Maternal diabetes and oocyte quality

Maternal diabetes has been demonstrated to adversely affect preimplantation embryo development and pregnancy outcomes. Emerging evidence has implicated that these effects are associated with compromised oocyte competence. Several developmental defects during oocyte maturation in diabetic mice have been reported over past decades. Most recently, we further identified the structural, spatial and metabolic dysfunction of mitochondria in oocytes from diabetic mice, suggesting the impaired oocyte quality. These defects in the oocyte may be maternally transmitted to the embryo and then manifested later as developmental abnormalities in preimplantation embryo, congenital malformations, and even metabolic disease in the offspring. In this paper, we briefly review the effects of maternal diabetes on oocyte quality, with a particular emphasis on the mitochondrial dysfunction. The possible connection between dysfunctional oocyte mitochondria and reproductive failure of diabetic females, and the mechanism(s) by which maternal diabetes exerts its effects on the oocyte are also discussed.     

Effect of culture environment on gene expression and developmental characteristics in IVF-derived embryos

It is generally accepted that mammalian preimplantation embryos are sensitive to their environment and that conditions of culture can affect future growth and developmental potential both pre- and postnatally. Evidence suggests that while culture conditions during bovine in vitro embryo production can impact somewhat on the developmental potential of the early embryo, the intrinsic quality of the oocyte is the key factor determining the proportion of oocytes developing to the blastocyst stage. In addition, evidence suggests that the period of post fertilization embryo culture is the most critical period affecting blastocyst quality assessed in terms of cryotolerance, gene expression pattern and ability to establish a pregnancy. This paper reviews the current literature, with emphasis on the bovine model, demonstrating evidence for an effect of post fertilization culture environment on embryo gene expression and quality.     

Mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse oocytes results in preimplantation embryo arrest in vitro

Oocyte mitochondrial dysfunction has been proposed as a cause of high levels of developmental retardation and arrest that occur in human preimplantation embryos generated using assisted reproductive technology in the treatment of some causes of female infertility. To investigate this, a model of mitochondrial dysfunction was developed in mouse oocytes using a method of photosensitization of the mitochondrion-specific dye, rhodamine-123. After in vitro fertilization, dye-loaded and photosensitized oocytes showed developmental arrest in proportion to irradiation time. Morphological and metabolic assessments of zygotes indicated an increase in mitochondrial permeability that subsequently resulted in apoptotic degeneration. Development was partially restored by inhibition of mitochondrial permeability transition pore formation by oocyte pretreatment with cyclosporin A. Oocyte mitochondria are therefore physiological regulators of early embryo development and potential sites of pathological insult that may perturb oocyte and subsequent preimplantation embryo viability. These findings have important implications for the treatment of clinically infertile women using assisted reproductive technologies.     

小鼠胚胎体外发育培养基中氨基酸含量变化

通过检测哺乳动物早期胚胎体外发育过程中可以消耗或生成某些氨基酸的含量,可以了解胚胎的发育潜能。利用反相高效液相色谱法(RP-HPLC)检测KSOMaa培养基中17种氨基酸含量的变化,了解昆明小白鼠(Mus musculus)植入前胚胎体外培养过程中氨基酸含量的变化,旨在寻找一种能有效支持昆明小鼠胚胎体外发育的培养基氨基酸组成,优化小鼠胚胎体外培养体系。将180枚原核胚分为9组,体外培养至囊胚,分别于胚胎发育不同时期取样做高效液相色谱分析。这些氨基酸在胚胎发育不同时期的培养基中含量变化可分为5种类型:①在2细胞期增加但在4细胞期、8～16细胞期减少,囊胚期又增加的氨基酸(甘氨酸、亮氨酸、苏氨酸、缬氨酸、苯丙氨酸、酪氨酸);②在胚胎发育各个时期均下降(谷氨酸、甲硫氨酸、精氨酸、组氨酸);③在胚胎发育各个时期均增加(丝氨酸、赖氨酸、丙氨酸);④2细胞期含量减少而在其他时期持续增加(天冬氨酸、脯氨酸、色氨酸);⑤囊胚期减少,其他时期都有增加(异亮氨酸)。     

Embryo manipulation in research and animal production

Research in developmental biology has resulted in techniques to accelerate changes in gene frequency and to interfere directly in the genome. Procedures already in use or being adapted to livestock include embryo transfer, chimera production, embryo splitting, gene transfer and nuclear transplantation. Experiments with mouse embryos are revealing the principles governing embryonic development and differentiation and illustrate the need for these investigations to be extended to embryos of livestock. The optimal combination of these technologies in animal production strategies will depend upon further research and the role of animal products in society.     

Embryotrophic effects of extracellular vesicles derived from outgrowth embryos in pre‐ and peri‐implantation embryonic development in mice

Recently, many studies have investigated the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) on reproductive events, including embryo development and death, oviduct–embryo crosstalk, in vitro fertilization and others. The aim of this study was to demonstrate whether outgrowth embryo–derived EVs function as bioactive molecules and regulate mouse embryonic developmental competence in vitro and implantation potential in utero. The EVs from mouse outgrowth embryos on 7.5 days postcoitum were detected and selectively isolated to evaluate the embryotrophic functions on preimplantation embryos. Developmental outcomes such as the percentage of blastocyst formation, hatching, and trophoblastic outgrowth were assessed. Furthermore, the total cell number and apoptotic index of blastocysts, which were incubated with EVs during the culture period, were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. Implantation potential in utero was investigated following embryo transfer. The EVs from outgrowth embryo–conditioned media have rounded membrane structures that range in diameter from 20 to 225 nm. Incubation with EVs improved preimplantation embryonic development by increasing cell proliferation and decreasing apoptosis in blastocysts. Moreover, the implantation rates following embryo transfer were significantly higher in EV–supplemented embryos compared with the control. Collectively, EVs from outgrowth embryo could enhance the embryonic developmental competence and even implantation potential in mice.     

Igf1r signaling is indispensable for preimplantation development and is activated via a novel function of E-cadherin

Insulin-like growth factor I receptor (Igf1r) signaling controls proliferation, differentiation, growth, and cell survival in many tissues; and its deregulated activity is involved in tumorigenesis. Although important during fetal growth and postnatal life, a function for the Igf pathway during preimplantation development has not been described. We show that abrogating Igf1r signaling with specific inhibitors blocks trophectoderm formation and compromises embryo survival during murine blastocyst formation. In normal embryos total Igf1r is present throughout the membrane, whereas the activated form is found exclusively at cell contact sites, colocalizing with E-cadherin. Using genetic domain switching, we show a requirement for E-cadherin to maintain proper activation of Igf1r. Embryos expressing exclusively a cadherin chimera with N-cadherin extracellular and E-cadherin intracellular domains (NcEc) fail to form a trophectoderm and cells die by apoptosis. In contrast, homozygous mutant embryos expressing a reverse-structured chimera (EcNc) show trophectoderm survival and blastocoel cavitation, indicating a crucial and non-substitutable role of the E-cadherin ectodomain for these processes. Strikingly, blastocyst formation can be rescued in homozygous NcEc embryos by restoring Igf1r signaling, which enhances cell survival. Hence, perturbation of E-cadherin extracellular integrity, independent of its cell-adhesion function, blocked Igf1r signaling and induced cell death in the trophectoderm. Our results reveal an important and yet undiscovered function of Igf1r during preimplantation development mediated by a unique physical interaction between Igf1r and E-cadherin indispensable for proper receptor activation and anti-apoptotic signaling. We provide novel insights into how ligand-dependent Igf1r activity is additionally gated to sense developmental potential in utero and into a bifunctional role of adhesion molecules in contact formation and signaling.     

Animal reproduction biotechnology in Poland

The key research areas of the Department are: in vitro production of embryos, embryo cryopreservation, animal transgenesis, cloning, cytometric semen sexing and evaluation. Research has been focused on the in vitro production of animal embryos, including the development of complex methods for oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo culture. Moreover, experiments on long-term culturing of late preantral and early antral bovine ovarian follicles have been developed. Studies on the cloning of genetically modified pigs with "humanized" immunological systems have been undertaken. A cloned goat was produced from oocytes reconstructed with adult dermal fibroblast cells. The novel technique of rabbit chimeric cloning for the production of transgenic animals was applied; additionally, the recipient-donor-cell relationship in the preimplantation developmental competences of feline nuclear transfer embryos has been studied. Regarding transgenic animal projects, gene constructs containing growth hormone genes connected to the mMt promoter were used. Modifications of milk composition gene constructs with tissue-specific promoters were performed. Moreover, pigs for xenotransplantation and animal models of human vascular diseases have been produced. Over the last 15 years, our flow cytometry research group has focused its work on new methods for sperm quality assessment and sex regulation. In the 1970s, our team initiated studies on embryo cryopreservation. As a result of vitrification experiments, the world's first rabbits and sheep produced via the transfer of vitrified embryos were born.     

小鼠单个植入前胚胎SSH方法的可行性

为建立一种能够一次性分离任意两个植入前胚胎之间全部的差别表达的基因的方法 ,在已有的单胚胎操作技术的基础之上 ,对单个植入前胚胎抑制性消减杂交 (singlepreimplantationembryosuppressionsubtractivehybridization ,SPE SSH)方法进行了初步的探索 ,分离到OM2和MⅡ d 2的基因片段 ,经GenBank和文献检索发现 ,这两个基因具有在MⅡ期和 2细胞期特异性表达的特点 .利用cDNA阵列所进行的鉴定也获得了同样的结果 ,而且所使用的材料极少 ,说明SPE SSH是一种强有力的分离和识别早期发育相关基因片段的实验技术 .若与单个卵裂球分离技术相结合 ,还可用于分离和识别人类早期分子诊断的标记性基因     

Attempts to enhance production of porcine chimeras from embryonic germ cells and preimplantation embryos

Porcine embryonic germ (EG) cells share common features with porcine embryonic stem (ES) cells, including morphology, alkaline phosphatase activity and capacity for in vitro differentiation. Porcine EG cells are also capable of in vivo development by producing chimeras after blastocyst injection; however, the proportion of injected embryos that yield a chimera and the proportion of cells contributed by the cultured cells in each chimera are too low for practical use in genetic manipulation. Moreover, somatic, but not germ-line chimerism, has been reported from blastocyst injection using porcine ES or EG cells. To test whether efficiency of chimera production from blastocyst injection can be improved upon by changing the host embryo, we used as host embryos four groups according to developmental stage or length in culture: fresh 4-cell and 8-cell stage embryos subsequently cultured into blastocysts, fresh morulae, fresh blastocysts, and cultured blastocysts. Injection and embryo transfer of fresh and cultured blastocysts produced similar percentages of live piglets (17% versus 19%). Four piglets were judged to have a small degree of pigmentation chimerism, but microsatellite analysis failed to confirm chimerism in these or other piglets. Polymerase chain reaction analysis for detection of the porcine SRY gene in female piglets born from embryos injected with male EG cells identified six chimeras, at least one, but not more than two, from each treatment. Chimerism was confirmed in two putative pigmentation chimeras and in four piglets without overt signs of chimerism. The low percentage of injected embryos that yielded a chimera and the small contribution by EG cells to development of each confirmed chimera indicated that procedural changes in how EG cells were combined with host embryos were unsuccessful in increasing the likelihood that porcine EG cells will participate in embryonic development. Alternatively, our results suggested that improvements are needed in EG cell isolation and culture procedures to ensure in vitro maintenance of EG cell developmental capacity.     

Analysis of HLA-G in maternal plasma, follicular fluid, and preimplantation embryos reveal an asymmetric pattern of expression

Soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) secretion by human preimplantation embryos in culture has been associated with successful embryo development, and therefore has potential to serve as a noninvasive marker of embryo viability. We have examined the spatial and temporal expression of HLA-G in embryos of varying developmental competence and the role of maternal factors in human embryonic HLA-G expression. Embryos that reached blastocyst stage on day 5 showed a higher frequency of sHLA-G secretion than those at morula or arrested stages (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in sHLA-G secretion between normal embryos and those diagnosed as chromosomally abnormal by preimplantation genetic diagnosis. HLA-G detected in maternal plasma and follicular fluid did not appear to correlate with HLA-G expressed in the embryo or embryo supernatants. Confocal microscopy analysis indicated that HLA-G protein expression in embryos was not homogeneous; mostly, it was confined to blastocysts localized on trophectoderm and trophectoderm projections. Single-particle fluorescent imaging analysis of HLA-G on the cell surface of JEG-3 cells showed that HLA-G particles were mostly monomeric, but dimeric and higher order oligomers were also observed. These results suggest that HLA-G play an important role in preimplantation embryo development. However, the observed expression of HLA-G in arrested and chromosomally abnormal embryos indicates that HLA-G testing should be used with caution and in conjunction with conventional methods of embryo screening and selection.     

Long-term and transgenerational effects of in vitro culture on mouse embryos

The mouse is a convenient model to analyze the impact of in vitro culture (IVC) on the long-term health and physiology of the offspring, and the possible inheritance of these altered phenotypes. The preimplantation period of mammalian development has been identified as an early ‘developmental window’ during which environmental conditions may influence the pattern of future growth and physiology. Suboptimal culture media can cause severe alterations in mRNA expression in the embryo, which are associated with embryo quality reduction. In addition, the embryonic epigenetic reprogramming may also be severely affected by IVC, modifying epigenetic marks particularly in imprinted genes and epigenetically sensitive alleles. These altered epigenetic marks can persist after birth, resulting in adult health problems such as obesity, increased anxiety and memory deficits. Furthermore, some epigenetic modifications have been found to be transmitted to the offspring (epigenetic transgenerational inheritance), thereby providing a suitable model to asses risks of cross-generational effects of perturbing early embryo development. This review will highlight how preimplantation environment changes can not only affect developmental processes taking place at that time, but can also have an impact further, affecting offspring health and physiology; and how they may be transmitted to the next generation. We will also analyze the emerging role of epigenetics as a mechanistic link between the early environment and the later phenotype of the developing organism.     

The embryo and its future

The preimplantation mammalian embryo from different species appears sensitive to the environment in which it develops, either in vitro or in vivo, for example, in response to culture conditions or maternal diet. This sensitivity may lead to long-term alterations in the characteristics of fetal and/or postnatal growth and phenotype, which have implications for clinical health and biotechnological applications. We review the breadth of environmental influences that may affect early embryos and their responses to such conditions along epigenetic, metabolic, cellular, and physiological directions. In addition, we evaluate how embryo environmental responses may influence developmental potential and phenotype during later gestation. We conclude that a complex of different mechanisms may operate to associate early embryo environment with future health.     

The developmental competence of mammalian oocytes: a convenient but biologically fuzzy concept

Oocyte developmental competence is often used to qualify in vitro procedures for embryo production. It supposedly accounts for the oocyte's ability to develop into a normal, viable and fertile offspring after fertilization, but for practical reasons it often characterizes the ability of such oocytes to develop to the blastocyst stage in vitro. Molecular tools compatible with the analysis of very small amounts of material have resulted in research aimed at designing molecular criteria to define this competence. However we feel that such research strategies easily lead to misunderstanding of the regulative processes that drive embryo development. Artificially induced blastocyst stage is a poor predictor of oocyte developmental competence. However preimplantation stages also appear to be sensitive to environmental conditions that can induce long-lasting detrimental effects. Larger scale analysis now made available by a functional genomics approach provides a more accurate understanding of the complex regulative networks that sustain the molecular mechanisms responsible for normal development. We propose that the concept of developmental competence should be used more cautiously and also should refer more explicitly to the experimental context it intends to enlighten.