Mouse Oocyte Vitrification With and Without Dimethyl Sulfoxide: Influence on Cryo-Survival, Development, and Maternal Imprinted Gene Expression

Genomic imprinting is a form of epigenetic regulation resulting in differential gene expression that reflects the parent of origin. In plants, imprinted gene expression predominantly occurs in the seed endosperm. Maternal-specific DNA demethylation by the DNA demethylase DME frequently underlies genomic imprinting in endosperm. Whether other more ubiquitously expressed DNA demethylases regulate imprinting is unknown. Here, we found that the DNA demethylase ROS1 regulates the imprinting of DOGL4. DOGL4 is expressed from the maternal allele in endosperm and displays preferential methylation and suppression of the paternal allele. We found that ROS1 negatively regulates imprinting by demethylating the paternal allele, preventing its hypermethylation and complete silencing. Furthermore, we found that DOGL4 negatively affects seed dormancy and response to the phytohormone abscisic acid and that ROS1 controls these processes by regulating DOGL4. Our results reveal roles for ROS1 in mitigating imprinted gene expression and regulating seed dormancy.

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Imprinted Gene Expression and the Contribution of Transposable Elements

Plant Transposons and Genome Dynamics in Evolution ◽

10.1002/9781118500156.ch7 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 117-142

Author(s):

Mary A. Gehring

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Transposable Elements ◽

Imprinted Gene

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Altered mouse oocyte DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) after vitrification with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)

Fertility and Sterility ◽

10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.07.098 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 110 (4) ◽

pp. e28

Author(s):

G.D. Smith ◽

Q. Liu ◽

D. VanHeyningen ◽

C. Zhang

Keyword(s):

Dimethyl Sulfoxide ◽

Dna Methyltransferases ◽

Mouse Oocyte

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Placental imprinted gene expression mediates the effects of maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy on fetal growth

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174418000545 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (02) ◽

pp. 196-205

Author(s):

L. Lambertini ◽

Q. Li ◽

Y. Ma ◽

W. Zhang ◽

K. Hao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Imprinted Genes ◽

Economic Determinants ◽

Imprinted Gene ◽

Infant Gender ◽

Maternal Resources ◽

Gestational Age At Birth ◽

Lower Birthweight

AbstractImprinted genes uniquely drive and support fetoplacental growth by controlling the allocation of maternal resources to the fetus and affecting the newborn’s growth. We previously showed that alterations of the placental imprinted gene expression are associated with suboptimal perinatal growth and respond to environmental stimuli including socio-economic determinants. At the same time, maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy (MPSP) has been shown to affect fetal growth. Here, we set out to test the hypothesis that placental imprinted gene expression mediates the effects of MPSP on fetal growth in a well-characterized birth cohort, the Stress in Pregnancy (SIP) Study. We observed that mothers experiencing high MPSP deliver infants with lower birthweight (P=0.047). Among the 109 imprinted genes tested, we detected panels of placental imprinted gene expression of 23 imprinted genes associated with MPSP and 26 with birthweight. Among these genes, five imprinted genes (CPXM2, glucosidase alpha acid (GAA), GPR1, SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 2 (SHANK2) and THSD7A) were common to the two panels. In multivariate analyses, controlling for maternal age and education and gestational age at birth and infant gender, two genes, GAA and SHANK2, each showed a 22% mediation of MPSP on fetal growth. These data provide new insights into the role that imprinted genes play in translating the maternal stress message into a fetoplacental growth pattern.

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