Reduced chromosome cohesion measured by interkinetochore distance is associated with aneuploidy even in oocytes from young mice

Age-dependent aneuploidy in mammalian oocytes instigated at the second meiotic division

Ageing severely affects the chromosome segregation process in human oocytes resulting in aneuploidy, infertility and developmental disorders. A considerable amount of segregation errors in humans are introduced at the second meiotic division. We have here compared the chromosome segregation process in young adult and aged female mice during the second meiotic division. More than half of the oocytes in aged mice displayed chromosome segregation irregularities at anaphase II, resulting in dramatically increased level of aneuploidy in haploid gametes, from 4% in young adult mice to 30% in aged mice. We find that the post‐metaphase II process that efficiently corrects aberrant kinetochore‐microtubule attachments in oocytes in young adult mice is approximately 10‐fold less efficient in aged mice, in particular affecting chromosomes that show small inter‐centromere distances at the metaphase II stage in aged mice. Our results reveal that post‐metaphase II processes have critical impact on age‐dependent aneuploidy in mammalian eggs.

Why is oocyte aneuploidy increased with maternal aging?

One of the main causes of pregnancy failure and fetus abortion is oocyte aneuploidy, which is increased with maternal aging. Numerous possible causes of oocyte aneuploidy in aged women have been proposed, including cross-over formation defect, cohesin loss, spindle deformation, spindle assembly checkpoint malfunction, microtubule-kinetochore attachment failure, kinetochore mis-orientation, mitochondria dysfunction-induced increases in reactive oxygen species, protein over-acetylation, and DNA damage. However, it still needs to be answered if these aneuploidization factors have inherent relations, and how to prevent chromosome aneuploidy in aged oocytes. Epidemiologically, oocyte aneuploidy has been found to be weakly associated with higher homocysteine concentrations, obesity, ionizing radiation and even seasonality. In this review, we summarize the research progress and present an integrated view of oocyte aneuploidization.

The horse as a natural model to study reproductive aging-induced aneuploidy and weakened centromeric cohesion in oocytes

Aneuploidy of meiotic origin is a major contributor to age-related subfertility and an increased risk of miscarriage in women. Although age-related aneuploidy has been studied in rodents, the mare may be a more appropriate animal model to study reproductive aging. Similar to women, aged mares show reduced fertility and an increased incidence of early pregnancy loss; however, it is not known whether aging predisposes to aneuploidy in equine oocytes. We evaluated the effect of advanced mare age on (1) gene expression for cohesin components, (2) incidence of aneuploidy and (3) chromosome centromere cohesion (measured as the distance between sister kinetochores) in oocytes matured in vitro. Oocytes from aged mares showed reduced gene expression for the centromere cohesion stabilizing protein, Shugoshin 1. Moreover, in vitro matured oocytes from aged mares showed a higher incidence of aneuploidy and premature sister chromatid separation, and weakened centromeric cohesion. We therefore propose the mare as a valid model for studying effects of aging on centromeric cohesion; cohesion loss predisposes to disintegration of bivalents and premature separation of sister chromatids during the first meiotic division, leading to embryonic aneuploidy; this probably contributes to the reduced fertility and increased incidence of pregnancy loss observed in aged mares.

The role of Anaphase Promoting Complex activation, inhibition and substrates in cancer development and progression

The Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC), a multi-subunit ubiquitin ligase, facilitates mitotic and G1 progression, and is now recognized to play a role in maintaining genomic stability. Many APC substrates have been observed overexpressed in multiple cancer types, such as CDC20, the Aurora A and B kinases, and Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1), suggesting APC activity is important for cell health. We performed BioGRID analyses of the APC coactivators CDC20 and CDH1, which revealed that at least 69 proteins serve as APC substrates, with 60 of them identified as playing a role in tumor promotion and 9 involved in tumor suppression. While these substrates and their association with malignancies have been studied in isolation, the possibility exists that generalized APC dysfunction could result in the inappropriate stabilization of multiple APC targets, thereby changing tumor behavior and treatment responsiveness. It is also possible that the APC itself plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis through its regulation of mitotic progression. In this review the connections between APC activity and dysregulation will be discussed with regards to cell cycle dysfunction and chromosome instability in cancer, along with the individual roles that the accumulation of various APC substrates may play in cancer progression.

A comparative analysis of methods to measure kinetochore-microtubule attachment stability

During mitosis, spindle microtubules dynamically attach to and detach from kinetochores in a precise and regulated fashion. To ensure mitotic fidelity, kinetochore-microtubule (k-MT) attachments must be stable enough to satisfy the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), but sufficiently unstable to facilitate the correction of maloriented attachments. Different methods are available to assess k-MT stability in both live and fixed cells, but a comparative survey of these methods has not yet been reported. Here, we evaluate several quantitative and semiquantitative methods for determining k-MT stability and apply each technique to illustrate changes in spindle microtubule dynamics upon perturbation with physiologically relevant concentrations of microtubule stabilizing (Taxol) and destabilizing (UMK57 and nocodazole) compounds. We discuss the utility of each technique for defining specific features of spindle microtubule dynamics and k-MT attachment stability.

Prolonged ovarian storage of mature Drosophila oocytes dramatically increases meiotic spindle instability

Human oocytes frequently generate aneuploid embryos that subsequently miscarry. In contrast, Drosophila oocytes from outbred laboratory stocks develop fully regardless of maternal age. Since mature Drosophila oocytes are not extensively stored in the ovary under laboratory conditions like they are in the wild, we developed a system to investigate how storage affects oocyte quality. The developmental capacity of stored mature Drosophila oocytes decays in a precise manner over 14 days at 25°C. These oocytes are transcriptionally inactive and persist using ongoing translation of stored mRNAs. Ribosome profiling revealed a progressive 2.3-fold decline in average translational efficiency during storage that correlates with oocyte functional decay. Although normal bipolar meiotic spindles predominate during the first week, oocytes stored for longer periods increasingly show tripolar, monopolar and other spindle defects, and give rise to embryos that fail to develop due to aneuploidy. Thus, meiotic chromosome segregation in mature Drosophila oocytes is uniquely sensitive to prolonged storage. Our work suggests the chromosome instability of human embryos could be mitigated by reducing the period of time mature human oocytes are stored in the ovary prior to ovulation.

Histologic analysis and lipid profiling reveal reproductive age-associated changes in peri-ovarian adipose tissue

BACKGROUND

Reproductive aging is a robust phenotype that occurs in all females and is characterized by a significant reduction in gamete quantity and quality, which can have negative consequences on both endocrine function and fertility. Age-associated differences in the oocyte, follicle, and ovary have been well-documented, but how the broader environment changes with age is less well understood. Fat is one of the largest organs in the body, and peri-gonadal adipose tissue surrounds the rodent ovary and comprises a local ovarian environment. The goal of this study was to characterize how peri-ovarian adipose tissue changes with advanced reproductive age.

METHODS

We isolated peri-gonadal adipose tissue from two cohorts of CB6F1 mice: reproductively young (6-12 weeks) and reproductively old (14-17 months). A comparative histological analysis was performed to evaluate adipocyte architecture. We then extracted lipids from the tissue and performed multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-profiling, a mass spectrometry-based method of metabolite profiling, to compare the lipid profiles of peri-gonadal adipose tissue in these age cohorts.

RESULTS

We found that advanced reproductive age was associated with adipocyte hypertrophy and a corresponding decrease in the number of adipocytes per area. Of the 10 lipid classes examined, triacylglycerols (TAGs) had significantly different profiles between young and old cohorts, despite quantitative analysis revealing a decrease in the total amount of TAGs per weight of peri-gonadal adipose tissue with age.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings pinpoint age-associated physiological changes in peri-gonadal adipose tissue with respect to adipocyte morphology and lipid profiles and lay the foundation for future studies to examine how these alterations may influence both adipocyte and ovarian function.

Meiotic spindle assembly checkpoint and aneuploidy in males versus females

The production of gametes (sperm and eggs in mammals) involves two sequential cell divisions, meiosis I and meiosis II. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes segregate to different daughter cells, and meiosis II resembles mitotic divisions in that sister chromatids separate. While in principle the process is identical in males and females, the time frame and susceptibility to chromosomal defects, including achiasmy and cohesion weakening, and the response to mis-segregating chromosomes are not. In this review, we compare and contrast meiotic spindle assembly checkpoint function and aneuploidy in the two sexes.

Motoring through: the role of kinesin superfamily proteins in female meiosis

BACKGROUND

The kinesin motor protein family consists of 14 distinct subclasses and 45 kinesin proteins in humans. A large number of these proteins, or their orthologues, have been shown to possess essential function(s) in both the mitotic and the meiotic cell cycle. Kinesins have important roles in chromosome separation, microtubule dynamics, spindle formation, cytokinesis and cell cycle progression. This article contains a review of the literature with respect to the role of kinesin motor proteins in female meiosis in model species. Throughout, we discuss the function of each class of kinesin proteins during oocyte meiosis, and where such data are not available their role in mitosis is considered. Finally, the review highlights the potential clinical importance of this family of proteins for human oocyte quality.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE

To examine the role of kinesin motor proteins in oocyte meiosis.

SEARCH METHODS

A search was performed on the Pubmed database for journal articles published between January 1970 and February 2017. Search terms included 'oocyte kinesin' and 'meiosis kinesin' in addition to individual kinesin names with the terms oocyte or meiosis.

OUTCOMES

Within human cells 45 kinesin motor proteins have been discovered, with the role of only 13 of these proteins, or their orthologues, investigated in female meiosis. Furthermore, of these kinesins only half have been examined in mammalian oocytes, despite alterations occurring in gene transcripts or protein expression with maternal ageing, cryopreservation or behavioral conditions, such as binge drinking, for many of them.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

Kinesin motor proteins have distinct and important roles throughout oocyte meiosis in many non-mammalian model species. However, the functions these proteins have in mammalian meiosis, particularly in humans, are less clear owing to lack of research. This review brings to light the need for more experimental investigation of kinesin motor proteins, particularly those associated with maternal ageing, cryopreservation or exposure to environmental toxicants.

Chromosome biorientation and APC activity remain uncoupled in oocytes with reduced volume

Lane and Jones use serial bisection of mouse oocytes to analyze the influence of cytoplasmic volume on spindle assembly checkpoint function. Volume reduction promotes inhibition of APC but cannot prevent chromosome segregation errors at anaphase.

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) prevents chromosome missegregation by coupling anaphase onset with correct chromosome attachment and tension to microtubules. It does this by generating a diffusible signal from free kinetochores into the cytoplasm, inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex (APC). The volume in which this signal remains effective is unknown. This raises the possibility that cell volume may be the reason the SAC is weak, and chromosome segregation error-prone, in mammalian oocytes. Here, by a process of serial bisection, we analyzed the influence of oocyte volume on the ability of the SAC to inhibit bivalent segregation in meiosis I. We were able to generate oocytes with cytoplasmic volumes reduced by 86% and observed changes in APC activity consistent with increased SAC control. However, bivalent biorientation remained uncoupled from APC activity, leading to error-prone chromosome segregation. We conclude that volume is one factor contributing to SAC weakness in oocytes. However, additional factors likely uncouple chromosome biorientation with APC activity.

Decrease in expression of maternal effect gene Mater is associated with maternal ageing in mice

STUDY HYPOTHESIS

What factors in mouse oocytes are involved in the ageing-related decline in oocyte quality?

STUDY FINDING

The maternal effect gene Mater is involved in ageing-related oocyte quality decline in mice.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Premature loss of centromere cohesion is a hallmark of ageing-related oocyte quality decline; the maternal effect gene Mater (maternal antigen that embryos require, also known as Nlrp5) is required for preimplantation embryo development beyond the 2-cell stage, and mRNA expression of Mater decreases with maternal ageing.

STUDY DESIGN, SAMPLES/MATERIALS, METHODS

Mater protein expression level in mature oocytes from 7 young (5-8 weeks old) to 7 old mice (41-68 weeks old) was compared by immunoblotting analysis. Wild-type and Mater-null mice were used to examine whether Mater is necessary for maintaining normal centromere cohesion by means of cytogenetic karyotyping, time-lapse confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence staining.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Mater protein is decreased in mature oocytes from old versus young mice (P = 0.0022). Depletion of Mater from oocytes leads to a reduction in centromere cohesion, manifested by precocious sister chromatid separation, enlargement of sister centromere distance and misalignment of chromosomes in the metaphase plate during meiosis I and II.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

This study was conducted in mice. Whether or not the results are applicable to human remains further elucidation. In addition, we were unable to confirm if the strain of mice (C57BL/6XSv129) at the age of 41-68 weeks old has the 'cohesin-loss' phenotype.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Investigating Mater's functional mechanisms could provide fresh insights into understanding how the ageing-related oocyte quality decline occurs.

LARGE SCALE DATA

N/A.

STUDY FUNDING AND COMPETING INTERESTS

This work was supported by the research grant from Chinese NSFC to P.Z. (31071274). We have no conflict of interests to declare.

Unique geometry of sister kinetochores in human oocytes during meiosis I may explain maternal age-associated increases in chromosomal abnormalities

The first meiotic division in human oocytes is highly error-prone and contributes to the uniquely high incidence of aneuploidy observed in human pregnancies. A successful meiosis I (MI) division entails separation of homologous chromosome pairs and co-segregation of sister chromatids. For this to happen, sister kinetochores must form attachments to spindle kinetochore-fibres emanating from the same pole. In mouse and budding yeast, sister kinetochores remain closely associated with each other during MI, enabling them to act as a single unified structure. However, whether this arrangement also applies in human meiosis I oocytes was unclear. In this study, we perform high-resolution imaging of over 1900 kinetochores in human oocytes, to examine the geometry and architecture of the human meiotic kinetochore. We reveal that sister kinetochores in MI are not physically fused, and instead individual kinetochores within a pair are capable of forming independent attachments to spindle k-fibres. Notably, with increasing female age, the separation between kinetochores increases, suggesting a degradation of centromeric cohesion and/or changes in kinetochore architecture. Our data suggest that the differential arrangement of sister kinetochores and dual k-fibre attachments may explain the high proportion of unstable attachments that form in MI and thus indicate why human oocytes are prone to aneuploidy, particularly with increasing maternal age.

Summary: Sister kinetochores in meiosis I human oocytes are not physically fused, with the degree of separation increasing with maternal age. This may have implications for the high incidence of aneuploidy in human oocytes.

How oocytes try to get it right: spindle checkpoint control in meiosis

The generation of a viable, diploid organism depends on the formation of haploid gametes, oocytes, and spermatocytes, with the correct number of chromosomes. Halving the genome requires the execution of two consecutive specialized cell divisions named meiosis I and II. Unfortunately, and in contrast to male meiosis, chromosome segregation in oocytes is error prone, with human oocytes being extraordinarily "meiotically challenged". Aneuploid oocytes, that are with the wrong number of chromosomes, give rise to aneuploid embryos when fertilized. In humans, most aneuploidies are lethal and result in spontaneous abortions. However, some trisomies survive to birth or even adulthood, such as the well-known trisomy 21, which gives rise to Down syndrome (Nagaoka et al. in Nat Rev Genet 13:493-504, 2012). A staggering 20-25 % of oocytes ready to be fertilized are aneuploid in humans. If this were not bad enough, there is an additional increase in meiotic missegregations as women get closer to menopause. A woman above 40 has a risk of more than 30 % of getting pregnant with a trisomic child. Worse still, in industrialized western societies, child birth is delayed, with women getting their first child later in life than ever. This trend has led to an increase of trisomic pregnancies by 70 % in the last 30 years (Nagaoka et al. in Nat Rev Genet 13:493-504, 2012; Schmidt et al. in Hum Reprod Update 18:29-43, 2012). To understand why errors occur so frequently during the meiotic divisions in oocytes, we review here the molecular mechanisms at works to control chromosome segregation during meiosis. An important mitotic control mechanism, namely the spindle assembly checkpoint or SAC, has been adapted to the special requirements of the meiotic divisions, and this review will focus on our current knowledge of SAC control in mammalian oocytes. Knowledge on how chromosome segregation is controlled in mammalian oocytes may help to identify risk factors important for questions related to human reproductive health.

The frequency of precocious segregation of sister chromatids in mouse female meiosis I is affected by genetic background

Mammalian female gametes frequently suffer from numerical chromosomal aberrations, the main cause of miscarriages and severe developmental defects. The underlying mechanisms responsible for the development of aneuploidy in oocytes are still not completely understood and remain a subject of extensive research. From studies focused on prevalence of aneuploidy in mouse oocytes, it has become obvious that reported rates of aneuploidy are strongly dependent on the method used for chromosome counting. In addition, it seems likely that differences between mouse strains could influence the frequency of aneuploidy as well; however, up till now, such a comparison has not been available. Therefore, in our study, we measured the levels of aneuploidy which has resulted from missegregation in meiosis I, in oocytes of three commonly used mouse strains-CD-1, C3H/HeJ, and C57BL/6. Our results revealed that, although the overall chromosomal numerical aberration rates were similar in all three strains, a different number of oocytes in each strain contained prematurely segregated sister chromatids (PSSC). This indicates that a predisposition for this type of chromosome segregation error in oocyte meiosis I is dependent on genetic background.

Kinetochore microtubule establishment is defective in oocytes from aged mice

Errors in chromosome segregation in mammalian oocytes increase in number with advancing maternal age, and are a major cause of pregnancy loss. Why chromosome segregation errors are more common in oocytes from older females remains poorly understood. In mitosis, accurate chromosome segregation is enabled by attachment of kinetochores to microtubules from appropriate spindle poles, and erroneous attachments increase the likelihood of mis-segregation. Whether attachment errors are responsible for age-related oocyte aneuploidy is unknown. Here we report that oocytes from naturally aged mice exhibit substantially increased chromosome misalignment, and fewer kinetochore pairs that make stable end-on attachments to the appropriate spindle poles compared with younger oocytes. The profile of mis-attachments exhibited is consistent with the types of chromosome segregation error observed in aged oocytes. Loss of chromosome cohesion, which is a feature of oocytes from older females, causes altered kinetochore geometry in meiosis-I. However, this has only a minor impact upon MT attachment, indicating that cohesion loss is not the primary cause of aneuploidy in meiosis-I. In meiosis-II, on the other hand, age-related cohesion loss plays a direct role in errors, since prematurely individualized sister chromatids misalign and misattach to spindle MTs. Thus, whereas cohesion loss leading to precocious sister chromatid separation is a direct cause of errors in meiosis-II, cohesion loss plays a more minor role in the etiology of aneuploidy in meiosis-I. Our data introduce altered MT-kinetochore interactions as a lesion that explains aneuploidy in meiosis-I in older females.

Molecular causes of aneuploidy in mammalian eggs

Mammalian oocytes are particularly error prone in segregating their chromosomes during their two meiotic divisions. This results in the creation of an embryo that has inherited the wrong number of chromosomes: it is aneuploid. The incidence of aneuploidy rises significantly with maternal age and so there is much interest in understanding this association and the underlying causes of aneuploidy. The spindle assembly checkpoint, a surveillance mechanism that operates in all cells to prevent chromosome mis-segregation, and the cohesive ties that hold those chromosomes together, have thus both been the subject of intensive investigation in oocytes. It is possible that a lowered sensitivity of the spindle assembly checkpoint to certain types of chromosome attachment error may endow oocytes with an innate susceptibility to aneuploidy, which is made worse by an age-related loss in the factors that hold the chromosomes together.