scholarly journals Maternal UHRF1 Is Essential for Transcription Landscapes and Repression of Repetitive Elements During the Maternal-to-Zygotic Transition

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanqing Wu ◽  
Juan Dong ◽  
Shenglei Feng ◽  
Qiang Zhao ◽  
Peng Duan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Conditional Knockout ◽  
Developmental Competence ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Maternal To Zygotic Transition ◽  
Zygotic Genome

Maternal factors that modulate maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) are essential for the growth from specialized oocytes to totipotent embryos. Despite several studies, the mechanisms regulating epigenetic reprogramming during MZT remain largely elusive. UHRF1 plays a role in maintaining GC methylation in oocytes and early embryos. However, little is known about its role in mouse MZT. Here, we explored the function of maternal UHRF1 in zygotic genome regulation during early embryonic development in mice. We showed that the conditional knockout (cKO) of UHRF1 in either primordial or growing oocytes causes infertility but differentially affects early embryonic development. UHRF1 deficiency in primordial oocytes led to early embryonic developmental arrest at the two-cell stage, accompanied by significant alterations in global DNA and H3K4me3 methylation patterns. In comparison, UHRF1 ablation in growing oocytes significantly reduced developmental competence from two-cell embryos to blastocysts. At the transcriptional level, the absence of maternal UHRF1 led to aberrant transcriptional regulation of the zygotic genome during MZT at the two-cell stage. Furthermore, we observed that retrotransposable elements in UHRF1-deficient oocytes and embryos were not silenced properly; in particular, the LINE-1 and long terminal repeat (LTR) subfamily were activated abnormally. Collectively, the findings of our study reveal that maternal UHRF1 plays a critical role in establishing the correct epigenetic chromatin reprogramming of early embryos, regulating essential genes during MZT, and preserving genome integrity that drives early embryonic development in mice.

NOTCH signaling pathway is required for bovine early embryonic development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Li ◽  
Yan Shi ◽  
Yanna Dang ◽  
Lei Luo ◽  
Bingjie Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Notch Signaling ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Notch Pathway ◽  
Notch Signaling Pathway ◽  
Developmental Competence ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Preimplantation Embryos ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Genes Encoding

Abstract The NOTCH signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating various biological processes, including lineage specification and apoptosis. Multiple components of the NOTCH pathway have been identified in mammalian preimplantation embryos. However, the precise role of the NOTCH pathway in early embryonic development is poorly understood, especially in large animals. Here, we show that the expression of genes encoding key transcripts of the NOTCH pathway is dynamic throughout early embryonic development. We also confirm the presence of active NOTCH1 and RBPJ. By using pharmacological and RNAi tools, we demonstrate that the NOTCH pathway is required for the proper development of bovine early embryos. This functional consequence could be partly attributed to the major transcriptional mediator-RBPJ, whose deficiency also compromised the embryo quality. Indeed, both NOTCH1 and RBPJ knockdown cause a significant increase of histone H3 serine 10 phosphorylation (pH3S10, a mitosis marker) positive blastomeres, suggesting a cell cycle arrest at mitosis. Importantly, RNA-seq analyses reveal that either NOTCH1 or RBPJ depletion triggers a reduction in H1FOO that encodes the oocyte-specific linker histone H1 variant. Interestingly, depleting H1FOO results in detrimental effects on the developmental competence of early embryos, similar with NOTCH1 inhibition. Overall, our results reveal a crucial role for NOTCH pathway in regulating bovine preimplantation development, likely by controlling cell proliferation and maintaining H1FOO expression.

scholarly journals Requirement of the transcription factor USF1 in bovine oocyte and early embryonic development

Reproduction ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tirtha K Datta ◽  
Sandeep K Rajput ◽  
Gabbine Wee ◽  
KyungBon Lee ◽  
Joseph K Folger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Embryo Development ◽  
Oocyte Maturation ◽  
Developmental Competence ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Bovine Oocyte ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Oocyte Competence ◽  
E Box

Upstream stimulating factor 1 (USF1) is a basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor that specifically binds to E-box DNA motifs, knowncis-elements of key oocyte expressed genes essential for oocyte and early embryonic development. However, the functional and regulatory role of USF1 in bovine oocyte and embryo development is not understood. In this study, we demonstrated thatUSF1mRNA is maternal in origin and expressed in a stage specific manner during the course of oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryonic development. Immunocytochemical analysis showed detectable USF1 protein during oocyte maturation and early embryonic development with increased abundance at 8–16-cell stage of embryo development, suggesting a potential role in embryonic genome activation. Knockdown ofUSF1in germinal vesicle stage oocytes did not affect meiotic maturation or cumulus expansion, but caused significant changes in mRNA abundance for genes associated with oocyte developmental competence. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated depletion ofUSF1in presumptive zygote stage embryos demonstrated thatUSF1is required for early embryonic development to the blastocyst stage. A similar (USF2) yet unique (TWIST2) expression pattern during oocyte and early embryonic development for related E-box binding transcription factors known to cooperatively bind USF1 implies a potential link to USF1 action. This study demonstrates that USF1 is a maternally derived transcription factor required for bovine early embryonic development, which also functions in regulation ofJY1, GDF9, andFSTgenes associated with oocyte competence.

64 SIN3 transcription regulator family member A regulates porcine early embryonic development by modulating CCNB1 expression

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
L. Luo ◽  
Y. Dang ◽  
Y. Shi ◽  
P. Zhao ◽  
Y. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Natural Science ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Transcription Regulator ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Similar Phenotype ◽  
Blastocyst Rate

SIN3 transcription regulator family member A (SIN3A) is the central scaffold protein of the SIN3/HDAC (histone deacetylase) transcriptional repressor complex. We previously found that SIN3A participates in the mouse pre-implantation development by finetuning HDAC1 expression. However, it remains unresolved whether this functional significance of SIN3A is conserved in other mammals. The objective of this work was thus to characterise the expression profiles and the functional role of SIN3A in pre-implantation development using non-rodent animal models. RNA sequencing results show that a large amount of SIN3A mRNA is present in oocytes and early embryos before embryonic genome activation and a low amount thereafter, suggesting a maternal origin of SIN3A in all species examined. Interestingly, immunofluorescence data show that SIN3A protein level peaks at the 4-cell stage in pigs compared with the morula stage in cattle, suggesting a differential role of SIN3A among species. To explore the function of SIN3A in early embryonic development, we used a short interfering (si)RNA-mediated knockdown approach in porcine parthenogenetic activated (PA) embryos. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that SIN3A levels were diminished ∼80% compared with nonspecific siRNA (NC) injected control (n=3). To monitor the developmental potential of embryo depleted of SIN3A, we injected SIN3A-siRNA into MII stage oocytes, followed by parthenogenetic activation, and percent cleavage and blastocyst formation were recorded. We found that SIN3A knockdown (KD) did not affect the cleavage rate (NC vs. KD, 83.63±3.63% vs. 80.08±4.66%, n=5), but significantly reduced blastocyst rate compared with the NC group (NC vs. KD, 36.64±4.28% vs. 6.33±3.12%, n=5). Specifically, SIN3A depletion in early embryos causes developmental arrest at 2-cell stage in pigs but does not affect early embryonic development in bovines. In contrast with mouse data, SIN3A depletion results in only a slight decrease and even no difference in HDAC1 expression in porcine and bovine early embryos, respectively. In addition, HDAC1 knockdown does not cause 2-cell block but leads to a reduced blastocyst rate, suggesting that the effect of SIN3A depletion on porcine early embryos is independent of HDAC1. RNA-Seq analysis was used to compare the global transcript content between NC and KD 2-cell embryos. A total of 23 genes (14 upregulated and 9 downregulated) had undergone significant changes. Interestingly, cyclin B1 (CCNB1) ranked second among downregulated genes. To test whether knockdown of CCNB1 would display a similar phenotype in porcine early embryos, we injected CCNB1-siRNA into pronuclear stage. CCNB1 KD resulted in a similar phenotype as SIN3A depletion. Injection of exogenous CCNB1 mRNA into SIN3A-depleted embryos could partly rescue embryonic development. In conclusion, our results indicate SIN3A plays an essential role in porcine early embryonic development, probably involving the regulation of CCNB1 expression. This work was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.

scholarly journals SIN3A Regulates Porcine Early Embryonic Development by Modulating CCNB1 Expression

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Luo ◽  
Yanna Dang ◽  
Yan Shi ◽  
Panpan Zhao ◽  
Yunhai Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Transcript Level ◽  
Cyclin B1 ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Similar Phenotype ◽  
Morula Stage

SIN3A is the central scaffold protein of the SIN3/histone deacetylase (HDAC) transcriptional repressor complex. SIN3A participates in the mouse preimplantation development by fine-tuning HDAC1 expression. However, it remains unresolved if this functional significance of SIN3A was conserved in other mammals. Herein, RNA-seq results show a large amount of SIN3A mRNA is present in oocytes and early embryos prior to embryonic genome activation and a low amount thereafter, suggesting a maternal origin of SIN3A in pigs, cattle, mice, and humans. Interestingly, immunofluorescence data show that SIN3A protein level peaks at four-cell stage in pigs compared with morula stage in cattle. SIN3A depletion in early embryos causes a developmental arrest at two-cell stage in pigs but does not affect bovine early embryonic development. In contrast with mouse data, SIN3A depletion results in only a slight decrease and even no difference in HDAC1 expression in porcine and bovine early embryos, respectively. In addition, HDAC1 knockdown does not cause two-cell block but leads to a reduced blastocyst rate. By using unbiased RNA-seq approach, we found that Cyclin B1 (CCNB1) transcript level is dramatically reduced. Moreover, CCNB1 knockdown results in a similar phenotype as SIN3A depletion. Injection of exogenous CCNB1 mRNA into SIN3A-depleted embryos could partly rescue embryonic development to pass two-cell stage. In conclusion, our results indicate SIN3A plays an essential role in porcine early embryonic development, which probably involves the regulation of CCNB1 expression.

scholarly journals Unfolded protein response triggers differential apoptotic mechanisms in ovaries and early embryos exposed to maternal type 1 diabetes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aslı Okan ◽  
Necdet Demir ◽  
Berna Sozen
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Caspase 12 ◽  
Early Embryos ◽  
Protein Response

AbstractDiabetes mellitus (DM) has profound effects on the female mammalian reproductive system, and early embryonic development, reducing female reproductive outcomes and inducing developmental programming in utero. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain poorly defined. Accumulating evidence implicates endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress with maternal DM associated pathophysiology. Yet the direct pathologies and causal events leading to ovarian dysfunction and altered early embryonic development have not been determined. Here, using an in vivo mouse model of Type 1 DM and in vitro hyperglycaemia-exposure, we demonstrate the activation of ER-stress within adult ovarian tissue and pre-implantation embryos. In diabetic ovaries, we show that the unfolded protein response (UPR) triggers an apoptotic cascade by the co-activation of Caspase 12 and Cleaved Caspase 3 transducers. Whereas DM-exposed early embryos display differential ER-associated responses; by activating Chop in within embryonic precursors and Caspase 12 within placental precursors. Our results offer new insights for understanding the pathological effects of DM on mammalian ovarian function and early embryo development, providing new evidence of its mechanistic link with ER-stress in mice.

scholarly journals Golden hamster piRNAs are necessary for early embryonic development and establishment of spermatogonia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuzana Loubalova ◽  
Helena Fulka ◽  
Filip Horvat ◽  
Josef Pasulka ◽  
Radek Malik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Golden Hamster ◽  
Developmental Competence ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Spermatogenic Cells ◽  
Adaptive Nature ◽  
Pirna Pathway

ABSTRACTPIWI-associated RNAs (piRNAs) support the germline by suppressing retrotransposons and genes. In mice, piRNAs are essential for spermatogenesis but not oogenesis. To test how this applies to other mammals, we deleted Mov10l1 helicase in golden hamster, whose piRNA pathway is configured more similarly to that of other mammals. Mov10l1−/− male hamsters showed impaired establishment of spermatogonia accompanied by transcriptome dysregulation and a surge in MYSERV retrotransposon expression. The rare viable spermatogenic cells showed a meiotic failure phenotype like Mov10l1−/− mice. Female Mov10l1−/− hamsters were sterile due to post-meiotic loss of developmental competence in zygotes. Unique phenotypes of Mov10l1−/− hamsters demonstrate the adaptive nature of piRNA-mediated control of genes and retrotransposons in order to confront emerging genomic threats or acquire new physiological roles.

196 A NEW APPROACH TO PREDICT MOUSE EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENTAL COMPETENCE USING A TIME-LAPSE SYSTEM AND THE 'SHORTEST HALF' analysis procedure

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Yavin ◽  
A. Aroyo ◽  
Z. Roth ◽  
A. Arav
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Developmental Competence ◽  
Embryo Morphology ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Developmental Potential ◽  
Additional Tool ◽  
Embryonic Cleavage

Embryonic development is a dynamic process in which embryo morphology may change immensely within several hours. Therefore, identifying and selecting embryos with the highest probability of developing and achieving a pregnancy is a major challenge. The timing of embryonic cleavage may serve as an additional indicator for the identification of quality embryos. The aim of this study was to characterize the cleavage timing of mouse embryos and to identify the stage that is most indicative of blastocyst formation. Mated mice (CB6F1) were sacrificed 20 h after hCG administration; putative zygotes were recovered and cultured (50 embryos in each 20-µL drop of M16) in a time-lapse system (EmbryoGuard; IMT, Ltd., Ness-Ziona, Israel) inside the incubator. The time-lapse system was programmed to take photos at half-hour intervals such that culture dishes were not removed from the incubator. The ‘shortest half’ statistical procedure of JMPIN (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA) was utilized to evaluate the period during which at least 50% of the embryonic population cleaves within the shortest time frame. Captured images made it possible to search along the time axis for the densest 50% of cleavage observations. Developing embryos were categorized into 3 groups according to the time of cleavage after hCG administration: before, during, and after the ‘shortest half’ for each developmental stage. Two hundred thirty putative zygotes cleaved and created 2-cell-stage embryos, of which 55 arrested at various stages and 175 progressed to the blastocyst stage. During embryonic development, cleavage timing appeared to become less uniform and the ‘shortest half’ became longer for each successive cell division: Whereas the shortest period in which 50% of the 2-cell-stage embryos cleaved was a 2-h interval, cleavage into the 4-cell, 8-cell, and blastocyst stages took 2.5, 3.5, and 5 h, respectively. The ‘short half’ for the first cleavage appears to be a predictive time frame for subsequent embryonic development, because cleavage was closely synchronized with 80% of the embryos developing to the blastocyst stage. Note that only a small number of embryos were actually cleaving early, while the ‘shortest half’ consisted of 50% of the embryonic population. Moreover, late-cleaving embryos in the 2-cell stage expressed inferior developmental potential relative to those that cleaved within the ‘shortest half’ (see Table 1). In summary, 2-cell-stage embryos that cleaved within the ‘shortest half’ seemed to be better synchronized and consequently more competent than the rest of the embryonic population. Embryonic cleavage timing using the ‘shortest half’ parameter can be considered a biological indicator of embryo potential. It may be useful as an additional tool for selecting embryos for transfer and cryopreservation. Table 1. Cleavage timing distribution into the 2-cell stage according to the shortest half

scholarly journals A GPI processing phospholipase A2, PGAP6, modulates Nodal signaling in embryos by shedding CRIPTO

2016 ◽  
Vol 215 (5) ◽  
pp. 705-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gun-Hee Lee ◽  
Morihisa Fujita ◽  
Katsuyoshi Takaoka ◽  
Yoshiko Murakami ◽  
Yoshitaka Fujihara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Phospholipase A2 ◽  
Phospholipase D ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Nodal Signaling ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Anterior Posterior

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) can be shed from the cell membrane by GPI cleavage. In this study, we report a novel GPI-processing enzyme, termed post-glycosylphosphatidylinositol attachment to proteins 6 (PGAP6), which is a GPI-specific phospholipase A2 mainly localized at the cell surface. CRIPTO, a GPI-AP, which plays critical roles in early embryonic development by acting as a Nodal coreceptor, is a highly sensitive substrate of PGAP6, whereas CRYPTIC, a close homologue of CRIPTO, is not sensitive. CRIPTO processed by PGAP6 was released as a lysophosphatidylinositol-bearing form, which is further cleaved by phospholipase D. CRIPTO shed by PGAP6 was active as a coreceptor in Nodal signaling, whereas cell-associated CRIPTO activity was reduced when PGAP6 was expressed. Homozygous Pgap6 knockout mice showed defects in early embryonic development, particularly in the formation of the anterior–posterior axis, which are common features with Cripto knockout embryos. These results suggest PGAP6 plays a critical role in Nodal signaling modulation through CRIPTO shedding.

The requirement for protein kinase C delta (PRKCD) during preimplantation bovine embryo development

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi-En Yang ◽  
Manabu Ozawa ◽  
Kun Zhang ◽  
Sally E. Johnson ◽  
Alan D. Ealy
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Protein Kinase C ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Embryo Development ◽  
Early Embryonic Development ◽  
Bovine Embryo ◽  
Bovine Embryos ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Kinase C

Protein kinase C (PKC) delta (PRKCD) is a member of the novel PKC subfamily that regulates gene expression in bovine trophoblast cells. Additional functions for PRKCD in early embryonic development in cattle have not been fully explored. The objectives of this study were to describe the expression profile of PRKCD mRNA in bovine embryos and to examine its biological roles during bovine embryo development. Both PRKCD mRNA and protein are present throughout early embryo development and increases in mRNA abundance are evident at morula and blastocyst stages. Phosphorylation patterns are consistent with detection of enzymatically active PRKCD in bovine embryos. Exposure to a pharmacological inhibitor (rottlerin) during early embryonic development prevented development beyond the eight- to 16-cell stage. Treatment at or after the 16-cell stage reduced blastocyst development rates, total blastomere numbers and inner cell mass-to-trophoblast cell ratio. Exposure to the inhibitor also decreased basal interferon tau (IFNT) transcript abundance and abolished fibroblast growth factor-2 induction of IFNT expression. Furthermore, trophoblast adhesion and proliferation was compromised in hatched blastocysts. These observations provide novel insights into PRKCD mRNA expression profiles in bovine embryos and provide evidence for PRKCD-dependent regulation of embryonic development, gene expression and post-hatching events.

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