumar ◽  
T. Yasotha ◽  
...  

SummaryAberrant gene expression occurs in parthenogenetic embryos due to abnormal epigenetic modifications in the genome that probably diminish viability and enhance developmental abnormalities in these embryos. In the present study, five developmentally important genes (HPRT1, Cx43, Sox2, Mest and IGF2R) were analysed at different stages in parthenotes (haploid and diploid) and compared with similar stages in in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos. The results indicated that in haploid parthenotes expression of HPRT1 was upregulated (P < 0.05) only at the 2–4-cell stage whereas Cx43 expression was significantly (P < 0.05) downregulated in all stages as compared with the control. However, expression of this gene was upregulated (P < 0.05) in 2–4-cell and morula stages of diploid parthenotes. Expression of Sox2 was significantly (P < 0.05) downregulated in morula stage haploid parthenotes, whereas it was upregulated (P < 0.05) in 8–16-cell stage diploid embryos. The expression of Mest was upregulated (P < 0.05) at the 2–4-cell stage of both haploid and diploid parthenotes, whereas it was downregulated in 8–16-cell stage diploid embryos as compared with control. IGF2R expression was upregulated (P < 0.05) only in morula stage haploid and diploid parthenote as compared with control. These results indicate that parthenogenetic embryos showed aberrant gene expression of developmentally important genes such as HPRT1, Cx43, Sox2, Mest and IGF2R in comparison with IVF embryos, this finding may be one of the major reasons for the poor developmental competence of parthenogenetic embryos.


Zygote ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-rong Xiong ◽  
Dao-liang Lan ◽  
Jian Li ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Jin-cheng Zhong

SummaryInterspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT), a powerful tool in basic scientific research, has been used widely to increase and preserve the population of endangered species. Yak (Bos grunniens) is one of these species. Development to term of interspecies cloned yak embryos has not been achieved, possibly due to abnormal epigenetic reprogramming. Previous studies have demonstrated that treatment of intraspecies cloned embryos with (NaBu) significantly improves nuclear–cytoplasmic reprogramming and viability in vitro. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effect of optimal NaBu concentration and exposure time on preimplantation development of yak iSCNT embryos and on the expression patterns of developmentally important genes. The results showed that 8-cell rate, blastocyst formation rate and total cell number increased significantly compared with their untreated counterparts when yak iSCNT embryos were treated with 5 nM NaBu for 12 h after activation, but that the 2-cell stage embryo rate was not significantly different. The treatment of NaBu also increased significantly the expression levels of Oct-4 and decreased the expression levels of HDAC-2, Dnmt-1 and IGF-1; the expression patterns of these genes were more similar to that of their bovine–yak in vitro fertilization (BY-IVF) counterparts. The results described above indicated that NaBu treatment improved developmental competence in vitro and ‘corrected’ the gene expression patterns of yak iSCNT embryos.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Schwientek ◽  
Peter Ellinghaus ◽  
Sonja Steppan ◽  
Donatella D'Urso ◽  
Michael Seewald ◽  
...  

Mechanical unloading by ventricular assist devices (VAD) leads to significant gene expression changes often summarized as reverse remodeling. However, little is known on individual transcriptome changes during VAD support and its relationship to nonfailing hearts (NF). In addition no data are available for the transcriptome regulation during nonpulsatile VAD support. Therefore we analyzed the gene expression patterns of 30 paired samples from VAD-supported (including 8 nonpulsatile VADs) and 8 nonfailing control hearts (NF) using the first total human genome array available. Transmural myocardial samples were collected for RNA isolation. RNA was isolated by commercial methods and processed according to chip-manufacturer recommendations. cRNA were hybridized on Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 arrays, providing coverage of the whole human genome Array. Data were analyzed using Microarray Analysis Suite 5.0 (Affymetrix) and clustered by Expressionist software (Genedata). We found 352 transcripts were differentially regulated between samples from VAD implantation and NF, whereas 510 were significantly regulated between VAD transplantation and NF (paired t-test P < 0.001, fold change ≥1.6). Remarkably, only a minor fraction of 111 transcripts was regulated in heart failure (HF) and during VAD support. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering of paired VAD and NF samples revealed separation of HF and NF samples; however, individual differentiation of VAD implantation and VAD transplantation was not accomplished. Clustering of pulsatile and nonpulsatile VAD did not lead to robust separation of gene expression patterns. During VAD support myocardial gene expression changes do not indicate reversal of the HF phenotype but reveal a distinct HF-related pattern. Transcriptome analysis of pulsatile and nonpulsatile VAD-supported hearts did not provide evidence for a pump mode-specific transcriptome pattern.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
M. R. Park ◽  
I. S. Hwang ◽  
H. J. Moon ◽  
J. H. Shim ◽  
D. H. Kim ◽  
...  

Manipulations of early embryos require that the embryos be placed in vitro. The ability to reproduce in vivo conditions in vitro would greatly facilitate studies on the development of early embryos. A variety of different conditions have been described that result in development of pig embryos from the 1-cell stage to the blastocyst stage in vitro. There is a species-specific cell stage at which the early embryo is very sensitive to in vitro conditions, which generally corresponds to the stage at which the embryo begins producing significant amounts of RNA. The present study was conducted to investigate the relative amounts of apoptotic gene expression in miniature pig NT embryos under culture conditions of different osmolarity. Oocytes were cultured in TCM-199 for 40–44 h at 38.5�C under 5% CO2 in air. Miniature pig ear fibroblast cells were cultured to reach confluency, and the culture was continued for an additional 5–6 days. The NaCl group of embryos was cultured in PZM-3 supplemented with 138 mM NaCl in total concentration (280–320 mOsmol) for the first 2 days, and then cultured in PZM-3 (250–270 mOsmol) for a further 4 days. The control group of embryos was cultured in the PZM-3 for the entire period of in vitro culture. Total RNA samples were prepared from 2 blastocysts using the Roche 1st strand cDNA synthesis kit. Bax and Bcl-xl gene expression of blastocysts was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. Developemntal rates were analyzed by a GLM procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Relative gene expression was compared by Student&apos;s t-test. Blastocyst formation rate in the NaCl group was not different from that in the control group (25.4% and 23.2%, respectively), but the apoptosis rate was significantly lower (P &lt; 0.05) in the NaCl group (1.6%) than in the control (7.1%). The relative abundance of Bax mRNA expression was significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) in the control group (n = 32) than in the NaCl group (n = 33). However, the relative abundance of Bcl-xl mRNA was significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) in NaCl group. The relative abundance of Bax/Bcl-xl was significantly higher in the control group than in the NaCl group (P &lt; 0.05). These results indicate that the hypertonic culture condition at the early embryonic stage of miniature pig NT embryos could reduce the frequency of apoptosis through regulating Bax and Bcl-xl gene expression.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
W. Shi ◽  
F. Yang ◽  
E. Wolf ◽  
V. Zakharchenko

The differential epigenetic changes in embryos from different species provide a model to study how the nucleus from one species interacts with cytoplasm from another species. In this study we examined histone methylation at lysine 9 of histone 3 (K9H3) and lysine 20 of histone H4 (K20H4) and the expression levels of three early development-related genes (Oct-4, Hsp 70.1 and Hprt) in individual intra- and inter-species cloned and control embryos at the 1-, 2-, 4- and 8-cell stages. Mouse fetal fibroblast (MFF) nuclei were transferred into mouse, bovine, or rabbit oocytes. As control, we used in vivo derived (mouse and rabbit) or in vitro-produced (bovine) embryos. Histone methylation was detected by anti-MeK9H3 and anti-MeK20H4 antibodies. Gene expression analysis was performed using a quantitative RT-PCR technique (Daniels et al. 2000 Biol. Reprod. 63, 1034-1040). Data were analyzed by Student's t-test. No embryos from inter-species cloning (MFF-bovine and MFF-rabbit) survived beyond the 8-12 cell stage. MFF-mouse and MFF-bovine embryos exhibited demethylation of K9H3 and K20H4 at the 2-cell stage and the methylation level was increased at the 4-cell stage, but no demethylation was observed at the 2-cell stage of MFF-rabbit embryos and the methylation level in these embryos was significantly higher than that of in vivo rabbit embryos. The level of Oct-4 mRNA was low at the 1- and 2-cell stages of in vivo mouse embryos and increased at the 8-cell stage. No significant increase in Oct-4 transcript was detected at the 8-cell stage of inter-species cloned embryos. The expression of Hsp 70.1 in in vivo mouse embryos was increased at the 2-cell stage and decreased to a level similar to that in the zygote at the 8-cell stage. In cloned embryos, Hsp 70.1 transcripts were also increased at the 2-cell stage, but there was no significant decrease of Hsp70.1 mRNA abundance at the 8-cell stage of inter-species embryos as compared to the corresponding 2-cell stage. For MFF-mouse embryos, Hsp 70.1 expression was increased at the 2-cell stage, but at the 8-cell stage the transcript level was at the level similar to that in inter-species clones. Hprt expression was increased at the 8-cell stage of in vivo mouse embryos. The dynamic change of Hprt transcript in MFF-mouse embryos was not significantly different from that of in vivo mouse embryos, but no significant change of Hprt expression occurred in the development of MFF-bovine and MFF-rabbit embryos. Differential epigenetic characteristics of mouse somatic nucleus after transfer into oocytes from different species suggest the existence of incompatibilities of nuclear-cytoplasm interaction between distantly related species. This abnormal interaction at the time of genome activation may affect normal development. This work was supported by the Bayerische Forschungsstiftung and by Therapeutic Human Polyclonals, Inc.


2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
X. S. Cui ◽  
X. Y. Li ◽  
T. Kim ◽  
N.-H. Kim

Trichostatin A (TSA) is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase and is able to alter gene expression patterns by interfering with the removal of acetyl groups from histones. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of TSA treatment on the development and gene expression patterns of mouse zygotes developing in vitro. The addition of 100 nm TSA to the culture medium did not affect the cleavage of mouse embryos (TSA treatment, 148/150 (99%) v. control, 107/107 (100%)); however, embryos that were treated with TSA arrested at the 2-cell stage (145/148, 98%). We estimated the number of nuclei in control and TSA-treated embryos by propidium iodide staining, taking into account the presence of any cells with two or more nuclei. At 62–63 h post-hCG stimulation, control zygotes had developed to the 4-cell stage and exhibited one nucleus in each blastomere, indicative of normal development. In contrast, we observed tetraploid nuclei in at least one blastomere in 20.8% (11/53) of the embryos that had been treated with TSA. At 28–29 h post-hCG stimulation (metaphase of the 1-cell stage), there was no difference in the mitotic index (as determined by analyzing the microtubule configuration) in the TSA group compared to the control group. At the 2-cell stage, however, we did not observe mitotic spindles and metaphase chromatin in embryos in the TSA treatment group compared to the controls. Interestingly, when embryos were cultured in TSA-free medium from 35 h post-hCG stimulation (S- or early G2-phase of the 2-cell stage) onward, almost all of them (47/50) developed to the blastocyst stage. In contrast, when embryos were cultured in TSA-free medium from 42 h post-hCG stimulation (middle G2-phase of the 2-cell stage) onward, they did not develop to the 4-cell stage. We used Illumina microarray technology to analyze the gene expression profiles in control and TSA-treated late 2-cell-stage embryos. Applied Biosystems Expression System software was used to extract assay signals and assay signal-to-noise ratio values from the microarray images. Our data showed that 897 genes were significantly (P < 0.05; 2-sample t-test) up- or down-regulated by TSA treatment compared to controls. Analysis using the PANTHER classification system (https://panther.appliedbiosystems.com) revealed that the 575 genes that were differentially expressed in the TSA group compared to the control were classified as being associated with putative biological processes or molecular function. Overall, in terms of putative biological processes, more nucleoside, nucleotide, and nucleic acid metabolism, protein metabolism and modification, signal transduction, developmental process, and cell cycle genes were differentially expressed between the TSA and control groups. In terms of putative molecular function, more nucleic acid-binding transcription factor and transferase genes were differentially expressed between the groups. The results collectively suggest that inhibition of histone acetylation in mouse embryos affects gene expression profiles at the time of zygotic genome activation, and this subsequently affects further development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
D. Veraguas ◽  
C. Aguilera ◽  
D. Echeverry ◽  
D. Saez-Ruiz ◽  
F. O. Castro ◽  
...  

The kodkod is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Phylogenetically, the kodkod is classified in the Leopardus genus, which has only 36 chromosome pairs compared with the domestic cat, which has 38. The proposed hypothesis was that domestic cat oocytes are capable of reprogramming somatic cells from kodkod after interspecies somatic cell NT (SCNT), allowing the in vitro embryo development up to blastocyst stage. Five experimental groups were made based on the technology and culture system: (1) cat embryos generated by IVF (IVF), (2) cat embryos generated by SCNT (Ca1x), (3) aggregated cat embryos generated by SCNT (Ca2x), (4) kodkod embryos generated by interspecies SCNT (K1x), and (5) aggregated kodkod embryos generated by interspecies SCNT (K2x). Interspecies SCNT was performed using a zona-free method. Reconstructed embryos were activated by 2 electrical pulses of 140 kV cm−1 for 40 µs and then incubated for 5h in 10μg mL−1 of cycloheximide and 5μg mL−1 of cytochalasin B. Embryos were cultured in SOF media using the well of the well system in a 5% O2, 5% CO2, and 90% N2 atmosphere at 38.5°C for 8 days. The morulae and blastocysts rates were estimated, and diameter of cloned blastocysts was measured. The relative expression of OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG was evaluated in blastocysts by RT-qPCR using the standard curve method; SDHA was used for normalization. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate the developmental parameters and gene expression. The t-test was used to evaluate blastocyst diameter. Statistical differences were considered at P&lt;0.05. The number of replicates was IVF=10, Ca1x=8, Ca2x=6, K1x=3, and K2x=8. The morulae rate was lower when clone embryos were cultured individually (IVF=97/153, 63.4%; Ca2x=28/51, 54.9%; K2x=63/110, 57.3%; Ca1x=48/126, 38.1%; K1x=22/87, 25.3%; P&lt;0.05). In the domestic cat, blastocysts rate was higher in IVF (58/153, 37.9%) and Ca2x (28/51, 29.4%) groups than in the Ca1x group (21/126, 16.7%; P&lt;0.05). No blastocysts were generated in the K1x group (0/87), whereas 5.5% of blastocysts were obtained from the K2x (6/110; 5.5%); this was not statistically different compared with the K1x group (P&gt;0.05). No differences were found in blastocyst diameter between the Ca1x (220.4µm) and Ca2x (251.2µm) groups (P&gt;0.05). However, the diameter of the blastocysts from the K2x group (172.8µm) tended to be lower than that of the blastocysts from the Ca2x group (P=0.05). Regarding gene expression, only 1 of the 6 kodkod blastocysts expressed OCT4, and none expressed SOX2 and NANOG. On the other hand, the relative expression of OCT4 tended to decrease in blastocysts from the Ca1x and Ca2x groups compared with the IVF group (P=0.09), but no differences were found in the expression of SOX2 and NANOG among groups (P&gt;0.05). In conclusion, after interspecies SCNT, domestic cat oocytes support the development of kodkod embryos until the morula stage. However, the embryo aggregation did not significantly improve the blastocyst rate and gene expression.


2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ágnes Bali Papp ◽  
T. Somfai ◽  
Mabel Tartaglione ◽  
Erika Varga ◽  
J. C. Gardon

The present study examined the effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) on in vitro maturation (IVM), in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and subsequent embryonic development of porcine oocytes. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were cultured with or without 1.0 ng/ml NGF for 40 h. After IVF, they were cultured in vitro for 6 days. After 10 and 20 h of IVM, there was no difference in nuclear status between the NGF-treated and control oocytes. Significant differences were detected in nuclear progression of oocytes matured in the presence or absence of NGF at 30 h of culture. A higher proportion of NGF-treated oocytes were at M-II stage compared to the control. Nevertheless, at the end of the 40-h IVM period, there was no difference in the proportion of M-II stage oocytes between the NGF-treated and control groups. NGF in IVM medium did not influence the developmental competence of putative embryos. Most embryos remained at the 2- to 4-cell stage; however, a significant amount of embryos reached the morula stage both in the NGF and the control groups. These results suggest that NGF during IVM accelerates nuclear progression of porcine oocytes by enhancing the post-diakinetic events of meiosis.


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