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de Lima CB, do Amaral DT, Ispada J, Dos Santos ÉC, Fontes PK, Nogueira MFG, Milazzotto MP. Dynamics of transcription is affected by oxygen tension and developmental speed during in vitro production of bovine embryos. Reprod Domest Anim 2024; 59:e14620. [PMID: 38798166 DOI: 10.1111/rda.14620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
This study examines the impact of oxygen tension and embryo kinetics on gene transcription dynamics in pathways crucial for embryonic preimplantation development, including lipid metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, mitochondrial function, stress response, apoptosis and transcription regulation. Bovine embryos were generated in vitro and allocated into two groups based on oxygen tension (20% or 5%) at 18 h post insemination (hpi). At 40 hpi, embryos were categorized into Fast (≥4 cells) or Slow (2 cells) groups, resulting in four experimental groups: FCL20, FCL5, SCL20 and SCL5. Embryo collection also occurred at 72 hpi (16-cell stage; groups FMO20, FMO5, SMO20 and SMO5) and at 168 hpi (expanded blastocyst (BL) stage; groups FBL20, FBL5, SBL20 and SBL5). Pools of three embryos per group were analysed in four replicates using inventoried TaqMan assays specific for Bos taurus, targeting 93 genes. Gene expression patterns were analysed using the K-means algorithm, revealing three main clusters: genes with low relative abundance at the cleavage (CL) and 16-cell morula (MO) stages but increased at the BL stage (cluster 1); genes with higher abundances at CL but decreasing at MO and BL (cluster 2); and genes with low levels at CL, higher levels at MO and decreased levels at BL (cluster 3). Within each cluster, genes related to epigenetic mechanisms, cell differentiation events and glucose metabolism were particularly influenced by differences in developmental kinetics and oxygen tension. Fast-developing embryos, particularly those cultured under low oxygen tension, exhibited transcript dynamics more closely resembling that reported in vivo-produced embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Bruna de Lima
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction, Développement et Santé Intergénérationnelle (CRDSI), Département des Sciences Animales, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
- Laboratory of Embryonic Metabolism and Epigenetic, Center of Natural and Human Science, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Jéssica Ispada
- Laboratory of Embryonic Metabolism and Epigenetic, Center of Natural and Human Science, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
| | - Érika Cristina Dos Santos
- Laboratory of Embryonic Metabolism and Epigenetic, Center of Natural and Human Science, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Kubo Fontes
- Laboratory of Embryonic Metabolism and Epigenetic, Center of Natural and Human Science, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Fábio Gouveia Nogueira
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Sciences and Languages, São Paulo State University, Campus Assis, Assis, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcella Pecora Milazzotto
- Laboratory of Embryonic Metabolism and Epigenetic, Center of Natural and Human Science, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil
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2
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Scatolin GN, Ming H, Wang Y, Iyyappan R, Gutierrez-Castillo E, Zhu L, Sagheer M, Song C, Bondioli K, Jiang Z. Single-cell transcriptional landscapes of bovine peri-implantation development. iScience 2024; 27:109605. [PMID: 38633001 PMCID: PMC11022056 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Supporting healthy pregnancy outcomes requires a comprehensive understanding of the molecular and cellular programs of peri-implantation development, when most pregnancy failure occurs. Here, we present single-cell transcriptomes of bovine peri-implantation embryo development at day 12, 14, 16, and 18 post-fertilization. We defined the cellular composition and gene expression of embryonic disc, hypoblast, and trophoblast lineages in bovine peri-implantation embryos, and identified markers and pathway signaling that represent distinct stages of bovine peri-implantation lineages; the expression of selected markers was validated in peri-implantation embryos. Using detailed time-course transcriptomic analyses, we revealed a previously unrecognized primitive trophoblast cell lineage. We also characterized conserved and divergence peri-implantation lineage programs between bovine and other mammalian species. Finally, we established cell-cell communication signaling underlies embryonic and extraembryonic cell interaction to ensure proper early development. These data provide foundational information to discover essential biological signaling underpinning bovine peri-implantation development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hao Ming
- Department of Animal Sciences, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Yinjuan Wang
- School of Animal Sciences, AgCenter, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Rajan Iyyappan
- Department of Animal Sciences, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | | | - Linkai Zhu
- Department of Animal Sciences, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Masroor Sagheer
- Department of Animal Sciences, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Chao Song
- Department of Animal Sciences, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Kenneth Bondioli
- School of Animal Sciences, AgCenter, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Zongliang Jiang
- Department of Animal Sciences, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Aguila L, Nociti RP, Sampaio RV, Therrien J, Meirelles FV, Felmer RN, Smith LC. Haploid androgenetic development of bovine embryos reveals imbalanced WNT signaling and impaired cell fate differentiation†. Biol Reprod 2023; 109:821-838. [PMID: 37788061 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioad124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Haploid embryos have contributed significantly to our understanding of the role of parental genomes in development and can be applied to important biotechnology for human and animal species. However, development to the blastocyst stage is severely hindered in bovine haploid androgenetic embryos (hAE). To further our understanding of such developmental arrest, we performed a comprehensive comparison of the transcriptomic profile of morula-stage embryos, which were validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) of transcripts associated with differentiation in haploid and biparental embryos. Among numerous disturbances, results showed that pluripotency pathways, especially the wingless-related integration site (WNT) signaling, were particularly unbalanced in hAE. Moreover, transcript levels of KLF4, NANOG, POU5F1, SOX2, CDX2, CTNNBL1, AXIN2, and GSK3B were noticeably altered in hAE, suggesting disturbance of pluripotency and canonical WNT pathways. To evaluate the role of WNT on hAE competence, we exposed early Day-5 morula stage embryos to the GSK3B inhibitor CHIR99021. Although no alterations were observed in pluripotency and WNT-related transcripts, exposure to CHIR99021 improved their ability to reach the blastocysts stage, confirming the importance of the WNT pathway in the developmental outcome of bovine hAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Aguila
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité (CRRF), Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Laboratory of Reproduction, Centre of Reproductive Biotechnology (CEBIOR-BIOREN), Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Ricardo P Nociti
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité (CRRF), Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Food Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rafael V Sampaio
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité (CRRF), Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Jacinthe Therrien
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité (CRRF), Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Flavio V Meirelles
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Food Engineering, University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo N Felmer
- Laboratory of Reproduction, Centre of Reproductive Biotechnology (CEBIOR-BIOREN), Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | - Lawrence C Smith
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction et Fértilité (CRRF), Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
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Rabaglino MB, Forde N, Besenfelder U, Havlicek V, Blum H, Graf A, Wolf E, Lonergan P. Maternal metabolic status and in-vitro culture conditions during embryonic genome activation deregulate the expression of energy-related genes in the bovine 16-cells embryo. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290689. [PMID: 37624829 PMCID: PMC10456174 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular consequences of the metabolic stress caused by milk production of dairy cows in the early embryo are largely unknown. The objective was to determine the impact of dam metabolic status or in vitro culture during embryonic genome activation (EGA) on the transcriptomic profiles of bovine 16-cell stage embryos. Two days after synchronized oestrus, in vitro produced 2- to 4-cell stage embryos were endoscopically transferred in pools of 50 into the oviduct ipsilateral to the corpus luteum of lactating (LACT, n = 3) or nonlactating (i.e. dried off immediately at calving; DRY, n = 3) dairy cows. On Day 4, the oviducts were flushed to recover the embryos. Pools of five Day-2 embryos (n = 5) and Day-4 16-cell stage embryos obtained in vitro (n = 3) or from LACT or DRY cows were subjected to RNAseq. Temporally differentially expressed genes (DEG; FDR<0.05) between Day-2 and Day-4 embryos were determined considering the differences between the three conditions under which EGA occurred. Also, DEG between Day-4 embryos derived from the three conditions were identified. Functional analysis of the temporal DEG demonstrated that genes involved in ribosome, translation and oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria were strongly more expressed in Day-4 than Day-2 embryos. Comparison of Day-4 embryos that underwent EGA in vitro, or in LACT or DRY cows, identified DEG enriching for mitochondrial respiration and protein translation, including the mTOR pathway. In conclusion, exposure of the embryo to an unfavourable maternal metabolic status during EGA influences its transcriptome and potentially the competence for pregnancy establishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria B. Rabaglino
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Niamh Forde
- Division of Reproduction and Early Development, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Urban Besenfelder
- Reproduction Centre Wieselburg RCW, Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vitezslav Havlicek
- Reproduction Centre Wieselburg RCW, Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Blum
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, Gene Center, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander Graf
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, Gene Center, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Eckhard Wolf
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, Gene Center, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Patrick Lonergan
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Scatolin GN, Ming H, Wang Y, Zhu L, Castillo EG, Bondioli K, Jiang Z. Single-cell transcriptional landscapes of bovine peri-implantation development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.13.544813. [PMID: 37398069 PMCID: PMC10312721 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.13.544813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Supporting healthy pregnancy outcomes requires a comprehensive understanding of the cellular hierarchy and underlying molecular mechanisms during peri-implantation development. Here, we present a single-cell transcriptome-wide view of the bovine peri-implantation embryo development at day 12, 14, 16 and 18, when most of the pregnancy failure occurs in cattle. We defined the development and dynamic progression of cellular composition and gene expression of embryonic disc, hypoblast, and trophoblast lineages during bovine peri-implantation development. Notably, the comprehensive transcriptomic mapping of trophoblast development revealed a previously unrecognized primitive trophoblast cell lineage that is responsible for pregnancy maintenance in bovine prior to the time when binucleate cells emerge. We analyzed novel markers for the cell lineage development during bovine early development. We also identified cell-cell communication signaling underling embryonic and extraembryonic cell interaction to ensure proper early development. Collectively, our work provides foundational information to discover essential biological pathways underpinning bovine peri-implantation development and the molecular causes of the early pregnancy failure during this critical period. Significance Statement Peri-implantation development is essential for successful reproduction in mammalian species, and cattle have a unique process of elongation that proceeds for two weeks prior to implantation and represents a period when many pregnancies fail. Although the bovine embryo elongation has been studied histologically, the essential cellular and molecular factors governing lineage differentiation remain unexplored. This study profiled the transcriptome of single cells in the bovine peri-implantation development throughout day 12, 14, 16, and 18, and identified peri-implantation stage-related features of cell lineages. The candidate regulatory genes, factors, pathways and embryonic and extraembryonic cell interactions were also prioritized to ensure proper embryo elongation in cattle.
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6
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Rocha RDFB, Garcia AO, Otto PI, da Silva MVB, Martins MF, Machado MA, Panetto JCDC, Guimarães SEF. Runs of homozygosity and signatures of selection for number of oocytes and embryos in the Gir Indicine cattle. Mamm Genome 2023:10.1007/s00335-023-09989-w. [PMID: 37000236 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-023-09989-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
Runs of homozygosity (ROH) and signatures of selection are the results of selection processes in livestock species that have been shown to affect several traits in cattle. The aim of the current work was to verify the profile of ROH and inbreeding depression in the number of total (TO) and viable oocytes (VO) and the number of embryos (EMBR) in Gir Indicine cattle. In addition, we aim to identify signatures of selection, genes, and enriched regions between Gir subpopulations sorted by breeding value for these traits. The genotype file contained 2093 animals and 420,718 SNP markers. Breeding values used to sort Gir animals were previously obtained. ROH and signature of selection analyses were performed using PLINK software, followed by ROH-based (FROH) and pedigree-based inbreeding (Fped) and a search for genes and their functions. An average of 50 ± 8.59 ROHs were found per animal. ROHs were separated into classes according to size, ranging from 1 to 2 Mb (ROH1-2Mb: 58.17%), representing ancient inbreeding, ROH2-4Mb (22.74%), ROH4-8Mb (11.34%), ROH8-16Mb (5.51%), and ROH>16Mb (2.24%). Combining our results, we conclude that the increase in general FROH and Fped significantly decreases TO and VO; however, in different chromosomes traits can increase or decrease with FROH. In the analysis for signatures of selection, we identified 15 genes from 47 significant genomic regions, indicating differences in populations with high and low breeding value for the three traits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pamela Itajara Otto
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
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Zhou C, Halstead MM, Bonnet‐Garnier A, Schultz RM, Ross PJ. Histone remodeling reflects conserved mechanisms of bovine and human preimplantation development. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e55726. [PMID: 36779365 PMCID: PMC9986824 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202255726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
How histone modifications regulate changes in gene expression during preimplantation development in any species remains poorly understood. Using CUT&Tag to overcome limiting amounts of biological material, we profiled two activating (H3K4me3 and H3K27ac) and two repressive (H3K9me3 and H3K27me3) marks in bovine oocytes, 2-, 4-, and 8-cell embryos, morula, blastocysts, inner cell mass, and trophectoderm. In oocytes, broad bivalent domains mark developmental genes, and prior to embryonic genome activation (EGA), H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 co-occupy gene bodies, suggesting a global mechanism for transcription repression. During EGA, chromatin accessibility is established before canonical H3K4me3 and H3K27ac signatures. Embryonic transcription is required for this remodeling, indicating that maternally provided products alone are insufficient for reprogramming. Last, H3K27me3 plays a major role in restriction of cellular potency, as blastocyst lineages are defined by differential polycomb repression and transcription factor activity. Notably, inferred regulators of EGA and blastocyst formation strongly resemble those described in humans, as opposed to mice. These similarities suggest that cattle are a better model than rodents to investigate the molecular basis of human preimplantation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Zhou
- Department of Animal Science University of CaliforniaDavisCAUSA
| | - Michelle M Halstead
- Université Paris‐Saclay, UVSQ, INRAE, BREEDJouy‐en‐JosasFrance
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, BREEDMaisons‐AlfortFrance
| | - Amélie Bonnet‐Garnier
- Université Paris‐Saclay, UVSQ, INRAE, BREEDJouy‐en‐JosasFrance
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, BREEDMaisons‐AlfortFrance
| | - Richard M Schultz
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCAUSA
- Department of BiologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Pablo J Ross
- Department of Animal Science University of CaliforniaDavisCAUSA
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Zhai Y, Yu H, An X, Zhang Z, Zhang M, Zhang S, Li Q, Li Z. Profiling the transcriptomic signatures and identifying the patterns of zygotic genome activation - a comparative analysis between early porcine embryos and their counterparts in other three mammalian species. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:772. [PMID: 36434523 PMCID: PMC9700911 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-09015-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transcriptional changes around zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in preimplantation embryos are critical for studying mechanisms of embryonic developmental arrest and searching for key transcription factors. However, studies on the transcription profile of porcine ZGA are limited. RESULTS In this study, we performed RNA sequencing in porcine in vivo developed (IVV) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryo at different stages and compared the transcriptional activity of porcine embryos with mouse, bovine and human embryos. The results showed that the transcriptome map of the early porcine embryos was significantly changed at the 4-cell stage, and 5821 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SCNT embryos failed to be reprogrammed or activated during ZGA, which mainly enrichment to metabolic pathways. c-MYC was identified as the highest expressed transcription factor during ZGA. By treating with 10,058-F4, an inhibitor of c-MYC, the cleavage rate (38.33 ± 3.4%) and blastocyst rate (23.33 ± 4.3%) of porcine embryos were significantly lower than those of the control group (50.82 ± 2.7% and 34.43 ± 1.9%). Cross-species analysis of transcriptome during ZGA showed that pigs and bovines had the highest similarity coefficient in biological processes. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that there were 10 co-shared pathways in the four species. CONCLUSIONS Our results reveal that embryos with impaired developmental competence may be arrested at an early stage of development. c-MYC helps promote ZGA and preimplantation embryonic development in pigs. Pigs and bovines have the highest coefficient of similarity in biological processes during ZGA. This study provides an important reference for further studying the reprogramming regulatory mechanism of porcine embryos during ZGA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhui Zhai
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 China
| | - Hao Yu
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735College of Animal Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130062 Jilin China
| | - Xinglan An
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 China
| | - Zhiren Zhang
- grid.452930.90000 0004 1757 8087Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai hospital affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, 519000 Guangdong China
| | - Meng Zhang
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 China
| | - Sheng Zhang
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 China
| | - Qi Li
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 China
| | - Ziyi Li
- grid.64924.3d0000 0004 1760 5735Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of Ministry of Education, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021 China
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Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression after transcription. miRNAs are present in transcriptionally quiescent full-grown oocytes and preimplantation embryos that display a low level of transcription prior to embryonic genome activation. The role of miRNAs, if any, in preimplantation development is not known. The temporal pattern of expression of miRNAs during bovine preimplantation development was determined by small RNA-sequencing using eggs and preimplantation embryos (1-cell, 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, 16-cell, morula, and blastocyst). Embryos cultured in the presence of α-amanitin, which permitted the distinguishing of maternal miRNAs from embryonic miRNAs, indicated that embryonic miRNA expression was first detected at the two-cell stage but dramatically increased during the morula and blastocyst stages. Targeting DGCR8 by a small-interfering RNA/morpholino approach revealed a role for miRNAs in the morula-to-blastocyst transition. Knockdown of DGCR8 not only inhibited expression of embryonically expressed miRNAs but also inhibited the morula-to-blastocyst transition. In addition, RNA-sequencing identified an increased relative abundance of messenger RNAs potentially targeted by embryonic miRNAs in DGCR8-knockdown embryos when compared with controls. Results from these experiments implicate an essential role for miRNAs in bovine preimplantation embryo development.
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Pluripotency transcription factor levels in sheep embryos correlate with mRNA regulatory elements. Livest Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Goszczynski DE, Tinetti PS, Choi YH, Hinrichs K, Ross PJ. Genome activation in equine in vitro-produced embryos. Biol Reprod 2021; 106:66-82. [PMID: 34515744 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic genome activation is a critical event in embryo development, in which the transcriptional program of the embryo is initiated. The timing and regulation of this process are species-specific. In vitro embryo production is becoming an important clinical and research tool in the horse; however, very little is known about genome activation in this species. The objective of this work was to identify the timing of genome activation, and the transcriptional networks involved, in in vitro-produced horse embryos. RNA-Seq was performed on oocytes and embryos at eight stages of development (MII, zygote, 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, 16-cell, morula, blastocyst; n = 6 per stage, 2 from each of 3 mares). Transcription of seven genes was initiated at the 2-cell stage. The first substantial increase in gene expression occurred at the 4-cell stage (minor activation), followed by massive gene upregulation and downregulation at the 8-cell stage (major activation). An increase in intronic nucleotides, indicative of transcription initiation, was also observed at the 4-cell stage. Co-expression network analyses identified groups of genes that appeared to be regulated by common mechanisms. Investigation of hub genes and binding motifs enriched in the promoters of co-expressed genes implicated several transcription factors. This work represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first genomic evaluation of embryonic genome activation in horse embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Goszczynski
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - P S Tinetti
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Y H Choi
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - K Hinrichs
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - P J Ross
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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Deng M, Chen B, Liu Z, Cai Y, Wan Y, Zhang G, Fan Y, Zhang Y, Wang F. YTHDF2 Regulates Maternal Transcriptome Degradation and Embryo Development in Goat. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:580367. [PMID: 33117808 PMCID: PMC7552740 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.580367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal mRNA clearance is critical for the early embryo development, which is under the tight control of RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A). However, little information is known regarding the maternal mRNA clearance and mechanisms behind it in farm animals. In the present study, 3362 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found during the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) and determined as maternal mRNAs in goat. Of which, 1961 was decreased at the 4-cell stage embryos, while 1401 was trigged down-regulation at the 8-cell stage embryos, which were termed as maternally encoded mRNA decay genes and zygotic genome activation (ZGA)-dependent maternal mRNAs, respectively. The expression of m6A reader YTHDF2 was increased during goat ZGA, and knockdown of YTHDF2 resulted in decreased blastocyst rate. In the 8-cell stage YTHDF2 knockdown embryos, the M-decay and Z-decay maternal mRNA clearance were impaired. Specifically, the expression of deadenylase (CNOT1 and CNOT11) and decapping enzymes (DCP1A and DCP2) was decreased. In conclusion, we ascertained maternal mRNAs and inferred that maternal mRNA clearance is also ZGA-dependent in goat. We reported that YTHDF2 is vital for goat early embryogenesis as it advances maternal mRNA clearance, which might through the recruitment of deadenylases and mRNA decapping enzymes. This work will be of great value for understanding the stochastic reprogramming events during MZT and achieving better development of goat embryos in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingtian Deng
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - BaoBao Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zifei Liu
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yu Cai
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yongjie Wan
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guomin Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yixuan Fan
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanli Zhang
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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Chromatin remodeling in bovine embryos indicates species-specific regulation of genome activation. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4654. [PMID: 32943640 PMCID: PMC7498599 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18508-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The shift from maternal to embryonic control is a critical developmental milestone in preimplantation development. Widespread transcriptomic and epigenetic remodeling facilitate this transition from terminally differentiated gametes to totipotent blastomeres, but the identity of transcription factors (TF) and genomic elements regulating embryonic genome activation (EGA) are poorly defined. The timing of EGA is species-specific, e.g., the timing of murine and human EGA differ significantly. To deepen our understanding of mammalian EGA, here we profile changes in open chromatin during bovine preimplantation development. Before EGA, open chromatin is enriched for maternal TF binding, similar to that observed in humans and mice. During EGA, homeobox factor binding becomes more prevalent and requires embryonic transcription. A cross-species comparison of open chromatin during preimplantation development reveals strong similarity in the regulatory circuitry underlying bovine and human EGA compared to mouse. Moreover, TFs associated with murine EGA are not enriched in cattle or humans, indicating that cattle may be a more informative model for human preimplantation development than mice. Preimplantation embryos undergo extensive transcriptomic and epigenomic remodeling. Here the authors assay open chromatin in bovine oocytes, embryos, and embryonic stem cells, and compare the transcriptomes and epigenomes of cattle, human and mouse embryos, revealing species-specific regulation of genome activation.
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