Aberrant DNA methylation in 5'regions of DNA methyltransferase genes in aborted bovine clones

High rate of abortion and developmental abnormalities is thought to be closely associated with inefficient epigenetic reprogramming of the transplanted nuclei during bovine cloning.It is known that one of the important mechanisms for epigenetic reprogramming is DNA methylation.DNA methylation is established and maintained by DNA methyltransferases(DNMTs),therefore,it is postulated that the inefficient epigenetic reprogramming of transplanted nuclei may be due to abnormal expression of DNMTs.Since DNA methylation can strongly inhibit gene expression,aberrant DNA methylation of DNMT genes may disturb gene expression.But presently,it is not clear whether the methylation abnormality of DNMT genes is related to developmental failure of somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.In our study,we analyzed methylation patterns of the 5' regions of four DNMT genes including Dnmt3a,Dnmt3b,Dnmtl and Dnmt2 in four aborted bovine clones.Using bisulfite sequencing method,we found that 3 out of 4 aborted bovine clones(AF1,AF2 and AF3)showed either hypermethylation or hypomethylation in the 5' regions of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b.indicating that Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b genes are not properly reprogrammed.However,the individual AF4 exhibited similar methylation level and pattern to age-matched in vitro fertilized (IVF)fetuses.Besides,we found that tle 5'regions of Dnmtl and Dnmt2 were nearly completely unmethylated in all normal adults.IVF fetuses,sperm and aborted clones.Together,our results suggest that the aberrant methylation of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b 5' regions is probably associated with the high abortion of bovine clones.     

Improved developmental competence of cloned porcine embryos with different energy supplements and chemical activation

The present study investigated the effect of lactate/pyruvate supplement in culture medium and of chemical activation after electric stimulus on in vitro development of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. In vitro matured gilt oocytes were enucleated, reconstructed with fetal fibroblasts, and simultaneously fused/activated using a single pulse of 2.0 kV/cm for 30 microsec. In Experiment 1, reconstructed embryos were cultured in North Carolina State University (NCSU)-23 medium supplemented with either 5.5 mM glucose (Group A) or lactate (5.0 mM)/pyruvate (0.5 mM) (Group B). Compared to Group A, cleavage rate (64% vs. 47%) was higher and more blastocysts developed in Group B (17% vs. 6% at Day 6, 21% vs.11% at Day 7). Experiment 2, embryos reconstructed by electric stimulus (2.0 kV/cm for 30 microsec) were subjected to three activation protocols: (1) no chemical activation (Group C), (2) 7.5 microg/ml cytochalasin B treatment at 2 hr after electric stimulus (Group D), and (3) 5 microg/ml 6-dimethylaminopurine (Group E) treatment at 2 hr after electric stimulus. The reconstructed embryos were cultured for 7 days in NCSU-23 medium supplemented with lactate (5.0 mM)/pyruvate (0.5 mM). The rates of blastocyst formation on Day 6 and Day 7 in Group C (17 and 20%, respectively) or Group D (15, 20%, respectively) were higher than in Group E (9 and 12%, respectively). The percentage of two pseudo-pronucleus (PPN) formations in Group D (88%) was significantly higher than in Group C (71%) and Group E (72%). Mean cell numbers of blastocysts in Group D (63.4 +/- 15.8) were higher than in Group C (43.9 +/- 16.5) and Group E (32.9 +/- 17.9), due to increased trophectoderm (TE) cell numbers. Our results indicate that supplementing NCSU-23 medium with lactate/pyruvate and exposure of cytochalasin B after electrical stimulus can improve in vitro developmental competence of porcine SCNT embryos.     

Effects of donor cells on in vitro development of cloned bovine embryos

The donor cells from different individuals and with different foreign genes introduced were investigated to determine their effects on the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The bovine ear fibroblast from different individuals was isolated, cultured, and then transfected with foreign genes to establish the stable cell lines, which were used as donor cells for nuclear transfer. The ooeytes were obtained through ovum pick up operation. After in vitro maturation, the M II phase oocytes were selected as receptors for nuclear transfer.The reconstructed embryos were cultured in vitro and observed at 2 h, 48 h, and 7 days after transfer to assess the rate of fusion using cleaved and blastoeyst as the parameters of SCNT efficiency. The donor cells from different individuals (04036, 06081, 06088, and 06129)had no obvious effect on the fusion and cleaved rate, whereas there was significant difference in the blastocyst rate (P<0.05), and the rate was 62.3%, 37.0%, 35.1%, and 15.6%, respectively. There was no significant difference among the rate of fusion, cleaved and blastocyst in donor cells with different foreign genes (P>0.05). It was concluded that the genetic background of the donor cells could affect the effi-ciency of SCNT, while the introduction of foreign genes into the donor cells had no obvious effect on the efficiency. This study provides useful information for the SCNT and would benefit in promoting the efficiency.     

DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰在克隆动物发育过程中的作用

体细胞核移植在农业应用、生产疾病模型动物、转基因家畜或产生人胚胎干细胞来治疗人类的疾病方面有巨大的应用潜力。虽然已经成功克隆出多种哺乳动物, 但该技术仍存在一些未解决的问题, 包括产生克隆动物的效率低和克隆动物的异常等。异常的表观遗传重编程是克隆胚胎发育失败的一个重要因素。文章重点论述了DNA甲基化、组蛋白修饰及其与克隆胚胎发育的关系。了解表观遗传调控机制有助于解决核移植技术中存在的问题, 有利于更好地应用这项技术。     

不同供体细胞及其处理对猪核移植重构胚体外发育的影响

系统探讨了体细胞的组织来源及培养代数对猪核移植重构胚发育的影响。体外成熟培养40~44 h的猪卵母细胞去核后, 将经血清饥饿(0.5%FBS)培养2~9天、0.1 mg/L Aphidicolin(APD)培养+0.5% FBS培养2~9天或一般培养法(10% FBS)培养的卵丘细胞、颗粒细胞、输卵管上皮细胞和耳皮成纤维细胞, 直接注射到去核的卵母细胞质中, 或注射到卵周隙中, 再经电融合(100 V/mm, 30 [mu]s, 电脉冲1次)构建重构胚。重构胚以钙离子载体A23817 或电脉冲结合6-DMAP 激活处理, 体外培养6天。耳皮成纤维细胞和颗粒细胞经0.1 mg/L APD + 0.5% FBS培养处理后的重组胚卵裂率, 均高于血清饥饿和一般培养处理的同种供体细胞(P<0.01)。卵丘细胞、颗粒细胞经0.1 mg/L APD + 0.5% FBS处理后进行核移植的分裂率和发育率均高于输卵管上皮细胞和耳皮成纤维细胞(P<0.05)。以猪颗粒细胞为核供体时, 电融合法的重构胚分裂率显著高于胞质内注入法(P<0.05), 但囊胚发育率无显著差异(P>0.05)。培养3代和6代的猪颗粒细胞以及培养6代和10代的耳皮成纤维细胞, 其具有正常二倍染色体的细胞比例均无显著差异(P>0.05); 以这2种细胞不同培养代数做供体进行核移植时, 各代之间核移胚的体外分裂率、囊胚发育率无显著差异(P>0.05)。这些结果表明: (1) 猪耳皮成纤维细胞和颗粒细胞经培养传代所建立起来的细胞系相对比较稳定; (2) 0.1 mg/L APD预培养处理供体细胞能提高猪体细胞核移植的效果, 血清饥饿培养则无明显效果; (3) 猪颗粒细胞和耳皮成纤维细胞等均可做供核细胞, 核移植后都能得到体细胞克隆的囊胚, 但前者的效果略优于后者, 且其核移植效果不受供核细胞培养代数的影响; (4) 电融合核移植胚胎的发育率高于胞质内直接注入法, 但两者的总体效率相近。     

Zebularine: a novel DNA methylation inhibitor that forms a covalent complex with DNA methyltransferases

Mechanism-based inhibitors of enzymes, which mimic reactive intermediates in the reaction pathway, have been deployed extensively in the analysis of metabolic pathways and as candidate drugs. The inhibition of cytosine-[C5]-specific DNA methyltransferases (C5 MTases) by oligodeoxynucleotides containing 5-azadeoxycytidine (AzadC) and 5-fluorodeoxycytidine (FdC) provides a well-documented example of mechanism-based inhibition of enzymes central to nucleic acid metabolism. Here, we describe the interaction between the C5 MTase from Haemophilus haemolyticus (M.HhaI) and an oligodeoxynucleotide duplex containing 2-H pyrimidinone, an analogue often referred to as zebularine and known to give rise to high-affinity complexes with MTases. X-ray crystallography has demonstrated the formation of a covalent bond between M.HhaI and the 2-H pyrimidinone-containing oligodeoxynucleotide. This observation enables a comparison between the mechanisms of action of 2-H pyrimidinone with other mechanism-based inhibitors such as FdC. This novel complex provides a molecular explanation for the mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug zebularine.     

Cloning efficiency following ES cell nuclear transfer is influenced by the methylation state of the donor nucleus altered by mutation of DNA methyltransferase 3a and 3b

The epigenetic state of donor cells plays a vital role in the nuclear reprogramming and chromatin remodeling of cloned embryos. In this study we investigated the effect of DNA methylation state of donor cells on the development of mouse embryos reconstructed with embryonic stem (ES) cell nuclei. Our results confirmed that deletion of the DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) and DNA methyltransferase 3b (Dnmt3b) distinctly decreases the level of DNA methylation in ES cells. In contrast to wild type ES cells (J1), Dnmt3a − / − 3b − / − (DKO) and Dnmt3b − / − (3bKO) donor cells significantly elevated the percentage of embryonic stem cell nuclear transfer (ECNT) morula, blastocysts and postimplantation embryos (P < 0.05). However, the efficiency of establishment of NT-ES cell lines derived from DKO reconstructed blastocysts was not improved, and the expression pattern of OCT4 and CDX2 in cloned blastocysts and postimplantation embryos was not altered either. Our results suggest that the DNA methylation state of the donor nucleus is an important factor in regulation of the donor nuclear reprogramming.     

Effect of elevated Ca(2+) concentration in fusion/activation medium on the fusion and development of porcine fetal fibroblast nuclear transfer embryos

The present study examined the effect of elevated Ca(2+) concentration in fusion/activation medium on the fusion and development of fetal fibroblast nuclear transfer (NT) porcine embryos. Frozen-thawed and serum starved fetal fibroblasts were transferred into the perivitelline space of enucleated oocytes. Cell fusion and activation were induced simultaneously with electric pulses in 0.3 M mannitol-based medium containing 0.1 or 1.0 mM CaCl(2). Some fused embryos were further activated 1 hr after the fusion treatment by exposure to an electric pulse. The NT embryos were cultured in vitro for 6 days. Fusion and blastocyst formation rates were significantly (P<0.05) increased by increasing the Ca(2+) concentration from 0.1 mM (67.1 and 6.3%) to 1.0 mM (84.7 and 15.8%). However, no difference in the number of cells in blastocysts was observed between the two groups. A higher percentage of blastocyst was also observed when control oocytes were parthenogenetically activated in the presence of elevated Ca(2+) (19.3% vs. 32.4%, P<0.05). When the reconstituted oocytes were fused in the medium containing 1.0 mM CaCl(2), increasing the number of pulses from 2 to 3 or an additional activation treatment did not enhance the blastocyst formation rate or cell number in blastocysts. These results demonstrate that increasing the Ca(2+) concentration in the fusion/activation medium can enhance the fusion and blastocyst formation rates of fetal fibroblast NT porcine embryos without an additional activation treatment.     

Piglets produced from cloned blastocysts cultured in vitro with GM‐CSF

In general, pig embryos established by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) are transferred at the one‐cell stage because of suboptimal embryo culture conditions. Improvements in embryo culture can increase the practical application of late embryo transfer. The goal of this study was to evaluate embryos cultured with granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) in vitro, and to track the in vivo developmental competency of SCNT‐derived blastocysts from these GM‐CSF embryos. The receptor for GM‐CSF was up‐regulated in in vitro‐produced embryos when compared to in vivo‐produced cohorts, but the level decreased when GM‐CSF was present. In vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos, supplemented with GM‐CSF (2 or 10 ng/ml), showed a higher frequency of development to the blastocyst stage compared to controls. The total cell numbers of the blastocysts also increased with supplementation of GM‐CSF. Molecular analysis demonstrates that IVF‐derived blastocysts cultured with GM‐CSF exhibit less apoptotic activity. Similarly, an increase in development to the blastocyst stage and an increase in the average total‐cell number in the blastocysts were observed when SCNT‐derived embryos were cultured with either concentration of GM‐CSF (2 or 10 ng/ml). When SCNT‐derived embryos, cultured with 10 ng/ml GM‐CSF, were transferred into six surrogates at Day 6, five of the surrogates became pregnant and delivered healthy piglets. Our findings suggest that supplementation of GM‐CSF can provide better culture conditions for IVF‐ and SCNT‐derived embryos, and pig SCNT‐derived embryos cultured with GM‐CSF in vitro can successfully produce piglets when transferred into surrogates at the blastocyst stage. Thus, it may be practical to begin performing SCNT‐derived embryo transfer at the blastocyst stage. Mol. Reprod. Dev. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Anti-apoptotic effect of melatonin on preimplantation development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos

In the present study, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the preimplantation development of porcine parthenogenetic and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. Parthenogenetic embryos were cultured in mNCSU-23 supplemented with various concentrations of melatonin for 7 days. The results revealed that 100 pM was the optimal concentration, which resulted in significantly increased cleavage and blastocyst formation rates. Additionally, 100 pM melatonin provided the highest increase in total cell number of blastocysts. Therefore, the subsequent experiments were performed with 100 pM melatonin. ROS level in 2-8 cell stage embryos in the presence or absence of melatonin was evaluated. Embryos cultured with melatonin showed significantly decreased ROS. Blastocysts cultured with melatonin for 7 days were analyzed by the TUNEL assay. It was observed that melatonin not only increased (P < 0.05) the total cell number but also decreased (P < 0.05) the rate of apoptotic nuclei. Blastocysts cultured with melatonin were assessed for the expression of apoptosis-related genes Bcl-xl and Bax, and of pluripotency marker gene Oct-4 by real-time quantitative PCR. Analysis of data showed that the expression of Bcl-xl was higher (1.7-fold) compared to the control while the expression of Bax was significantly decreased relative to the control (0.7-fold) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the expression of Oct-4 was 1.7-fold higher than the control. These results indicated that melatonin had beneficial effects on the development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos. Based on the findings of parthenogenetic embryos, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the development of porcine SCNT embryos. The results also demonstrated increased cleavage and blastocyst formation rates, and the total cell numbers in blastocysts were significantly higher when the embryos were cultured with melatonin. Therefore, these data suggested that melatonin may have important implications for improving porcine preimplantation SCNT embryo development.     

The combination of DNA methyltransferase inhibitor therapy and immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the most common form of acute leukemia in adults, is characterized by abnormal proliferation and blocked maturation and differentiation of myeloid precursor cells. AML is an aggressive cancer that progresses rapidly without treatment. Therefore, effective treatment modalities should be implemented immediately after diagnosis. The mainstay of classical AML therapy has been chemotherapy, which is not suitable for relapsing or refractory patients, especially elderly patients. Among emerging novel therapeutic approaches for AML, epigenetic therapy and immunotherapy represent two exciting therapeutic developments. This review focuses on discussion of the therapeutic considerations for AML from the perspective of combination treatment, which incorporates both DNA methyltransferase inhibitor therapy, as one of the most promising epigenetic therapies, and immune checkpoint inhibitor or dendritic cell-based vaccination treatments, as examples of immunotherapy. Both challenges and rationale in the optimization of therapeutic approaches, as well as recent clinical trial developments, along this line are summarized.