189 TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING OF HISTONE-MODIFYING GENES DURING BOVINE PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT IN VITRO

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
G. D. Linger ◽  
C. L. Bormann ◽  
M. D. Peoples ◽  
M. C. Golding ◽  
C. R. Long
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Embryonic Genome ◽  
Morula Stage

The proper removal of gametic epigenetic marks and coordinated re-establishment of the epigenome is critical to mammalian embryonic development. This global reprogramming of the embryonic genome includes fluctuations in both DNA methylation and histone modifications that are necessary to control chromatin structure and thus gene expression. In the bovine model, epigenetic changes occur from fertilization through blastocyst stages; in particular, and concurrent with the maternal-embryonic transition, de novo DNA methylation begins at the 8-cell stage. In order to understand which factors might be playing key roles in this epigenetic process, we used quantitative real-time PCR to characterize the temporal expression profiles of several genes involved in DNA and/or histone methylation: G9a, SetB1, Suv39h1, Suv420h1, SmyD3, Suz12, and LSH. Bovine ova and embryos were produced via in vitro maturation, fertilization, and culture from multiple pools of ova. Groups of 12–25 bovine ova or embryos, pooled at the 2-, 4 to 7-, mid 8-, late 8-, 12 to 16-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages, were washed twice through 1X PBS and stored in RNA lysis buffer at –80°C until further use. RNA was isolated from each sample using the RNeasy® Mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA, USA), optimized for isolating RNA from single embryos, and treated to remove any contaminating genomic DNA. cDNA was generated with iScript™ reverse transcriptase (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, USA) and diluted 1:10 with RNase/DNase-free water for further use in real-time PCR. Relative gene expression from each RNA sample was calculated in triplicate using the SYBR Green comparative Ct method (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) adjusted for individual PCR efficiencies (Bustin 2003) and normalized to the geometric mean Ct of 3 endogenous controls (GAPDH, YWHAZ, and SDHA) in order to account for differences in both cell number and amount of total mRNA present in each sample (Goossens et al. 2005). G9a and SetB1, both lysine-specific methyltransferases, were expressed at their highest levels in the metaphase II (MII) oocyte and 2-cell stage, before expression decreased gradually to basal levels by the morula and blastocyst stages. Suv39h1, Suv420h1, and SmyD3, also lysine-specific methyltransferases, all shared a similar pattern of expression: transcript levels were fairly high in the MII oocyte, increased at the 2-cell stage, then gradually dropped off around the 8–16-cell stage to basal levels by the morula stage. Interestingly, Suz12 and LSH both showed low expression from the MII oocyte until the 4 to 7-cell stage, increased dramatically at the 8-cell stage, then decreased again by the morula stage. Suz12 is a member of several Polycomb group complexes (PRCs); LSH associates with PRC-mediated gene silencing as well as DNMT3a and 3b. These data suggest that Suz12 and LSH may be implicated in bovine embryonic genome activation, while the latter genes are active during earlier cleavage events. Ongoing studies will evaluate the role of each of these epigenetic modifiers in bovine pre-implantation embryos by selective silencing via RNA interference.

103 GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES OF VITRIFIED MOUSE EMBRYOS DETECTED BY MICROARRAYS

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
S. Mamo ◽  
Sz. Bodo ◽  
Z. Polgar ◽  
A. Dinnyes
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Base Medium ◽  
Independent Analysis

Very little is known about the effect of vitrification on gene functions after warming. The goals of our study were to examine the transcript variations and identify genes most affected by the treatment. For this, 8-cell-stage embryos were collected from female ICR mice mated with ICR males. The embryos were washed with CZB-HEPES base medium and suspended briefly in equilibrium medium consisting of 4% ethylene glycol (EG) in base medium at room temperature. Following equilibration, the embryos were vitrified in a 35% EG, 0.4 M trehalose, 5% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution by means of a solid-surface vitrification (SSV) technique as described earlier (Dinnyes 2000 Biol. Reprod. 63, 513-518). Then 40 embryos each from the control and the vitrified/warmed groups were cultured in CZB medium for 3 h. Total RNAs were extracted from cultured embryos in each group using TRIzol (Invitrogen, Bio-Science, Ltd., Budapest, Hungary), following the manufacturer's instructions. Two rounds of amplification were employed to produce labeled RNA, using low input RNA amplification kit (Agilent Technologies, Kromat, Ltd., Budapest, Hungary) procedures with modifications. Three micrograms of contrasting RNA samples were hybridized on the Agilent Mouse 22K oligonucleotide slides with subsequent analysis of the results. Moreover, as an independent analysis tool, real time PCR was used with eight designed primers. All of the vitrified embryos were recovered after warming with no morphological signs of cryodamage and used for analysis. The two rounds of amplification yielded 15-16 �g of cRNA. The analysis of repeated hybridizations by Rosetta luminator software (Agilent) showed 20 183 genes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) that passed the selection criteria and were identified as common signatures in all of the slides. Unsupervised analysis of the gene expression data identified a total of 631 differentially expressed (P < 0.01) genes. However, to support the reliability of the results, only those variations above 1.5 fold differences were considered as significant in the final analysis. Therefore, with this stringent criterion 183 genes were differentially expressed (P < 0.01), of which 109 were up-regulated and the remainder down-regulated. Although genes have multiple and overlapping functions, most of the differentially expressed genes were functionally classified into various physiological categories. These include stress response (8), apoptosis related (6), metabolism (51), temperature response (4), and transcription regulation (15). Moreover, the independent analysis with real time PCR and unamplified samples verified the results of microarray. Thus, based on confirmation of the results by an independent analysis and support by the previous studies for some of the genes, it is possible to conclude that the expression patterns reflect the true biological image of embryos after vitrification, with most effects on stress- and cell metabolism-related genes. This work was supported by EU FP6 (MEXT-CT-2003-59582), Wellcome Trust Foundation (Grant No. 070246), and National Office of Research and Technology (NKTH) (#BIO-00017/2002, #BIO-00086/2002).

260 COMPARISON OF HOUSEKEEPING GENE EXPRESSION IN INDIVIDUAL 8-CELL STAGE MOUSE EMBRYOS PRODUCED UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
A. Baji Gal ◽  
S. Mamo ◽  
S. Bodo ◽  
A. Dinnyes
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Standard Error ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Housekeeping Gene ◽  
Mouse Embryos ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
The Mean

Real-time PCR has the potential to accurately quantify the mRNA level of selected genes in single cells and individual pre-implantation-stage embryos. The goal of our study was to examine the variations in gene expression within individual embryos of the same stage and between embryos of the same stage but from different sources. In our study, we determined expression level of the 7 most commonly used housekeeping genes in 8-cell-stage mouse embryos produced under different culture conditions. Messenger RNA of 6 embryos each that was derived in vivo, or cultured in vitro from the zygote stage, or derived from oocytes activated parthenogenetically and developed in vitro were extracted individually followed by reverse transcription into cDNA. Optimized real-time PCR was performed for cytoplasmic beta-actin (Actb), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gapdh), H2A histone family, member Z (H2afz), hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase 1 (Hprt1), ubiquitin C (Ubc), peptidylprolyl isomerase A (cyclophilin A) (Ppia), and eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 epsilon 1 (Eef1e1) genes. The results were analyzed, and the percentage standard error of the mean relative expression value was compared for all genes. All 7 genes were presented above the detection limit in all samples. One or two individual embryos showed 2- to 4-fold higher mRNA levels than the average for all genes in the group. The embryos cultured in vitro showed much higher expression levels of H2afz, Ppia, and Eef1e1 genes than those in the in vivo group. The parthenogenetic group was similar to the in vivo group in expression of Actb, H2afz, Hprt, and Eef1e1 genes, but showed significant differences (P &lt; 0.05; Student's t-test) compared to the in vitro group (Table 1). The percent standard error of the mean decreased gradually as the number of samples was increased. The 6 individual embryos in similar groups showed relatively low variability compared to embryos at similar stage but produced in different conditions. Interestingly, the parthenogenetic embryos showed a level of gene expression comparable to that of the in vivo ones, notwithstanding their culture in vitro. In conclusion, morphological observations and similarity in developmental stage alone cannot guarantee the uniformity of embryo samples, and a minimum of 4–6 replicates per treatment is needed. Moreover, we showed that culture condition itself has an effect on housekeeping gene expression, which, if neglected, might result in misinterpretation of data. Table 1.Relative expression values of the different culture groups (mean ±SE; n =6 embryos) This work was supported by EU FP6 (MEXT-CT-2003-509582 and 518240), Wellcome Trust (Grant No. 070246), and Hungarian National Science Fund (OTKA) (Grant No. T046171).

scholarly journals 233 EXPRESSION AND LOCALIZATION OF DNMT1 DURING EARLY BOVINE DEVELOPMENT

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 267 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.F. Russell ◽  
D.H. Betts
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Western Blot ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Blot Analysis ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Western Blot Analysis ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Rna Levels

DNA methylation of CG motifs is an important mechanism of transcriptional regulation. During embryonic development DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) has been implicated in the maintainance of gametic and embryonic epigenetic patterns. Here we report the characterization of DNMT1 expression patterns within in vitro-produced (IVP) bovine embryos. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and either denuded (germinal vesicle, GV) or matured in vitro for 24 h (metaphase II, MII). Embryos at the 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, 16-cell stage, and morula (Mo, Day 6 post-insemination, p.i.) and blastocyst (Days 7, 8, and 9 p.i.) stages were produced by in vitro fertilization and cultured in SOFm for appropriate times under a 5% O2, 5% CO2, and 90% N2 atmosphere. Oocytes/embryos were either snap frozen (−80°C) for DNMT1 mRNA and protein expression profiles analysis or wholemount fixed and permeabilized for DNMT1 immunostaining followed by laser confocal microscopy. DNMT1 RNA, determined by real-time PCR analysis, was present throughout bovine embryonic development (replications = 3, n = 10 embryos/pool and normalized by Histone H2A expression). Growing oocytes accumulated DNMT1 transcripts until the MII stage (20-fold increase), whereas after fertilization DNMT1 RNA levels decreased and remained constant until the 16-cell stage when DNMT1 RNA levels decreased further and then remains constant until the blastocyst (Day 8 p.i.) stage. Confocal analysis of DNMT1 immunostained oocytes/embryos (n = 20/stage) revealed that DNMT1 is localized in the cytoplasm of the oocyte and pre-implantation embryo with the exception of the 16-cell stage, when the enzyme is translocated to nucleus (confirmed by Hoechst co-localization). Moreover, a punctuate staining pattern was observed for DNMT1, which could be due to its association with the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. Interestingly, in GV oocytes DNMT1 was present in localized areas of the nucleus, suggestive of nucleoli association. DNMT1 was observed in the majority of the nuclei in early blastocysts, while after expansion, DNMT1 accumulated in the cytoplasm of the trophectoderm and was localized in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus of the majority of cells within the inner cell mass. Western blot analysis revealed low levels of DNMT1 protein in oocytes and pre-implantation embryos with the exception of the 16-cell embryos and Mo stages during which a significant (P < 0.05) increase in the levels of DNMT1 protein was observed. Specificity of primers and conditions for the real-time PCR assay were confirmed by cDNA sequencing whereas specificity of the antibody used for immunofluorescence and western blot analysis was confirmed by amino acid sequencing. These results suggest the participation of DNMT1 in the bovine embryonic genome activation process, supporting a passive DNA demethylation process during the early cleavage stages in the bovine. The low expression profile of DNMT1 after morula stage indicates that other methylases are required for the maintenance of DNA methylation during blastocyst formation and expansion. This work was funded by CFIA, NSERC, CIHR, and OMAF.

scholarly journals 80 GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES AND IN VITRO DEVELOPMENT FOLLOWING VITRIFICATION OF PRONUCLEAR AND 8 CELL-STAGE MOUSE EMBRYOS

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
D. Boonkusol ◽  
A. Baji Gal ◽  
S.Z. Bodo ◽  
B. Gorhony ◽  
K. Pavasuthipaisit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Mouse Embryos ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
In Vitro Development ◽  
Vitro Development

The analysis of differences in gene expression of embryos in response to cryopreservation may explain some of the observed differences in further development. Experiments were conducted to study effects of two vitrification methods, solid surface (SSV) and in-straw vitrification (STR), for pronuclear and 8 cell-stage mouse embryos with regard to gene expression and in vitro development. Both stages of embryos were vitrified by SSV (Dinnyes et al. 2000 Biol. Reprod. 63, 513–518) using 35% ethylene glycol (EG) for vitrification solution (VS) and STR using 40% EG for VS. Warming and rehydration of embryos in the SSV method was performed by placing vitrified droplets into a 37°C 0.3 M trehalose solution for 1 min, and then for 2 min in each of 0.15 M trehalose, 0.075 M trehalose, and base medium at room temperature before culture in CZB medium. Warming of embryos for the in-straw method was performed by holding straws in air for 10 s and then plunging them into 37°C water for 15–20 s. The contents of the straws were expelled into 37°C 0.3 M trehalose solution and embryos were treated as above. No significant differences were found between immediate survival rates of embryos vitrified by SSV and STR in both stages. Blastocyst rates were significantly higher with SSV than with STR and not significantly different from those of the control (Table 1). These results show that SSV was more efficient than STR. Quantification of selected gene transcripts from single embryo (6 embryos/treatment group) was carried out by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Genes related to oxidative stress (MnSOD and CuSOD), cold stress (CIRP, RBM3, and p53), and β-actin as reference gene were amplified. We found up-regulation of all stress genes at 3 h post-warming in all treatment groups. At 10 h post-warming, a low level of gene expression was found in SSV-treated embryos, but gene expression remained at high level in STR-treated embryos. However, no differences in gene expression were found between blastocysts developed from fresh and vitrified embryos. In conclusion, the real-time RT-PCR method from single embryos opened new opportunities for understanding molecular events following cryopreservation. The continuous up-regulation of stress-related genes at 10 h post-warming might have been an early indicator of reduced viability following STR, as was also indicated by the developmental rate to the blastocyst stage. Table 1. Survival and blastocyst rates of vitrified/warmed pronuclear and 8 cell-stage mouse embryos This work was supported by the Thailand Research Fund (Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. scholarship) and a Bio-00017/2002 grant of the Hungarian National Office of Research and Technology.

scholarly journals 227 CONSTRUCTION OF STAGE-SPECIFIC cDNA MICROARRAY, AND ANALYSIS OF IN VITRO PRODUCED PRE-IMPLANATION STAGE BOVINE EMBRYOS FOR DEVELOPMENTAL COMPETENCE

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
S. Mamo ◽  
C.A. Sargent ◽  
N.A. Affara ◽  
K. Wimmers ◽  
S. Ponsuksili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Developmental Competence ◽  
Cdna Clones ◽  
Bovine Embryo ◽  
Single Experiment

Microarray technology currently has wide acceptance as a research tool in the study of gene expression profiling, mainly as a result of its use for monitoring the expression profiles of thousands of genes in a single experiment. However, its use in analyzing gene expression in the pre-implantation stage of bovine embryo development has been limited for reasons such as the large amount of RNA required and the lack of bovine specific cDNA clone collections (Smith L and Greenfield A 2003 Hum. Mol. Genet. 12, 1–8). In this study, with the objectives of producing pre-implantation-stage-specific bovine cDNA clones and examining the developmental competence, eighty-two selected target clones of pre-implantation-stage-specific genes were prepared and spotted on the glass slide. Embryos were produced in vitro and mRNAs were isolated from contrasting probes of good quality matured oocytes and blastocyst-stage embryos using a Dynabead mRNA isolation kit by following the manufacturer's instructions. First-strand cDNA syntheses were primed with T7 Oligo d(T)21 primer, followed by random primed second-strand syntheses using a DOP master kit (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) and global amplification using the same primers used for the first- and second-strand syntheses. In vitro transcription was performed to amplify the RNA by using the AmpliScribe T7 transcription kit (EPICENTRE Technologies, Oldendorf, Germany), and the amplified RNA (aRNA) was purified using a RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Finally, the results of different RNA amplifications (aRNA) were tested by hybridization on microarrays and also using real-time PCR techniques. With these analyses, the sufficiency of the yield and linearity of amplification procedures were confirmed. Three micrograms each of aRNA were labelled with Cy3 and Cy5 dyes and hybridized to the array. After overnight incubation at 42°C, the slides were sequentially washed and scanned using an ArrayWorx biochip reader (Applied Precision, Marlborough, UK), and quantifications as well as all analyses were carried out using different TIGR software modules (Saeed AI et al. 2003 Biotechniques 34(2), 374–378). Analyses of the results of repeated hybridizations showed that 35 genes (43%), which belong to different functional groups, were differentially expressed between the two stages. Further independent analyses using real-time PCR confirmed the results of 25 genes. Hence, it is possible to conclude that the established methods can be used for large scale gene expression analysis, and the identified genes can be potential candidates for characterizing developmental competence.

Analyzing Gene Expression through Real Time PCR while Neo-tissue Regeneration using Developed Tissue Constructs

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-34
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Tissue Regeneration ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Northern Blotting ◽  
Tissue Constructs ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Real-time PCR offers a wide area of application to analyze the role of gene activity in various biological aspects at the molecular level with higher specificity, sensitivity and the potential to troubleshoot with post-PCR processing and difficulties. With the recent advancement in the development of functional tissue graft for the regeneration of damaged/diseased tissue, it is effective to analyze the cell behaviour and differentiation over tissue construct toward specific lineage through analyzing the expression of an array of specific genes. With the ability to collect data in the exponential phase, the application of Real-Time PCR has been expanded into various fields such as tissue engineering ranging from absolute quantification of gene expression to determine neo-tissue regeneration and its maturation. In addition to its usage as a research tool, numerous advancements in molecular diagnostics have been achieved, including microbial quantification, determination of gene dose and cancer research. Also, in order to consistently quantify mRNA levels, Northern blotting and in situ hybridization (ISH) methods are less preferred due to low sensitivity, poor precision in detecting gene expression at a low level. An amplification step is thus frequently required to quantify mRNA amounts from engineered tissues of limited size. When analyzing tissue-engineered constructs or studying biomaterials–cells interactions, it is pertinent to quantify the performance of such constructs in terms of extracellular matrix formation while in vitro and in vivo examination, provide clues regarding the performance of various tissue constructs at the molecular level. In this chapter, our focus is on Basics of qPCR, an overview of technical aspects of Real-time PCR; recent Protocol used in the lab, primer designing, detection methods and troubleshooting of the experimental problems.

136 FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF RHOPHILIN-2 GENE IN PRE-IMPLANTATION MOUSE EMBRYO

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 176
Author(s):  
T. Matsuoka ◽  
Y. Sono ◽  
K. Matsumoto ◽  
T. Amano ◽  
S. Mizuno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Hybrid System ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Taqman Probe ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Transcript Levels ◽  
Cytoskeletal Organization ◽  
G2 Phase

Zygotic gene activation (ZGA), which starts at the G2 phase at the 1-cell stage (Latham 1999), promotes the reprogramming of gene expression and is critical for the subsequent development of pre-implantation embryos. We have investigated the molecule function of many gene clusters, DD clones obtained by Differential-Display assays for ovulated eggs at the M II stage, and 1-cell embryos at the G2 phase. The differential expression of rhophilin-2 shown in DD assays was also confirmed by 3 independent real-time PCR analyses (P < 0.05). For these reasons, in this study, we focused on the rhophilin-2 gene, which regulates cytoskeletal organization (Peck et al. 2002). At first, we identified a protein that interacts with the Rhophilin-2 protein by a yeast 2-hybrid system. To confirm the interaction between Rhophilin-2 and the putative protein obtained by a yeast two-hybrid system, we used a co-immunoprecipitaion assay. We also investigated the expression profiles of rhophilin-2 and the transcripts of the identified protein in ovary and pre-implantation embryos using real-time PCR and immunofluorescence (IF) analysis. The ICR mice at 48 h after PMSG priming were primed with hCG, and ovaries were collected at 7 h after hCG priming. Pre-implantation embryos were collected at 1-cell, 2-cell, and 4-cell stages, and cDNA was produced by mRNA isolated from 10 oocytes or embryos in each group and was subjected to real-time PCR using a TaqMan Probe system (ABI). Sectioned ovaries and pre-implantation embryos were analyzed by IF analysis using antibody of Rhophilin-2 and the identified protein. This is the first report that GABA receptor-association protein (GABARAP) was identified as a protein that interacts with Rhophilin-2, as a result of using the yeast 2-hybrid system and subsequent co-immunoprecipitation assay. After fertilization, transcript levels of rhophilin-2 significantly decreased from the 1-cell stage to the 2-cell stage (P < 0.05), but transcript levels of GABARAP significantly increased from the 1-cell stage to the 2-cell stage (P < 0.05). The IF analysis revealed localization of Rhophilin-2 and GABARAP at the nucleolus of all follicle stage in the ovary. Moreover, Rhophiln-2 and GABARAP were found to be localized on the microtubules of 1-cell and 2-cell embryos, but no signal of Rhophilin-2 was detected in 4-cell embryos. These results suggest that Rhophilin-2 protein regulates the cytoskeletal organization in 1-cell to 2-cell embryos and is involved in the molecular mechanism of cell division by coupling with GABARAP. This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for the 21st Century COE Program of the Japan Mext and by a grant for the Wakayama Prefecture Collaboration of Regional Entities for the Advancement of Technology Excellence of the JST.

46 EXPRESSION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS SPECIFIC TO THE TROPHOBLAST LINEAGE IN MOUSE SOMATIC NUCLEAR TRANSFER EMBRYOS

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
T. Mitani ◽  
M. Nishiwaki ◽  
M. Anzai ◽  
H. Kato ◽  
Y. Hosoi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Nuclear Transfer ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Cdx2 Expression ◽  
Morula Stage

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos can develop at relatively high rates during the preimplantation period; however, most of these fail after implantation. Development of extraembryonic tissue is indispensable for normal embryonic development. Hence, an abnormality of trophoblast development might be a significant factor in post-implantation lethality of SCNT embryos. A transcription factor, caudal-related homeobox 2 (Cdx2), appears to be involved in the segregation of ICM and trophectoderm (TE) in preimplantation embryos (Niwa et al. 2005 Cell 123, 917–929). Both Cdx2 and Oct3/4 are expressed in all cells at the morula stage, and then Cdx2 expression becomes restricted to the TE and Oct3/4 to the ICM as the blastocyst develops. Mouse embryos deficient in Cdx2 are able to develop to normal blastocysts but die soon after implantation, probably because of defects in the TE lineage. Moreover, dysplasia of the spongiotrophoblast layer might attribute to an abnormality of Tpbpa expression in mouse SCNT embryos (Wakisaka-Saito et al. 2006 Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 349, 106–114). In this study, we examined the expression profiles of transcription factors implicated in trophoblast development in mouse SCNT embryos and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR analysis. SCNT embryos were produced according to the method reported previously (Wakayama et al. 1998 Nature 394, 369–374). In brief, B6D2F1 and B6C3F1 female mice were used for the collection of recipient oocytes and donor cells, respectively. After nuclear transfer, the oocytes were activated and cultured in KSOM to the morula and blastocyst stages. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that in ICSI embryos Cdx2 was only partially expressed at the 8-cell stage but completely in early morulae. In contrast, in SCNT embryos, it was absent at the 8-cell stage and appeared partially at the early morula stage. Thereafter, Cdx2 expression became restricted to the TE cells in both the ICSI and the SCNT blastocysts. However, ectopic expression of Oct3/4 was observed in the TE cells of SCNT, but not in ICSI blastocysts. Real-time PCR analysis showed that at the 8-cell stage, Cdx2 was expressed in ICSI but not in SCNT embryos. In addition, the expression level of Cdx2 in SCNT embryos at the blastocyst stage was only half that in ICSI embryos (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in expression level of Oct3/4 between ICSI and SCNT embryos. Eomesodermin (Eomes) is also implicated in trophoblast development and its expression depends on Cdx2, BMP4, and FGF4. In SCNT embryos, the expression level of Eomes was also only half that in ICSI embryos. These results indicate that the delayed expression of Cdx2 in SCNT embryos may lead to the ectopic expression of Oct3/4 in blastocysts and, along with the limited expression of Cdx2 and Eomes, may contribute to disorders in the function of the trophoblast lineage for normal placental development. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for the 21st Century Center of Excellence Program of the MEXT, Japan, and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

171 THE EFFECT OF TRICHOSTATIN A ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE GLOBAL GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN MOUSE EMBRYOS DEVELOPING IN VITRO

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
X. S. Cui ◽  
X. Y. Li ◽  
T. Kim ◽  
N.-H. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Trichostatin A ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Gene Expression Profiles ◽  
Mouse Embryos ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Gene Expression Patterns ◽  
Cell Stage

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.

209 9-cis RETINOIC ACID INHIBITS EXPRESSION OF AKR1B1 TRANSCRIPT IN THE BOVINE OOCYTES AND PRE-IMPLANTATION EMBRYOS

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 252
Author(s):  
G. K. Deb ◽  
S. R. Dey ◽  
K. S. Huque ◽  
M. Fokruzzaman ◽  
K. L. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Retinoic Acid ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Embryo Implantation ◽  
Cumulus Cell ◽  
Prostaglandin F2α ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Bovine Embryo

Quantitative real-time PCR has enabled quality evaluation of oocyte and pre-implantation embryo through monitoring expression of several molecular markers that are involved in metabolic activity, stress response, reprogramming, and other biological events. The aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B1 (AKR1B1) transcript is potentially involved in pregnancy failure through metabolism of progesterone and synthesis of prostaglandin F2α in the bovine uterine endometrium. High expression of the transcript in blastocysts correlates inhibition of embryo implantation and/or embryo resorption. Maturation of immature oocyte in presence of 9-cis retinoic acid (9-cis RA) increases in vitro bovine embryo development rates and embryo quality. These beneficial effects of 9-cis RA are mediated through multiple mechanisms, including FSH/LH receptor expression, polyadenylation, growth factor signalling, oxidative-stress protection, or decreasing oocyte TNFα gene expression and inhibiting cumulus cell apoptosis during maturation. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of 9-cis RA on expression pattern of AKR1B1 transcript in the oocyte matured in vitro and embryos (8-cell and Day 8 blastocyst) produced from in vitro matured oocytes in presence or absence of 9-cis RA. Bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes, isolated from ovaries collected at the abattoir, were matured in vitro in the presence of zero (control) or 5 nM 9-cis RA in the maturation medium (TCM199 + 10% fetal bovine serum + 1 µg mL–1 β-oestradiol + 10 µg mL–1 follicle stimulating hormone + 0.6 mM cystein and 0.2 mM Na-pyruvate). After maturation, the oocytes were subjected to standardized in vitro embryo production protocol or oocyte samples were collected for gene expression analysis. The expression of AKR1B1 transcript was quantified in zona-free oocytes, 8-cell embryos, and Day 8 blastocysts by real-time PCR using SYBER green. Not less than 4 biological replicates (oocytes: 50 to 60 per replicate and 8-cell embryos/day-8 blastocyst: 3 to 5 per replicate) were done for each group. The expression was normalized against a minimum of 2 out of 4 reference transcripts (18S rRNA, β-actin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein, zeta polypeptide) analysed each time with AKR1B1. The best combination of reference genes was automatically calculated by the CFX manager V1.1 program (Bio-Rad) based on M-value. The differences in gene expression levels were tested by Student’s t-test. Results indicated that 9-cis RA decreased expression of AKR1B1 transcript in the oocyte (1.0- v. 2.0-fold; P < 0.05), 8-cell-embryos (1.0- v. 10.1-fold; P < 0.03), and blastocyst (1.0- v. 2.1-fold; P < 0.03) compared with control. In conclusion, the present study indicates that 9-cis RA inhibits AKR1B1 transcript expression in oocytes and pre-implantation embryos.

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