scholarly journals 010.Coordinating the transition from egg to embryo in mammals

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Carroll

At fertilization of mammalian oocytes, the sperm induces a series of increases in the concentration of intracellular Ca2+. These Ca2+ oscillations trigger all the events of egg activation, including cortical granule exocytosis, completion of meiosis and entry into the first mitotic division. Thus, intracellular Ca2+ plays a pivotal role in coordinating the transition from egg to embryo. Our work is focussed on understanding how the oocyte prepares for fertilisation, how the Ca2+ oscillations are controlled and how Ca2+ stimulates signalling pathways that lead to optimal early embryonic development. In this lecture I will focus on the downstream pathways of Ca2+ signalling at fertilisation. Conventional Protein Kinase C (cPKC) is the major downstream target of Ca2+ in many cell functions. Using PKC-GFP fusion proteins we have found that cPKC is recruited to the membrane in a manner that is dependent on the frequency and amplitude of the Ca2+ oscillations. Recruitment of cPKC appears to promote the Ca2+ influx necessary to sustain the generation of long lasting Ca2+ oscillations. In other cell types cytosolic Ca2+ increases are known to stimulate mitochondrial respiration. We have found that maintenance of resting Ca2+ levels and sperm-induced Ca2+ oscillations are critically dependent on mitochondrial ATP production: a feature not shared by many cell types. Since Ca2+ release increases ATP consumption we investigated whether the Ca2+ transients increase mitochondrial activity so as to meet this increase in demand. Monitoring autofluorescence from NADH and flavoproteins reveals that Ca2+ transients stimulate a change in redox state of mitochondria, presumably by activating Ca2+-sensitive dehydrogenases of the TCA cycle. Thus, through activation of downstream pathways, including PKC, cyclin B degradation and mitochondrial activity, intracellular Ca2+ provides a signal that orchestrates the activation of early mammalian development.

Author(s):  
J M Ortiz-Rodríguez ◽  
F E Martín-Cano ◽  
G Gaitskell-Phillips ◽  
A Silva ◽  
C Ortega-Ferrusola ◽  
...  

Abstract Energy metabolism in spermatozoa is complex and involves the metabolism of carbohydrate fatty acids and amino acids. The ATP produced in the electron transport chain (ETC) in the mitochondria appears to be crucial for both sperm motility and maintaining viability, while glycolytic enzymes in the flagella may contribute to ATP production to sustain motility and velocity. Stallion spermatozoa seemingly use diverse metabolic strategies, and in this regard, a study of the metabolic proteome showed that gene ontology (GO) terms and Reactome pathways related to pyruvate metabolism and the Krebs cycle were predominant. Following this, the hypothesis that low glucose concentrations can provide sufficient support for motility and velocity, and thus glucose concentration can be significantly reduced in the medium, was tested. Aliquots of stallion semen in four different media were stored for 48 h at 18°C; a commercial extender containing 67 mM glucose was used as a control. Stallion spermatozoa stored in media with low glucose (1 mM) and high pyruvate (10 mM) (LG-HP) sustained better motility and velocities than those stored in the commercial extender formulated with very high glucose (61.7 ± 1.2% in INRA 96 vs 76.2 ± 1.0% in LG-HP media after 48 h of incubation at 18°C P < 0.0001). Moreover, mitochondrial activity was superior in LG-HP extenders (24.1 ± 1.8% in INRA 96 vs 51.1 ± 0.7% in LG-HP of spermatozoa with active mitochondria after 48 h of storage at 18°C P < 0.0001). Low glucose concentrations may permit more efficient sperm metabolism and redox regulation when substrates for an efficient TCA cycle are provided. The improvement seen using low glucose extenders is due to reductions in the levels of glyoxal and methylglyoxal, 2-oxoaldehydes formed during glycolysis; these compounds are potent electrophiles able to react with proteins, lipids and DNA, causing sperm damage.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Willi ◽  
B Agranovich ◽  
I Abramovich ◽  
D Freimark ◽  
M Arad ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction DMD, an X-linked muscle degenerative fatal disease, is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in DMD patients. Treatments for DCM in DMD are limited to steroids and standard heart failure medications such as β-blockers and ACE-inhibitors, and therefore novel therapeutic modalities are urgently needed. Purpose We hypothesized that dystrophin mutations in DMD lead to cardiomyopathy-causing bioenergetic/metabolic impairments, which can be therapeutically targeted for improving cardiac function. Methods Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) were generated from healthy volunteer and 3 DMD patients: young male (YM), adult male (AM) and adult female (AF). We investigated the bioenergetics, electrophysiology, mitochondrial and metabolic features of healthy and DMD iPSC-CMs using the Seahorse Flux analyzer, patch clamp, confocal fluorescence microscopy and Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technologies, respectively. Results To test the hypothesis, we measured respiration and glycolytic rates of healthy and DMD iPSC-CMs. Compared to healthy iPSC-CMs, in both AM and AF DMD, but not in YM DMD cardiomyocytes, there was a 75% decrease in ATP production, and 80% and 45% decrease in basal respiration, respectively. In agreement with the healthy-like bioenergetic status of YM, the iPSC-CMs showed no arrhythmias, in contrast to the prominent arrhythmias in AM and AF cardiomyocytes. To determine whether the impairment in the phosphorylation pathway (OXPHOS) affects glycolysis, we measured the cardiomyocytes' response to glycolytic stress test. These experiments showed that the glycolytic rates were similar in healthy and DMD iPSC-CMs. In agreement with impaired OXPHOS, mitochondrial activity measured by 3D life confocal microscopy was attenuated in the DMD male by 35%, compared to healthy cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, the metabolomic LC-MS analyses demonstrated significant differences in metabolite levels in YM, AM and AF DMD iPSC-CMs relative to healthy iPSC-CMs. For example, compared to healthy iPSC-CMs, there was a dramatic fall to undetected levels in phosphocreatine in both AM and AF, but not in YM DMD, indicating a dysfunctional phosphocreatine energy system. Conclusions DMD iPSC-CMs exhibit bioenergetic/metabolic impairments, which constitute novel targets for alleviating the cardiomyopathy in DMD patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): ISF - Israel Science Foundation


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia K. Wooldridge ◽  
Alan D. Ealy

Abstract Background Interleukin-6 (IL6) was recently identified as an embryotrophic factor in bovine embryos, where it acts primarily to mediate inner cell mass (ICM) size. This work explored whether IL6 affects epiblast (EPI) and primitive endoderm (PE) development, the two embryonic lineages generated from the ICM after its formation. Nuclear markers for EPI (NANOG) and PE (GATA6) were used to differentiate the two cell types. Results Increases (P < 0.05) in total ICM cell numbers and PE cell numbers were detected in bovine blastocysts at day 8 and 9 post-fertilization after exposure to 100 ng/ml recombinant bovine IL6. Also, IL6 increased (P < 0.05) the number of undifferentiated ICM cells (cells containing both PE and EPI markers). The effects of IL6 on EPI cell numbers were inconsistent. Studies were also completed to explore the importance of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-dependent signaling in bovine PE cells. Definitive activation of STAT3, a downstream target for JAK2, was observed in PE cells. Also, pharmacological inhibition of JAK2 decreased (P < 0.05) PE cell numbers. Conclusions To conclude, IL6 manipulates ICM development after EPI/PE cell fates are established. The PE cells are the target for IL6, where a JAK-dependent signal is used to regulate PE numbers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikram Agarwal ◽  
Sereno Lopez-Darwin ◽  
David R. Kelley ◽  
Jay Shendure

Abstract3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs) post-transcriptionally regulate mRNA stability, localization, and translation rate. While 3′-UTR isoforms have been globally quantified in limited cell types using bulk measurements, their differential usage among cell types during mammalian development remains poorly characterized. In this study, we examine a dataset comprising ~2 million nuclei spanning E9.5–E13.5 of mouse embryonic development to quantify transcriptome-wide changes in alternative polyadenylation (APA). We observe a global lengthening of 3′ UTRs across embryonic stages in all cell types, although we detect shorter 3′ UTRs in hematopoietic lineages and longer 3′ UTRs in neuronal cell types within each stage. An analysis of RNA-binding protein (RBP) dynamics identifies ELAV-like family members, which are concomitantly induced in neuronal lineages and developmental stages experiencing 3′-UTR lengthening, as putative regulators of APA. By measuring 3′-UTR isoforms in an expansive single cell dataset, our work provides a transcriptome-wide and organism-wide map of the dynamic landscape of alternative polyadenylation during mammalian organogenesis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjan van der Velde ◽  
Kaili Fan ◽  
Junko Tsuji ◽  
Jill E. Moore ◽  
Michael J. Purcaro ◽  
...  

AbstractThe morphologically and functionally distinct cell types of a multicellular organism are maintained by their unique epigenomes and gene expression programs. Phase III of the ENCODE Project profiled 66 mouse epigenomes across twelve tissues at daily intervals from embryonic day 11.5 to birth. Applying the ChromHMM algorithm to these epigenomes, we annotated eighteen chromatin states with characteristics of promoters, enhancers, transcribed regions, repressed regions, and quiescent regions. Our integrative analyses delineate the tissue specificity and developmental trajectory of the loci in these chromatin states. Approximately 0.3% of each epigenome is assigned to a bivalent chromatin state, which harbors both active marks and the repressive mark H3K27me3. Highly evolutionarily conserved, these loci are enriched in silencers bound by polycomb repressive complex proteins, and the transcription start sites of their silenced target genes. This collection of chromatin state assignments provides a useful resource for studying mammalian development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 115 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fleur E. Mason ◽  
Julius Ryan D. Pronto ◽  
Khaled Alhussini ◽  
Christoph Maack ◽  
Niels Voigt

AbstractThe molecular mechanisms underlying atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common form of arrhythmia, are poorly understood and therefore target-specific treatment options remain an unmet clinical need. Excitation–contraction coupling in cardiac myocytes requires high amounts of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is replenished by oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. Calcium (Ca2+) is a key regulator of mitochondrial function by stimulating the Krebs cycle, which produces nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide for ATP production at the electron transport chain and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate for the elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS). While it is now well established that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathophysiology of heart failure, this has been less investigated in atrial myocytes in AF. Considering the high prevalence of AF, investigating the role of mitochondria in this disease may guide the path towards new therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss the importance of mitochondrial Ca2+ handling in regulating ATP production and mitochondrial ROS emission and how alterations, particularly in these aspects of mitochondrial activity, may play a role in AF. In addition to describing research advances, we highlight areas in which further studies are required to elucidate the role of mitochondria in AF.


2019 ◽  
Vol 235 (5) ◽  
pp. 4351-4360
Author(s):  
Matías D. Gómez‐Elías ◽  
Rafael A. Fissore ◽  
Patricia S. Cuasnicú ◽  
Débora J. Cohen

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e0135679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matilde de Paola ◽  
Oscar Daniel Bello ◽  
Marcela Alejandra Michaut

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5597
Author(s):  
Vítězslav Plocek ◽  
Kristýna Fadrhonc ◽  
Jana Maršíková ◽  
Libuše Váchová ◽  
Alexandra Pokorná ◽  
...  

During development of yeast colonies, various cell subpopulations form, which differ in their properties and specifically localize within the structure. Three branches of mitochondrial retrograde (RTG) signaling play a role in colony development and differentiation, each of them activating the production of specific markers in different cell types. Here, aiming to identify proteins and processes controlled by the RTG pathway, we analyzed proteomes of individual cell subpopulations from colonies of strains, mutated in genes of the RTG pathway. Resulting data, along with microscopic analyses revealed that the RTG pathway predominantly regulates processes in U cells, long-lived cells with unique properties, which are localized in upper colony regions. Rtg proteins therein activate processes leading to amino acid biosynthesis, including transport of metabolic intermediates between compartments, but also repress expression of mitochondrial ribosome components, thus possibly contributing to reduced mitochondrial translation in U cells. The results reveal the RTG pathway’s role in activating metabolic processes, important in U cell adaptation to altered nutritional conditions. They also point to the important role of Rtg regulators in repressing mitochondrial activity in U cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1657) ◽  
pp. 20130542 ◽  
Author(s):  
David-Emlyn Parfitt ◽  
Michael M. Shen

To date, many regulatory genes and signalling events coordinating mammalian development from blastocyst to gastrulation stages have been identified by mutational analyses and reverse-genetic approaches, typically on a gene-by-gene basis. More recent studies have applied bioinformatic approaches to generate regulatory network models of gene interactions on a genome-wide scale. Such models have provided insights into the gene networks regulating pluripotency in embryonic and epiblast stem cells, as well as cell-lineage determination in vivo . Here, we review how regulatory networks constructed for different stem cell types relate to corresponding networks in vivo and provide insights into understanding the molecular regulation of the blastocyst–gastrula transition.


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