Transcriptome Changes in the Mink Uterus during Blastocyst Dormancy and Reactivation

Embryo implantation in the mink follows the pattern of many carnivores, in that preimplantation embryo diapause occurs in every gestation. Details of the gene expression and regulatory networks that terminate embryo diapause remain poorly understood. Illumina RNA-Seq was used to analyze global gene expression changes in the mink uterus during embryo diapause and activation leading to implantation. More than 50 million high quality reads were generated, and assembled into 170,984 unigenes. A total of 1684 differential expressed genes (DEGs) in uteri with blastocysts in diapause were compared to the activated embryo group (p < 0.05). Among these transcripts, 1527 were annotated as known genes, including 963 up-regulated and 564 down-regulated genes. The gene ontology terms for the observed DEGs, included cellular communication, phosphatase activity, extracellular matrix and G-protein couple receptor activity. The KEGG pathways, including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, focal adhesion and extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interactions were the most enriched. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and hub nodes such as VEGFA, EGF, AKT, IGF1, PIK3C and CCND1 with high degrees of connectivity represent gene clusters expected to play an important role in embryo activation. These results provide novel information for understanding the molecular mechanisms of maternal regulation of embryo activation in mink.

Parental ADHD Symptoms and Inhibitory Control in Relation to Parenting Among Mothers of Children With and Without ADHD

Objective: The study examined how the interplay between maternal ADHD symptoms and maternal inhibitory control and child ADHD is related to parenting behaviors. Method: The sample included 141 mothers and their 8- to 12-year-old children, 61 children with ADHD and 80 without. Parenting was measured using self-reports (i.e., overreactive and lax parenting) and observation (i.e., negative and supportive parenting). Maternal inhibitory control was measured using a neurocognitive task. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to predict parenting, controlling for child sex, conduct behaviors, and parenting distress. Results: Interactions between maternal ADHD symptoms and maternal inhibitory control suggested that hyperactive–impulsive symptoms were linked to parenting negativity only when inhibitory control was low, and maternal inattention symptoms were related to lax parenting only when maternal inhibitory control was high or when children did not have ADHD. Conclusion: Results indicate the importance of maternal regulation processes in the mechanisms linking maternal ADHD with parenting.

Vegetally localized Vrtn functions as a novel repressor to modulate bmp2b transcription during dorsoventral patterning in zebrafish

ABSTRACTThe vegetal pole cytoplasm represents a critical source of maternal signals for patterning the primary dorsoventral axis of the early embryo. Vegetally localized dorsal determinants are essential for the formation of the Spemann organizer, which expresses both bone morphogenetic proteins and their antagonists. The extracellular regulation of BMP signalling activity has been well characterized, however, transcriptional regulation of bmp genes along the dorsoventral axis remains largely unknown. Here, we report a novel mode of maternal regulation of BMP signalling in the lateral and ventral regions by analyzing the unexpected dorsalizing effect following vegetal yolk ablation experiment. We identified Vrtn as a novel vegetally localized maternal factor displaying dorsalizing activity. It functions as a novel transcriptional repressor to regulate bmp2b expression in the marginal region. Mechanistically, Vrtn binds bmp2b upstream sequence and inhibits its transcription independently of maternal Wnt/ß-catenin signalling. By creating vrtn loss-of-function mutation and analyzing maternal-zygotic mutant embryos, we further showed that Vrtn is required for the formation of dorsoventral axis. Our work thus unveils a novel maternal mechanism regulating BMP gradient during dorsoventral specification.