80 GLOBAL GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF FRESH AND VITRIFIED IN VITRO-PRODUCED BOVINE BLASTOCYSTS

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
M. J. Sudano ◽  
E. S. Caixeta ◽  
D. M. Paschoal ◽  
T. S. Rascado ◽  
L. F. Crocomo ◽  
...  

Over the past decades, there have been great advances in in vitro production (IVP) systems with improved culture methods and new knowledge regarding embryo genetics, physiology, ultrastructure, and morphology. Nevertheless, a major obstacle for dissemination of this technology is the great sensitivity of IVP embryos to cryopreservation. The objective was to study the global gene-expression patterns of fresh and vitrified IVP bovine embryos. Oocytes (N = 1290) were matured and fertilized in vitro (Day 0). Presumptive zygotes were cultured in SOFaa with 0.5% BSA and 2.5% of FCS. Cleavage and blastocyst production was evaluated after 3 and 7 days under standard culture conditions (at 38.5°C in atmosphere of 5% O2, 5% CO2, and 90% N2). On Day 7, half of the blastocysts were vitrified (n = 94), warmed (Sudano et al. 2011 Theriogenology 75, 1211–1220), and returned for 24 h of additional culture (re-expansion and hatching; hatched was evaluated 12 and 24 h after warming, respectively) when their RNA was extracted (vitrified group). The remaining embryos returned to culture until Day 8 when their RNA was extracted (fresh group). Total RNA extraction of a single blastocyst was performed using the PicoPure Kit (Applied Biosystems®, Foster City, CA, USA). The RNA samples were DNAse treated (Qiagen®, Valencia, CA, USA), and mRNA was amplified (RiboAmp Kit®). The aRNA output was evaluated with a NanoDrop (Thermo®, Wilmington, DE, USA) and Bioanalyzer (Agilent®, Santa Clara, CA, USA). Biotin-labelled and fragmented cRNA were obtained with the 3′IVT Kit (Affymetrix®, Santa Clara, CA, USA) to perform hybridization (N = 6–7, respectively, for vitrified and fresh groups) using the GeneChip Bovine Array (Affymetrix®). Microarray data analysis was performed with the FlexArray 1.6.1.1. Genes with a fold change of at least 2 and a probability of P ≤ 0.05 were considered differentially expressed. Real-time PCR was used to validate microarray results (N = 11–15, respectively, for vitrified and fresh groups). As a control, a pool of 200 blastocysts was submitted or not to mRNA amplification followed by the reverse transcription and qPCR of 17 genes. For statistical analyses, PROC GLIMMIX, PROC LOGISTIC, and PROC CORR were used. Cleavage and blastocyst production rates were 86.8 ± 1.0 and 32.5 ± 1.9%, respectively. Re-expansion and hatching/hatched rates were 69.3 and 19.3%, respectively. Messenger RNA abundance of amplified and nonamplified RNA had a high correlation (r = 0.89, P < 0.01). The microarray analysis indicated 383 differentially expressed genes (P ≤ 0.05) between fresh and vitrified blastocysts. Genes involved in apoptosis (PRDX2), heat shock (HSPA5), maternal recognition of pregnancy (IFNT2 and PAG2), and cell differentiation and placenta formation (KRT18) were downregulated in vitrified embryos. According to qPCR analysis, mRNA abundance of IFNT2, PRDX2, and KRT18 was downregulated, whereas HSPA5 mRNA levels were upregulated in vitrified blastocysts. Messenger RNA abundance of PAG2 was not different (P = 0.46) between fresh and vitrified embryos. In conclusion, vitrification alters the expression profile of the genes IFNT2, PRDX2, KRT18, and HSPA5 that can be related with embryo postcryopreservation survival capacity. FAPESP and LNBio-CNPEM are acknowledged.

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.


2007 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. BBI.S311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florin M. Selaru ◽  
Suna Wang ◽  
Jing Yin ◽  
Karsten Schulmann ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
...  

Background and Aims Because of the extremely low neoplastic progression rate in Barrett's esophagus, it is difficult to diagnose patients with concomitant adenocarcinoma early in their disease course. If biomarkers existed in normal squamous esophageal epithelium to identify patients with concomitant esophageal adenocarcinoma, potential applications would be far-reaching. The aim of the current study was to identify global gene expression patterns in normal esophageal epithelium capable of revealing simultaneous esophageal adenocarcinoma, even located remotely in the esophagus. Methods Tissues comprised normal esophageal epithelia from 9 patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma, 8 patients lacking esophageal adenocarcinoma or Barrett's, and 6 patients with Barrett's esophagus alone. cDNA microarrays were performed, and pattern recognition in each of these subgroups was achieved using shrunken nearest centroid predictors. Results Our method accurately discriminated normal esophageal epithelia of 8/8 patients without esophageal adenocarcinoma or Barrett's esophagus and of 6/6 patients with Barrett's esophagus alone from normal esophageal epithelia of 9/9 patients with Barrett's esophagus and concomitant esophageal adenocarcinoma. Moreover, we identified genes differentially expressed between the above subgroups. Thus, based on their corresponding normal esophageal epithelia alone, our method accurately diagnosed patients who had concomitant esophageal adenocarcinoma. Conclusions These global gene expression patterns, along with individual genes culled from them, represent potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of esophageal adenocarcinoma from normal esophageal epithelia. Genes discovered in normal esophagus that are differentially expressed in patients with vs. without esophageal adenocarcinoma merit further pursuit in molecular genetic, functional, and therapeutic interventional studies.


Endocrinology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 1224-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula B. Kaiser ◽  
Andrzej Jakubowiak ◽  
Anna Steinberger ◽  
William W. Chin

Abstract The hypothalamic hormone, GnRH, is released and transported to the anterior pituitary in a pulsatile manner, where it binds to specific high-affinity receptors and regulates gonadotropin biosynthesis and secretion. The frequency of GnRH pulses changes under various physiological conditions, and varying GnRH pulse frequencies have been shown to regulate differentially the secretion of LH and FSH and the expression of the gonadotropin α, LHβ, and FSHβ subunit genes in vivo. We demonstrate differential effects of varying GnRH pulse frequency in vitro in superfused primary monolayer cultures of rat pituitary cells. Cells were treated with 10 nm GnRH pulses for 24 h at a frequency of every 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 h. α, LHβ, and FSHβ messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were increased by GnRH at all pulse frequencies. α and LHβ mRNA levels and LH secretion were stimulated to the greatest extent at a GnRH pulse frequency of every 30 min, whereas FSHβ mRNA levels and FSH secretion were stimulated maximally at a lower GnRH pulse frequency, every 2 h. GnRH receptor (GnRHR) mRNA levels also were increased by GnRH at all pulse frequencies and were stimulated maximally at a GnRH pulse frequency of every 30 min. Similar results were obtained when the dose of each pulse of GnRH was adjusted to maintain a constant total cumulative dose of GnRH over 24 h. These data show that gonadotropin subunit gene expression is regulated differentially by varying GnRH pulse frequencies in vitro, suggesting that the differential effects of varying GnRH pulse frequencies on gonadotropin subunit gene expression occur directly at the level of the pituitary. The pattern of regulation of GnRHR mRNA levels correlated with that of α and LHβ but was different from that of FSHβ. This suggests that α and LHβ mRNA levels are maximally stimulated when GnRHR levels are relatively high, whereas FSHβ mRNA levels are maximally stimulated at lower levels of GnRHR expression, and that the mechanism for differential regulation of the gonadotropins by varying pulse frequencies of GnRH may involve levels of GnRHR. Furthermore, these data suggest that the mechanisms whereby varying GnRH pulse frequencies stimulate α, LHβ, and GnRHR gene expression are similar, whereas the stimulation of FSHβ mRNA levels may be different.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham L. Cromar ◽  
Jonathan Epp ◽  
Ana Popovic ◽  
Yusing Gu ◽  
Violet Ha ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTToxoplasma gondii is a single celled parasite thought to infect 1 in 3 worldwide. During chronic infection, T. gondii can migrate to the brain where it promotes low-grade neuroinflammation with the capacity to induce changes in brain morphology and behavior. Consequently, infection with T. gondii has been linked with a number of neurocognitive disorders including schizophrenia (SZ), dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. Beyond neuroinflammation, infection with T. gondii can modulate the production of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. To further dissect these pathways and examine the impact of altered dopaminergic sensitivity in T. gondii-infected mice on both behavior and gene expression, we developed a novel mouse model, based on stimulant-induced (cocaine) hyperactivity. Employing this model, we found that infection with T. gondii did not alter fear behavior but did impact motor activity and neuropsychiatric-related behaviurs. While both behaviors may help reduce predator avoidance, consistent with previous studies, the latter finding is reminiscent of neurocognitive disorders. Applying RNASeq to two relevant brain regions, striatum and hippocampus, we identified a broad upregulation of immune responses. However, we also noted significant associations with more meaningful neurologically relevant terms were masked due to the sheer number of terms incorporated in multiple testing correction. We therefore performed a more focused analysis using a curated set of neurologically relevant terms revealing significant associations across multiple pathways. We also found that T. gondii and cocaine treatments impacted the expression of similar functional pathways in the hippocampus and striatum although, as indicated by the low overlap among differentially expressed genes, largely via different proteins. Furthermore, while most differentially expressed genes reacted to a single condition and were mostly upregulated, we identified gene expression patterns indicating unexpected interactions between T. gondii infection and cocaine exposure. These include sets of genes which responded to cocaine exposure but not upon cocaine exposure in the context of T. gondii infection, suggestive of a neuroprotective effect advantageous to parasite persistence. Given its ability to uncover such complex relationships, we propose this novel model offers a new perspective to dissect the molecular pathways by which T. gondii infection contributes to neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.


2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Keith Stepto ◽  
Timothy John Burton ◽  
Therese Griersmith ◽  
David Powell ◽  
Benedict James Canny

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly D. Kenkel ◽  
Veronique J.L. Mocellin ◽  
Line K. Bay

AbstractThe mechanisms resulting in the breakdown of the coral symbiosis once the process of bleaching has been initiated remain unclear. Distinguishing symbiont loss from the abiotic stress response may shed light on the cellular and molecular pathways involved in each process. This study examined physiological changes and global gene expression patterns associated with white patch syndrome (WPS) in P. lobata, which manifests in localized bleaching independent of thermal stress. In addition, a meta-analysis of global gene expression studies in other corals and anemones was used to contrast differential regulation as a result of abiotic stress from expression patterns correlated with symbiotic state. Symbiont density, chlorophyll a content, holobiont productivity, instant calcification rate, and total host protein content were uniformly reduced in WPS relative to healthy tissue. While expression patterns associated with WPS were secondary to fixed effects of source colony, specific functional enrichments suggest that the viral infection putatively giving rise to this condition affects symbiont rather than host cells. The meta-analysis revealed that expression patterns in WPS-affected tissues were significantly correlated with prior studies examining short-term thermal stress responses. This correlation was independent of symbiotic state, as the strongest correlations were found between WPS adults and both symbiotic adult and aposymbiotic coral larvae experiencing thermal stress, suggesting that the majority of expression changes reflect a non-specific stress response. Across studies, the magnitude and direction of expression change among particular functional enrichments suggests unique responses to stressor duration, and highlights unique responses to bleaching in an anemone model which engages in a non-obligate symbiosis.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Ramirez ◽  
Jaime Palomino ◽  
Karla Aspee ◽  
Monica De los Reyes

The competence to undergo expansion is a characteristic of cumulus cells (CCs). The aim was to investigate the expression of GDF-9 and BMP-15 mRNA in canine cumulus cells in relation to cumulus expansion and meiotic development over the estrous cycle. CCs were recovered from nonmatured and in vitro-matured (IVM) dog cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs), which were obtained from antral follicles at different phases of the estrous cycle. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) was used to evaluate the relative abundance of GDF-9 and BMP-15 transcripts from the CCs with or without signs of expansion. The results were evaluated by ANOVA and logistic regression. The maturity of the oocyte and the expansion process affected the mRNA levels in CCs. There were differences (p < 0.05) in GDF-9 and BMP-15 gene expression in CCs isolated from nonmatured COCs when comparing the reproductive phases. Lower mRNA levels (p < 0.05) were observed in anestrus and proestrus in comparison to those in estrus and diestrus. In contrast, when comparing GDF-9 mRNA levels in IVM COCs, no differences were found among the phases of the estrous cycle in expanded and nonexpanded CCs (p < 0.05). However, the highest (p < 0.05) BMP-15 gene expression in CCs that did not undergo expansion was exhibited in anestrus and the lowest (p < 0.05) expression was observed in estrus in expanded CCs. Although the stage of the estrous cycle did not affect the second metaphase (MII )rates, the expanded CCs obtained at estrus coexisted with higher percentages of MII (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the differential expression patterns of GDF-9 and BMP-15 mRNA transcripts might be related to cumulus expansion and maturation processes, suggesting specific regulation and temporal changes in their expression.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maya A. Deyssenroth ◽  
Qian Li ◽  
Marina Lacasaña ◽  
Yoko Nomura ◽  
Carmen Marsit ◽  
...  

AbstractThe placenta is the principal organ regulating respiratory, nutritional, endocrine and metabolic functions on behalf of the developing fetus. Changes in gene expression patterns of placenta-specific genes may influence fetal growth. We profiled the expression of 17 genes related to placenta functioning in term placentas (n=677) to identify genes differentially expressed across birth weight categories [small (SGA), appropriate (AGA) and large (LGA) for gestational age].


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