Stem cells, tissue engineering and organogenesis in transplantation

Construction and characterization of degradable fish scales for enhancing cellular adhesion and potential using as tissue engineering scaffolds

As a framework for tissue engineering regeneration, the characteristics of cell scaffold materials directly affect cell adhesion, migration and metabolism. In this study, we have fabricated decellularized and decalcified fish scale-derived scaffolds and determined its basic physicochemical properties to serve as cell scaffolds in tissue engineering. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that there were radial grooves and ring ridges on the surface of the scale-derived scaffolds, which could simulate three-dimensional microenvironment for cells culture. Similarity to the bone extracellular matrix, the main components of the fish scales were hydroxyapatite (HA) and type I collagen fibers, which were conducive to cells spreading and proliferation. Moreover, for culturing L929 cells and rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), the fish scales as cell scaffolds exhibited high cytocompatibility to enhance cells adhesion and proliferation, and also displayed the ability to guide cells migration along the ridge channels. Accordingly, the results suggested that the fish scale-derived scaffolds had a great potential as a natural extracellular matrix for tissue engineering.

Synergistic control of mechanics and microarchitecture of 3D bioactive hydrogel platform to promote the regenerative potential of engineered hepatic tissue

Culturing autologous cells with therapeutic potential derived from a patient within a bioactive scaffold to induce functioning tissue formation is considered the ideal methodology towards realizing patient-specific regenerative medicine. Hydrogels are often employed as the scaffold material for this purpose mainly for their tunable mechanical and diffusional properties as well as presenting cell-responsive moieties. Herein, a two-fold strategy was employed to control the physicomechanical properties and microarchitecture of hydrogels to maximize the efficacy of engineered hepatic tissues. First, a hydrophilic polymeric crosslinker with a tunable degree of reactive functional groups was employed to control the mechanical properties in a wide range while minimizing the change in diffusional properties. Second, photolithography technique was utilized to introduce microchannels into hydrogels to overcome the critical diffusional limit of bulk hydrogels. Encapsulating hepatic progenitor cells derived via direct reprogramming of tissue-harvested fibroblasts, the application of this strategy to control the mechanics, diffusion, and architecture of hydrogels in a combinatorial manner could allow the optimization of their hepatic functions. The regenerative capacity of this engineered hepatic tissue was further demonstrated using an in vivo acute liver injury model.

The emerging role of microfluidics in multi-material 3D bioprinting

To assist the transition of 3D bioprinting technology from simple lab-based tissue fabrication, to fully functional and implantable organs, the technology must not only provide shape control, but also functional control. This can be accomplished by replicating the cellular composition of the native tissue at the microscale, such that cell types interact to provide the desired function. There is therefore a need for precise, controllable, multi-material printing that could allow for high, possibly even single cell, resolution. This paper aims to draw attention to technological advancements made in 3D bioprinting that target the lack of multi-material, and/or multi cell-type, printing capabilities of most current devices. Unlike other reviews in the field, which largely focus on variations in single-material 3D bioprinting involving the standard methods of extrusion-based, droplet-based, laser-based, or stereolithographic methods; this review concentrates on sophisticated multi-material 3D bioprinting using multi-cartridge printheads, co-axial nozzles and microfluidic-enhanced printing nozzles.

Antibacterial durability and biocompatibility of antibacterial-passivated 316L stainless steel in simulated physiological environment

Stainless steel (SS) has been widely applied as one of the most efficient implant metal materials, although corrosion and infection in body environment are still challenging. Herein, an antibacterial passivation method was employed to enhance the antibacterial performance and corrosion resistance of the medical 316L SS. The result proved that the antibacterial-passivated 316L SS exhibited stable antibacterial activity and effectively inhibited the formation of bacterial biofilm. Electrochemical measurements combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique were used to study the corrosion resistance and semiconductor behavior of passivated 316L SS immersed in simulated physiological environment. The results indicated that the 316L SS after antibacterial passivation treatment for 1 h, soaking in the medium for 10 days, showed satisfactory corrosion resistance attributing to proper Cu deposition in the passive film. The anodic stripping voltammetry measurement further confirmed that the Cu-bearing passive film could continuously release Cu ions into medium. The zebrafish test demonstrated an excellent in vivo biocompatibility for the 316L SS with antibacterial passivation for 0.5 and 1 h, respectively. In addition, changes of surface roughness, contact angle and chemical composition after antibacterial passivation played an important role in explaining the antibacterial mechanism, which could be clearly divided into contact killing and ionic release killing. Hence, the antibacterial passivation treatment was preliminarily proved as a potential way for enhancing the persistent antibacterial activity and corrosion resistance of 316L SS.

Analysis of In Vitro Osteoblast Culture on Scaffolds for Future Bone Regeneration Purposes in Dentistry

One of the main focuses of tissue engineering is to search for tridimensional scaffold materials, complying with nature's properties for tissue regeneration. Determining material biocompatibility is a fundamental step in considering its use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze osteoblast cell adhesion and viability on different materials to determine which was more compatible for future bone regeneration. Tridimensional structures were fabricated with hydroxyapatite, collagen, and porous silica. The bovine bone was used as material control. Biocompatibility was determined by seeding primary osteoblasts on each tridimensional structure. Cellular morphology was assessed by SEM and viability through confocal microscopy. Osteoblast colonization was observed on all evaluated materials' surface, revealing they did not elicit osteoblast cytotoxicity. Analyses of four different materials studied with diverse compositions and characteristics showed that adhesiveness was best seen for HA and viability for collagen. In general, the results of this investigation suggest these materials can be used in combination, as scaffolds intended for bone regeneration in dental and medical fields.

Bioprinting of 3D tissues/organs combined with microfluidics

Accompanied by the increasing demand for organ transplants and personalized medicine, recent years have witnessed great developments in the regeneration of tissues/organs, which has benefited from various manufacturing technologies, especially 3D bioprinting. In 3D bioprinting, according to the morphogenesis, cellular microenvironment, and biological functions of the native tissues/organs, cells and biomaterials are printed by layer-by-layer assembly to form 3D bio-functional units. However, there are still substantial differences between existing 3D printed constructs and actual tissues and organs, especially in microscale structures such as vascular networks. By manipulating controllable fluids carrying biomolecules, cells, organisms, or chemical agents, microfluidic techniques aim to integrate biological or chemical functional units into a chip. With its features of biocompatibility, flexible manipulation, and scale integration on the micro/nanoscale, microfluidics has been a tool that has enabled the generation of micro-tissues/organs with precise configurations. With the inspiration of these two technologies, there have been efforts to fabricate functional living tissues and artificial organs with complex structures via a combination of 3D bioprinting and microfluidics, which may lead to unexpected effects. In this review, we discuss advances in microfluidics-assisted bioprinting in the engineering of tissues/organs and provide future perspectives for this combination in the generation of highly biomimetic tissues and organs in vitro.

Current Biosafety Considerations in Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cells can be valuable model systems for drug discovery and modelling human diseases as well as to investigate cellular interactions and molecular events in the early stages of development. Controlling the differentiation of stem cells into specific germ layers provides a potential source of highly specialized cells for therapeutic applications. In recent years, finding individual properties of stem cells such as their ultimate self-renewal capacity and the generation of particular cell lines by differentiation under specific culture conditions underpins the development of regenerative therapies. These futures make stem cells a leading candidate to treat a wide range of diseases. Nevertheless, as with all novel treatments, safety issues are one of the barriers that should be overcome to guarantee the quality of a patient's life after stem cell therapy. Many studies have pointed to a large gap in our knowledge about the therapeutic applications of these cells. This gap clearly shows the importance of biosafety concerns for the current status of cell-based therapies, even more than their therapeutic efficacy. Currently, scientists report that tumorigenicity and immunogenicity are the two most important associated cell-based therapy risks. In principle, intrinsic factors such as cell characteristics and extrinsic elements introduced by manufacturing of stem cells can result in tumor formation and immunological reactions after stem cell transplantation. Therapeutic research shows there are many biological questions regarding safety issues of stem cell clinical applications. Stem cell therapy is a rapidly advancing field that needs to focus more on finding a comprehensive technology for assessing risk. A variety of risk factors (from intrinsic to extrinsic) should be considered for safe clinical stem cell therapies.

Natural marine sponges for bone tissue engineering: The state of art and future perspectives

Marine life and its rich biodiversity provide a plentiful resource of potential new products for the society. Remarkably, marine organisms still remain a largely unexploited resource for biotechnology applications. Among them, marine sponges are sessile animals from the phylum Porifera dated at least from 580 million years ago. It is known that molecules from marine sponges present a huge therapeutic potential in a wide range of applications mainly due to its antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic effects. In this context, this article reviews all the information available in the literature about the potential of the use of marine sponges for bone tissue engineering applications. First, one of the properties that make sponges interesting as bone substitutes is their structural characteristics. Most species have an efficient interconnected porous architecture, which allows them to process a significant amount of water and facilitates the flow of fluids, mimicking an ideal bone scaffold. Second, sponges have an organic component, the spongin, which is analogous to vertebral collagen, the most widely used natural polymer for tissue regeneration. Last, osteogenic properties of marine sponges is also highlighted by their mineral content, such as biosilica and other compounds, that are able to support cell growth and to stimulate bone formation and mineralization. This review focuses on recent studies concerning these interesting properties, as well as on some challenges to be overcome in the bone tissue engineering field. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1717-1727, 2017.

Regulation of cell-based therapeutic products intended for human applications in the EU

AIMS

Recent developments in the field of cell-based therapeutic products (CBTPs) have forced the EU to revise its legislation on therapeutic products by enacting several new legal instruments. In this study, we investigate how CBTPs are regulated and what determines their regulatory classification. Furthermore, we compare the regulatory burden between CBTPs in different product categories.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Product categories covering CBTPs were identified and characteristics critical for the regulatory classification of a CBTP were determined in each category. The effect of the critical characteristics on the classification was evaluated by constructing a decision tree that covers all possible combinations of the critical characteristics. Differences in the regulatory burden between CBTPs were evaluated by comparing regulations crucial for placing a therapeutic product on the EU market between the product categories.

RESULTS

Regulation of CBTPs has been divided between the main product categories of the EU legal framework for therapeutic products on the basis of the characteristics of the cells that the CBTPs contain. The regulatory burden is lowest for CBTPs regulated as blood, cells or tissues, and highest for CBTPs regulated as medicinal products.

CONCLUSION

CBTPs exist in all product categories of the EU legal framework for therapeutic products. However, the current framework does not cover all possible CBTPs. Furthermore, our results indicate that the regulatory burden of a CBTP is related to the risk it may pose to the health and safety of recipients.

The Preparation and Characteristic of PNIPAAm/ Hydrogel Nanocompounds by Radiation Techniqus for Bone Filling Materials and its Cytoxicity

In the paper, high strengthened poly (acrylic acid) NMBA poly (N-isopropylacylamide) (PAA-NMBA-PNIPAAm ) hydrogels were prepared by UV light or γ-ray irradiation method for scaffold material use and application. And the double network (DN) hydrogel can be used as a substitute for nucleus pulposus. The absorption peaks on FTIR show the evidence for the successfulgrafting of PAA-NMBA-PNIPAAm hydrogel material through radiation co-polymerization.The mechanical property assay indicate that the maximum compressive strength of this hydrogel was significantly increased to ~22 MPa when PAA incorporated with both PNIPAAm and NMBA. We also studied the cytoxicity of hydrogels. The results obtained that these composites are more compatible and they they are fitted to appling for biomedical materials.

Scaffold library for tissue engineering: a geometric evaluation

Tissue engineering scaffold is a biological substitute that aims to restore, to maintain, or to improve tissue functions. Currently available manufacturing technology, that is, additive manufacturing is essentially applied to fabricate the scaffold according to the predefined computer aided design (CAD) model. To develop scaffold CAD libraries, the polyhedrons could be used in the scaffold libraries development. In this present study, one hundred and nineteen polyhedron models were evaluated according to the established criteria. The proposed criteria included considerations on geometry, manufacturing feasibility, and mechanical strength of these polyhedrons. CAD and finite element (FE) method were employed as tools in evaluation. The result of evaluation revealed that the close-cellular scaffold included truncated octahedron, rhombicuboctahedron, and rhombitruncated cuboctahedron. In addition, the suitable polyhedrons for using as open-cellular scaffold libraries included hexahedron, truncated octahedron, truncated hexahedron, cuboctahedron, rhombicuboctahedron, and rhombitruncated cuboctahedron. However, not all pore size to beam thickness ratios (PO:BT) were good for making the open-cellular scaffold. The PO:BT ratio of each library, generating the enclosed pore inside the scaffold, was excluded to avoid the impossibility of material removal after the fabrication. The close-cellular libraries presented the constant porosity which is irrespective to the different pore sizes. The relationship between PO:BT ratio and porosity of open-cellular scaffold libraries was displayed in the form of Logistic Power function. The possibility of merging two different types of libraries to produce the composite structure was geometrically evaluated in terms of the intersection index and was mechanically evaluated by means of FE analysis to observe the stress level. The couples of polyhedrons presenting low intersection index and high stress level were excluded. Good couples for producing the reinforced scaffold were hexahedron-truncated hexahedron and cuboctahedron-rhombitruncated cuboctahedron.

Cell Reprogramming, IPS Limitations, and Overcoming Strategies in Dental Bioengineering

The procurement of induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells, from adult differentiated animal cells has the potential to revolutionize future medicine, where reprogrammed IPS cells may be used to repair disease-affected tissues on demand. The potential of IPS cell technology is tremendous, but it will be essential to improve the methodologies for IPS cell generation and to precisely evaluate each clone and subclone of IPS cells for their safety and efficacy. Additionally, the current state of knowledge on IPS cells advises that research on their regenerative properties is carried out in appropriate tissue and organ systems that permit a safe assessment of the long-term behavior of these reprogrammed cells. In the present paper, we discuss the mechanisms of cell reprogramming, current technical limitations of IPS cells for their use in human tissue engineering, and possibilities to overcome them in the particular case of dental regeneration.

Fabrication and material properties of fibrous PHBV scaffolds depending on the cross-ply angle for tissue engineering

Fibrous PHBV cross-ply scaffolds were fabricated using the electrospinning technique. The electrospun fibers were arranged depending on angles of alignment, which were 180°, 90°, 60°, and 45°. The stress and strain values of the fibrous PHBV cross-ply scaffolds increased as the cross-ply angle increased. At 180°, the strength and strain values of the fibers depended on tensile loading directions. At an alignment of 90°, the PHBV scaffolds had a stress value of 3.5 MPa, which was more than two times higher than the random structure. The cell morphology and proliferation of L-929 cells was strongly dependant on the fiber alignment and the best results were observed when the angle alignment was high. The results of this study showed that the cross-ply structure of the PHBV scaffold affected not only the cell adhesion and spreading properties but also dictated the mechanical properties, which were dependent on the angles of alignment.

Anticoagulant surface of 316 L stainless steel modified by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Polished 316 L stainless steel (SS) was first treated with air plasma to enhance surface hydrophilicity and was subsequently allowed to react with 2-(4-chlorosulfonylphenyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane to introduce an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator. Accordingly, the surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGMA) was carried out on the surface of the modified SS. The grafting progress was monitored by water contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The polymer thickness as a function different polymerization times was characterized using a step profiler. The anticoagulative properties of the PEGMA modified SS surface were investigated. The results showed enhanced anticoagulative to acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) blood after grafting PEGMA on the SS surface.

ROMP-Derived cyclooctene-based monolithic polymeric materials reinforced with inorganic nanoparticles for applications in tissue engineering

Porous monolithic inorganic/polymeric hybrid materials have been prepared via ring-opening metathesis copolymerization starting from a highly polar monomer, i.e., cis-5-cyclooctene-trans-1,2-diol and a 7-oxanorborn-2-ene-derived cross-linker in the presence of porogenic solvents and two types of inorganic nanoparticles (i.e., CaCO₃ and calcium hydroxyapatite, respectively) using the third-generation Grubbs initiator RuCl₂(Py)₂(IMesH₂)(CHPh). The physico-chemical properties of the monolithic materials, such as pore size distribution and microhardness were studied with regard to the nanoparticle type and content. Moreover, the reinforced monoliths were tested for the possible use as scaffold materials in tissue engineering, by carrying out cell cultivation experiments with human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells.

Serum regulates adipogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells via MEK/ERK-dependent PPARgamma expression and phosphorylation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) provide us an excellent cellular model to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying adipogenic differentiation of adult stem cells. PPARγ had been considered as an important molecular marker of cells undergoing adipogenic differentiation. Here, we demonstrated that expression and phosphorylation of PPARγ could be found in bone marrow–derived MSCs cultured in expansion medium without any adipogenic additives (dexamethasone, IBMX, insulin or indomethacin). Then, PPARγ was dephosphorylated in MSCs during the process of adipogenic differentiation. We then found that inhibition of MEK activation by specific inhibitor (PD98059) counteracted the PPARγ expression and phosphorylation. However, expression and phosphorylation of PPARγ did not present in MSCs cultured in medium with lower serum concentration. When these MSCs differentiated into adipocytes, no phosphorylation could be detected to accompany the expression of PPARγ. Moreover, exposure of MSCs to higher concentration of serum induced stronger PPARγ expression, and subsequently enhanced their adipogenesis. These data suggested that activation of the MEK/ERK signalling pathway by high serum concentration promoted PPARγ expression and phosphorylation, and subsequently enhanced adipogenic differentiation of MSCs.

Single-cell printing to form three-dimensional lines of olfactory ensheathing cells

Biological laser printing (BioLP) is a unique tool capable of printing high resolution two- and three-dimensional patterns of living mammalian cells, with greater than 95% viability. These results have been extended to primary cultured olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), harvested from adult Sprague-Dawley rats. OECs have been found to provide stimulating environments for neurite outgrowth in spinal cord injury models. BioLP is unique in that small load volumes ( approximately microLs) are required to achieve printing, enabling low numbers of OECs to be harvested, concentrated and printed. BioLP was used to form several 8 mm lines of OECs throughout a multilayer hydrogel scaffold. The line width was as low as 20 microm, with most lines comprising aligned single cells. Fluorescent confocal microscopy was used to determine the functionality of the printed OECs, to monitor interactions between printed OECs, and to determine the extent of cell migration throughout the 3D scaffold. High-resolution printing of low cell count, harvested OECs is an important advancement for in vitro study of cell interactions and functionality. In addition, these cell-printed scaffolds may provide an alternative for spinal cord repair studies, as the single-cell patterns formed here are on relevant size scales for neurite outgrowth.

Controlling the processing of collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Scaffolds are an important aspect of the tissue engineering approach to tissue regeneration. This study shows that it is possible to manufacture scaffolds from type I collagen with or without hydroxyapatite (HA) by critical point drying. The mean pore sizes of the scaffolds can be altered from 44 to 135 microm depending on the precise processing conditions. Such pore sizes span the range that is likely to be required for specific cells. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds have been measured and behave as expected of foam structures. The degradation rate of the scaffolds by collagenase is independent of pore size. Dehydrothermal treatment (DHT), a common method of physically crosslinking collagen, was found to denature the collagen at a temperature of 120 degrees C resulting in a decrease in the scaffold's resistance to collagenase. Hybrid scaffold structures have also been manufactured, which have the potential to be used in the generation of multi-tissue interfaces. Microchannels are neatly incorporated via an indirect solid freeform fabrication (SFF) process, which could aid in reducing the different constraints commonly observed with other scaffolds.

New era in health care: tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is a rapidly expanding field, which applies the principles and methods of physical sciences, life sciences and engineering to understand physiological and pathological systems and to modify and create cells and tissues for therapeutic applications. It has emerged as a rapidly expanding ‘interdisciplinary field’ that is a significant potential alternative wherein tissue and organ failure is addressed by implanting natural, synthetic, or semi synthetic tissue or organ mimics that grow into the required functionality or that are fully functional from the start. This review presents in a comprehensive manner the various considerations for the reconstruction of various tissues and organs as well as the various applications of this young emerging field in different disciplines.

Stem cells and adipose tissue engineering

A large proportion of the plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures performed each year are to repair soft tissue defects that result from traumatic injury, tumor resection, and congenital defects. These defects typically result from the loss of a large volume of adipose tissue. To date, no ideal filler material which is successful in all cases has been developed. Additionally, the success of using autologous fat tissue grafts to repair soft tissue defects has been limited. Researchers are thus investigating strategies to engineer volumes of adipose tissue that may be used in these cases. A necessary component for engineering a viable tissue construct is an appropriate cell source. Attempts to engineer adipose tissue have involved the use of preadipocytes and adipocytes as the base cell source. Increased interest surrounding the research and development of stem cells as a source of cells for tissue engineering has, however, led to a new path of investigation for developing adipose tissue-engineering strategies. This manuscript serves as a review of the current state of adipose tissue-engineering methods and describes the shift toward tissue-engineering strategies using stem cells.

In vivo MR Imaging of Tissue-engineered Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplanted to Mouse: a Preliminary Study

Current progress integrating stem cell biology and tissue engineering techniques has been invaluable to clinical applications. Prior to the application of cellular transplantation technique to patients, we need to establish techniques that can monitor their tissue biodistribution non-invasively. In this study, we proposed an imaging modality using MRI to not only monitor implanted scaffold in vivo, but also to track transplanted cells and behavior around the implant. For this purpose, human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (Feridex) and then labeled hMSCs were cultured in a gelatin sponge used as a scaffold to support cell growth and proliferation. Histological assessment and MTT assay showed that cell labeling with MR contrast agent did not harm cell viability. Also, Feridex-labeled hMSCs showed a significant decrease in T2 signal intensity, even within the gelatin sponge in vitro. After implanting the sponge/cell complex in vivo, we could visualize cellular behavior around the implant over time using a noninvasive MRI modality and this finding was correlated with histological study, which illustrates the potential of a new approach proposed here for in vivo monitoring of implanted cell-based tissue-engineered product.

Piezoelectric ink jet processing of materials for medicaland biological applications

Many advanced medical and biological devices require microscale patterning of cells, proteins, and other biological materials. This article describes the use of piezoelectric ink jet processing in the fabrication of biosensors, cell-based assays, and other microscale medical devices. A microelectromechanical system-based piezoelectric transducer was used to develop uniform fluid flow through nozzles and to prepare well-defined microscale patterns of proteins, monofunctional acrylate ester, sinapinic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and DNA scaffolds on relevant substrates. Our results demonstrate that piezoelectric ink jet deposition is a powerful non-contact, non-destructive additive process for developing biosensors, cell culture systems, and other devices for medical and biological applications.

Jet-based methods to print living cells

Cell printing has been popularized over the past few years as a revolutionary advance in tissue engineering has potentially enabled heterogeneous 3-D scaffolds to be built cell-by-cell. This review article summarizes the state-of-the-art cell printing techniques that utilize fluid jetting phenomena to deposit 2- and 3-D patterns of living eukaryotic cells. There are four distinct categories of jetbased approaches to printing cells. Laser guidance direct write (LG DW) was the first reported technique to print viable cells by forming patterns of embryonic-chick spinal-cord cells on a glass slide (1999). Shortly after this, modified laser-induced forward transfer techniques (LIFT) and modified ink jet printers were also used to print viable cells, followed by the most recent demonstration using an electrohydrodynamic jetting (EHDJ) method. The low cost of some of these printing technologies has spurred debate as to whether they could be used on a large scale to manufacture tissue and possibly even whole organs. This review summarizes the published results of these cell printers (cell viability, retained genotype and phenotype), and also includes a physical description of the various jetting processes with a discussion of the stresses and forces that may be encountered by cells during printing. We conclude the review by comparing and contrasting the different jet-based techniques, while providing a map for future experiments that could lead to significant advances in the field of tissue engineering.

Transmission of mitochondrial DNA following assisted reproduction and nuclear transfer

Mitochondria are the organelles responsible for producing the majority of a cell's ATP and also play an essential role in gamete maturation and embryo development. ATP production within the mitochondria is dependent on proteins encoded by both the nuclear and the mitochondrial genomes, therefore co-ordination between the two genomes is vital for cell survival. To assist with this co-ordination, cells normally contain only one type of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) termed homoplasmy. Occasionally, however, two or more types of mtDNA are present termed heteroplasmy. This can result from a combination of mutant and wild-type mtDNA molecules or from a combination of wild-type mtDNA variants. As heteroplasmy can result in mitochondrial disease, various mechanisms exist in the natural fertilization process to ensure the maternal-only transmission of mtDNA and the maintenance of homoplasmy in future generations. However, there is now an increasing use of invasive oocyte reconstruction protocols, which tend to bypass mechanisms for the maintenance of homoplasmy, potentially resulting in the transmission of either form of mtDNA heteroplasmy. Indeed, heteroplasmy caused by combinations of wild-type variants has been reported following cytoplasmic transfer (CT) in the human and following nuclear transfer (NT) in various animal species. Other techniques, such as germinal vesicle transfer and pronuclei transfer, have been proposed as methods of preventing transmission of mitochondrial diseases to future generations. However, resulting embryos and offspring may contain mtDNA heteroplasmy, which itself could result in mitochondrial disease. It is therefore essential that uniparental transmission of mtDNA is ensured before these techniques are used therapeutically.