Epigenetic modification with trichostatin A does not correct specific errors of somatic cell nuclear transfer at the transcriptomic level; highlighting the non-random nature of oocyte-mediated reprogramming errors

Induction of autophagy in one-cell stage somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos improves preimplantation embryonic development in goat species

Autophagy is a lysosome-mediated catabolic pathway that is dependent on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). It plays a crucial role in the degradation of aged organelles and macromolecules. Several studies have explored the role of autophagy in embryonic genome activation and its significance during the early preimplantation development of mammals. In our study, we showed that autophagy is inhibited in one-cell stage SCNT embryos when compared to fertilized counterparts in goats. Notably, we found that 6-DMAP, a kinase inhibitor, reduces the phosphorylation of ERK1/2.This reduction correlates with a decrease in autophagy levels, as indicated by the presence of LC3 puncta in 6-DMAP treated embryos. To address the inhibition of autophagy in goat SCNT embryos, we induced autophagy using Rapamycin at concentrations of 10 and 100 nM for 6 hours, immediately following chemical activation. This induction led to a significant improvement in the development of goat SCNT embryos, as evidenced by an increased blastocyst rate compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that the induction of autophagy during early hours of one-cell stage embryos is critical for pre-implantation development in goat SCNT embryos warrant further investigation. This research opens new avenues for understanding the role of autophagy in embryonic development and its applications in reproductive biotechnology.

One carbon metabolism supplementation in maturation medium but not embryo culture medium improves the yield of blastocysts from bovine oocytes

Optimizing oocyte maturation and embryo culture media could enhance in vitro embryo production. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of supplementing one carbon metabolism (OCM) substrates and its cofactors (Cystine, Zinc, Betaine, B2, B3, B6, B12 and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate) in maturation and/or embryo culture media on the rate of blastocyst formation and pregnancy outcomes following the transfer of the resulting blastocysts in bovines. In the first experiment, 2537 bovine oocytes were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries and then matured either in conventional maturation medium (IVM) or IVM supplemented with OCM substrates (Sup-IVM). After in vitro fertilization, the putative zygotes from each treatment (IVM or Sup-IVM) were cultured in the media either without (IVM/IVC or Sup-IVM/IVC) or with (IVM/Sup-IVC or Sup-IVM/Sup-IVC) OCM supplementation. The blastocyst rate, assessed on day 8, was significantly increased in Sup-IVM/IVC group (34.90 ± 2.52) as compared to IVM/IVC (17.06 ± 1.69; P = 0.0001) and Sup-IVM/Sup-IVC (20.29 ± 2.75; P = 0.004) and non-significantly as compared to IVM/Sup-IVC (24.86 ± 5.37). In the second experiment, non-matured bovine oocytes were collected by transvaginal ovum pick up after FSH stimulation, randomly allocated into IVM/IVC (n = 275) and Sup-IVM/IVC (n = 260) and the blastocysts achieved at day 7 were transferred in recipient cattle. The blastocyst rate was significantly higher in Sup-IVM/IVC group (38.85%) as compared to the IVM/IVC group (23.64%; P < 0.0001). After single embryo transfer, the supplemented blastocysts were at least as competent as non-supplemented ones with a non-significantly higher (20% vs. 14%) pregnancy rate and the advantage of several good quality blastocysts available for future use. In conclusion, optimizing the maturation medium with OCM substrates and its cofactors could enhance the formation of viable blastocysts with the potential to increase the cumulative birth rate in cattle.

Heat shock interferes with the amino acid metabolism of bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes in vitro: a multistep analysis

By affecting the ovarian pool of follicles and their enclosed oocytes, heat stress has an impact on dairy cow fertility. This study aimed to determine how heat shock (HS) during in vitro maturation affected the ability of the bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) to develop, as well as their metabolism of amino acids (AAs). In this study, COCs were in vitro matured for 23 h at 38.5 °C (control; n = 322), 39.5 °C (mild HS (MHS); n = 290), or 40.5 °C (severe HS (SHS); n = 245). In comparison to the control group, the MHS and SHS groups significantly decreased the percentage of metaphase-II oocytes, as well as cumulus cell expansion and viability. The SHS decreased the rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation in comparison to the control and MHS. Compared to the control and MHS-COCs, the SHS-COCs produced significantly more phenylalanine, threonine, valine, arginine, alanine, glutamic acid, and citrulline while depleting less leucine, glutamine, and serine. Data showed that SHS-COCs had the highest appearance and turnover of all AAs and essential AAs. Heat shock was positively correlated with the appearance of glutamic acid, glutamine, isoleucine, alanine, serine, valine, phenylalanine, and asparagine. Network analysis identified the relationship between HS and alanine or glutamic acid, as well as the relationship between blastocyst and cleavage rates and ornithine. The findings imply that SHS may have an impact on the quality and metabolism of AAs in COCs. Moreover, the use of a multistep analysis could simply identify the AAs most closely linked to HS and the developmental competence of bovine COCs.

Oct-4 activating compound 1 (OAC1) could improve the quality of somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos in the bovine

Previous studies described aberrant nuclear reprogramming in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos that is distinctly different from fertilized embryos. This abnormal nuclear reprogramming hampers the proper pre- and/or post-implantation development. It has been demonstrated that SCNT blastocysts aberrantly expressed POU5F1 and POU5F1-related genes. With regard to this, it has been postulated that promoting the expression of POU5F1 in SCNT embryos may enhance reprogramming in SCNT embryos. In this study, we treated either fibroblast donor cells or SCNT embryos with OAC1 as a novel small molecule that has been reported to induce POU5F1 expression. Quantitative results from the MTS assay revealed that lower concentrations of OAC1 (1, 1.5, and 3 μM) are non-toxic after 2, 4, and 6 days, but higher concentrations (6, 8, 10, and 12 μM) are toxic and reduced the proliferation of cells after 6 days. No enhancement in the expression of endogenous POU5F1 was observed when both mouse and bovine fibroblast cells were treated with 1.5 and 3 μM OAC1 for up to 6 consecutive days. Subsequently, we treated either fibroblast as donor cells in the SCNT procedure (BFF-OAC1 group) or SCNT embryos [for 4 days (IVC-OAC1: D4-D7 group) or 7 days (IVC-OAC1: D0-D7 group)] with 1.5 μM OAC1. We observed that neither treatment of fibroblast donor cells nor SCNT embryos improved the cleavage and blastocyst rates. Interestingly, we observed that treatment of SCNT embryos all throughout the in vitro culture (IVC) (IVC-OAC1: D0-D7) with 1.5 μM OAC1 improves the quality of derived blastocyst which was indexed by morphological grading, blastomere allocation, epigenetic marks and mRNA expression of target genes. In conclusion, our results showed that supplementation of IVC medium with 1.5 μM OAC1 (D0-D7) accelerates SCNT reprogramming in bovine species.

A Modified Handmade Cloning Method for Dromedary Camels

Camels play very important economic and sociocultural roles for communities residing in arid and semi-arid countries. The positive impacts of cloning on genetic gain in camel species are indisputable, considering the unique ability of cloning to produce a large number of offspring of a predefined sex and genotype using somatic cells obtained from elite animals, live or dead, and within any age category. However, the current low efficiency of camel cloning seriously limits its commercial applicability. We have systematically optimized technical and biological factors for dromedary camel cloning. In this chapter, we present the details of our current standard operating procedure for dromedary camel cloning, namely, "modified handmade cloning (mHMC)."

Cattle Cloning by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Cloning by somatic cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) is a powerful technology capable of reprograming terminally differentiated cells to totipotency for generating whole animals or pluripotent stem cells for use in cell therapy, drug screening, and other biotechnological applications. However, the broad usage of SCNT remains limited due to its high cost and low efficiency in obtaining live and healthy offspring. In this chapter, we first briefly discuss the epigenetic constraints responsible for the low efficiency of SCNT and current attempts to overcome them. We then describe our bovine SCNT protocol for delivering live cloned calves and addressing basic questions about nuclear reprogramming. Other research groups can benefit from our basic protocol and build up on it to improve SCNT in the future. Strategies to correct or mitigate epigenetic errors (e.g., correcting imprinting loci, overexpression of demethylases, chromatin-modifying drugs) can integrate the protocol described here.

Metabolic enhancement of the one carbon metabolism (OCM) in bovine oocytes IVM increases the blastocyst rate: evidences for a OCM checkpoint

The one carbon metabolism (OCM) has a primary role in the process of oocyte maturation. In this study bovine oocytes were cultured for 24 h, up to MII stage, with standard medium supplemented or not with 8 metabolic enhancers of the OCM and the MII and blastocyst rate were compared. Additional analyses were performed on matured oocytes, cumulus cells, zygotes and blastocysts. The OCM supplementation increased the blastocyst rate derived from in vitro fertilization. The mitochondrial mass and DNMT3a protein expression were increased whereas DNA fragmentation decreased in matured oocytes. DNA methylation in female pronucleus of zygotes was increased. The supplementation did not directly affect the redox balance as ROS and GSH in matured oocytes and homocysteine in the spent medium were unchanged. The supplementation of the oocytes with metabolic enhancers of the OCM may increase the yield from the culture, likely due to improved DNA methylation and epigenetic programming. The lack of effects on MII rate with huge differences appearing at the blastocyst stage suggest the existence of a OCM metabolic check point that hampers oocytes progression to blastocyst post-fertilization, if they were not properly primed at the time of maturation.

Epigenetic manipulation to improve mouse SCNT embryonic development

Cloned mammals can be achieved through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which involves reprogramming of differentiated somatic cells into a totipotent state. However, low cloning efficiency hampers its application severely. Cloned embryos have the same DNA as donor somatic cells. Therefore, incomplete epigenetic reprogramming accounts for low development of cloned embryos. In this review, we describe recent epigenetic barriers in SCNT embryos and strategies to correct these epigenetic defects and avoid the occurrence of abnormalities in cloned animals.

Melatonin accelerates the developmental competence and telomere elongation in ovine SCNT embryos

SCNT embryos suffer from poor developmental competence (both in vitro and in vivo) due to various defects such as oxidative stress, incomplete epigenetic reprogramming, and flaws in telomere rejuvenation. It is very promising to ameliorate all these defects in SCNT embryos by supplementing the culture medium with a single compound. It has been demonstrated that melatonin, as a multitasking molecule, can improve the development of SCNT embryos, but its function during ovine SCNT embryos is unclear. We observed that supplementation of embryonic culture medium with 10 nM melatonin for 7 days accelerated the rate of blastocyst formation in ovine SCNT embryos. In addition, the quality of blastocysts increased in the melatonin-treated group compared with the SCNT control groups in terms of ICM, TE, total cell number, and mRNA expression of NANOG. Mechanistic studies in this study revealed that the melatonin-treated group had significantly lower ROS level, apoptotic cell ratio, and mRNA expression of CASPASE-3 and BAX/BCL2 ratio. In addition, melatonin promotes mitochondrial membrane potential and autophagy status (higher number of LC3B dots). Our results indicate that melatonin decreased the global level of 5mC and increased the level of H3K9ac in the treated blastocyst group compared with the blastocysts in the control group. More importantly, we demonstrated for the first time that melatonin treatment promoted telomere elongation in ovine SCNT embryos. This result offers the possibility of better development of ovine SCNT embryos after implantation. We concluded that melatonin can accelerate the reprogramming of telomere length in sheep SCNT embryos, in addition to its various beneficial effects such as increasing antioxidant capacity, reducing DNA damage, and improving the quality of derived blastocysts, all of which led to a higher in vitro development rate.

Oocyte vitrification induces loss of DNA methylation and histone acetylation in the resulting embryos derived using ICSI in dromedary camel

Oocyte cryopreservation has become an important component of assisted reproductive technology with increasing implication in female fertility preservation and animal reproduction. However, the possible adverse effects of oocyte cryopreservation on epigenetic status of the resulting embryos is still an open question. This study evaluated the effects of MII-oocyte vitrification on gene transcripts linked to epigenetic reprogramming in association with the developmental competence and epigenetic status of the resulting embryos at 2-cell and blastocyst stages in dromedary camel. The cleavage rate of vitrified oocytes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection was significantly increased compared with the control (98.2 ± 2 vs. 72.7 ± 4.1%, respectively), possibly due to the higher susceptibility of vitrified oocytes to spontaneous activation. Nonetheless, the competence of cleaved embryos derived from vitrified oocytes for development to the blastocyst and hatched blastocyst was significantly reduced compared with the control (7.7 ± 1.2 and 11.1 ± 11.1 compared with 28.1 ± 2.6 and 52.4 ± 9.9%, respectively). The relative transcript abundances of epigenetic reprogramming genes DNMT1, DNMT3B, HDAC1, and SUV39H1 were all significantly reduced in vitrified oocytes relative to the control. Evaluation of the epigenetic marks showed significant reductions in the levels of DNA methylation (6.1 ± 0.3 vs. 9.9 ± 0.5, respectively) and H3K9 acetylation (7.8 ± 0.2 vs. 10.7 ± 0.3, respectively) in 2-cell embryos in the vitrification group relative to the control. Development to the blastocyst stage partially adjusted the effects that oocyte vitrification had on the epigenetic status of embryos (DNA methylation: 4.9 ± 0.4 vs. 6.2 ± 0.6; H3K9 acetylation: 5.8 ± 0.3 vs. 8 ± 0.9, respectively). To conclude, oocyte vitrification may interfere with the critical stages of epigenetic reprogramming during preimplantation embryo development.

Pregnancy and Calving Rates of Cloned Dromedary Camels Produced by Conventional and Handmade Cloning Techniques and In Vitro and In Vivo Matured Oocytes

Despite practical implication of cloning in camelids, its broad application has been hampered by technical and biological problems. Method of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and oocyte competence are the principal technical and biological factors, respectively, that determine the cloning efficiency. This study, therefore, investigated differential contributions of two SCNT methods [modified handmade cloning (mHMC) vs. conventional (cNT)] and two recipient oocyte sources [abattoir-derived (Vitro) vs. FSH-stimulated (Vivo)] on the efficiency of dromedary camel cloning. The mHMC method supported similar rates of fusion, cleavage, and total blastocyst development, compared to conventional NT (cNT) (94, 89.1, and 68.5% vs. 78.9, 92, and 73.5%, respectively) when Vivo oocytes are used. However, using Vitro oocytes, mHMC supported significantly higher rates for these criteria, except for the cleavage, compared to cNT (95.5, 76.2, 25.2% vs. 75.3, 76.7, and 13.9%, respectively). A total of seven clones were born from mHMC/Vitro (four calves), mHMC/Vivo (one calf), cNT/Vitro (one calf), and mHMC/Vivo&Vivo (one calf)-derived embryos with overall efficiencies of 31.9, 26.6, 20, and 30% for initial pregnancy, 10.6, 6.6, 7.5, and 5% for development to term, and 8.5, 6.6, 2.5, 5% for development to weaving, respectively. To conclude, the quality of recipient oocyte greatly impacts cloning efficiency in vitro with no apparent carrying over effect on cloning efficiency in vivo, but the efficiency of SCNT method may compensate for the initial poor oocyte competence during in vitro and in vivo development of cloned embryos. The introduced mHMC could be a superior alternative to conventional method for simple, fast, and efficient production of cloned offspring in camelids.

Targeted histone demethylation improves somatic cell reprogramming into cloned blastocysts but not postimplantation bovine concepti†

Correct reprogramming of epigenetic marks in the donor nucleus is a prerequisite for successful cloning by somatic cell transfer (SCT). In several mammalian species, repressive histone (H) lysine (K) trimethylation (me3) marks, in particular H3K9me3, form a major barrier to somatic cell reprogramming into pluripotency and totipotency. We engineered bovine embryonic fibroblasts (BEFs) for the doxycycline-inducible expression of a biologically active, truncated form of murine Kdm4b, a demethylase that removes H3K9me3 and H3K36me3 marks. Upon inducing Kdm4b, H3K9me3 and H3K36me3 levels were reduced about 3-fold and 5-fold, respectively, compared with noninduced controls. Donor cell quiescence has been previously associated with reduced somatic trimethylation levels and increased cloning efficiency in cattle. Simultaneously inducing Kdm4b expression (via doxycycline) and quiescence (via serum starvation) further reduced global H3K9me3 and H3K36me3 levels by a total of 18-fold and 35-fold, respectively, compared with noninduced, nonstarved control fibroblasts. Following SCT, Kdm4b-BEFs reprogrammed significantly better into cloned blastocysts than noninduced donor cells. However, detrimethylated donors and sustained Kdm4b-induction during embryo culture did not increase the rates of postblastocyst development from implantation to survival into adulthood. In summary, overexpressing Kdm4b in donor cells only improved their reprogramming into early preimplantation stages, highlighting the need for alternative experimental approaches to reliably improve somatic cloning efficiency in cattle.

siRNA inhibition and not chemical inhibition of Suv39h1/2 enhances pre-implantation embryonic development of bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

The efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is low due to the strong resistance of somatic donor cells to epigenetic reprogramming. Many epigenetic drugs targeting DNA methylation and histone acetylation have been used in attempts to improve the in vitro and in vivo development of SCNT embryos. H3K9me3 has been shown to be an important reprogramming barrier for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and SCNT embryos in mice and humans. In this study, we examined the effects of selective siRNA and chemical inhibition of H3K9me3 in somatic donor cells on the in vitro development of bovine SCNT embryos. Chaetocin, an inhibitor of SUV39H1/H2, was supplemented during the culture of donor cells. In addition, the siRNA knockdown of SUV39H1/H2 was performed in the donor cells. The effects of chaetocin and siSUV39H1/H2 on H3K9me3 and H3K9ac were quantified using flow cytometry. Furthermore, we assessed chaetocin treatment and SUV39H1/H2 knockdown on the blastocyst formation rate. Both chaetocin and siSUV39H1/H2 significantly reduced and elevated the relative intensity level of H3K9me3 and H3K9ac in treated fibroblast cells, respectively. siSUV39H1/H2 transfection, but not chaetocin treatment, improved the in vitro development of SCNT embryos. Moreover, siSUV39H1/H2 altered the expression profile of the selected genes in the derived blastocysts, similar to those derived from in vitro fertilization (IVF). In conclusion, our results demonstrated H3K9me3 as an epigenetic barrier in the reprogramming process mediated by SCNT in bovine species, a finding which supports the role of H3K9me3 as a reprogramming barrier in mammalian species. Our findings provide a promising approach for improving the efficiency of mammalian cloning for agricultural and biomedical purposes.

Nr1d1 affects autophagy in the skeletal muscles of juvenile Nile tilapia by regulating the rhythmic expression of autophagy-related genes

Autophagy is an important evolutionary conserved process in eukaryotic organisms for the turnover of intracellular substances. Recent studies revealed that autophagy displays circadian rhythms in mice and zebrafish. To date, there is no report focused on the rhythmic changes of autophagy in fish skeletal muscles upon nutritional deprivation. In this study, we examined the circadian rhythms of 158 functional genes in tilapia muscle in response to starvation. We found that 12 genes were involved in autophagy changed their rhythm after starvation. Among these genes, Atg4c, Bnip3la, Lc3a, Lc3b, Lc3c, and Ulk1a exhibited a daily rhythmicity in tilapia muscle, and Atg4b, becn1, bnip3la, bnip3lb, Lc3a, and ulk1b were significantly upregulated in response to starvation. The number of autophagosomes was dramatically increased in fasted fish, indicating that nutritional signals affect not only the muscular clock system but also its autophagy behavior. Administration of GSK4112, an activator of Nr1d1, altered rhythmic expression of both circadian clock genes and autophagy genes in tilapia muscle. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that nutritional deficiency affects both circadian regulation and autophagy activities in skeletal muscle.

The Importance of Phosphates for DNA G-Quadruplex Formation: Evaluation of Zwitterionic G-Rich Oligodeoxynucleotides

A quaternary ammonium butylsulfonyl phosphoramidate group (N+) was designed to replace all the phosphates in a G-rich oligodeoxynucleotide d(TG₄ T), resulting in a formally charge-neutral zwitterionic N+TG₄ T sequence. We evaluated the effects of N+phosphate modifications on the structural, thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the parallel G-quadruplexes (G4) formed by TG₄ T and compared them to the properties of the recently published phosphoryl guanidine d(TG₄ T) (PG-TG₄ T). Using size-exclusion chromatography, we established that, unlike PG-TG₄ T, which exists as a mixture of complexes of different molecularity in solution, N+TG₄ T forms an individual tetramolecular complex. In contrast to PG modifications that destabilized G4s, the presence of N+ modifications increased thermal stability relative to unmodified [d(TG₄ T)]₄ . The initial stage of assembly of N+TG₄ T proceeded faster in the presence of Na⁺ than K⁺ ions and, similarly to PG-TG₄ T, was independent of the salt concentration. However, after complex formation exceeded 75 %, N+TG₄ T in solution with Na⁺ showed slower association than with K⁺ . N+TG₄ T could also form G4s in solution with Li⁺ ions at a very low strand concentration (10 μM); something that has never been reported for the native d(TG₄ T). Charge-neutral PG-G4s can invade preformed native G4s, whereas no invasion was observed between N+and native G4s, possibly due to the increased thermal stability of [N+TG₄ T]₄ . The N+ modification makes d(TG₄ T) fully resistant to enzymatic digestion, which could be useful for intracellular application of N+-modified DNA or RNA.

Acquired resistance to combined BET and CDK4/6 inhibition in triple-negative breast cancer

BET inhibitors are promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but the rapid emergence of resistance necessitates investigation of combination therapies and their effects on tumor evolution. Here, we show that palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, and paclitaxel, a microtubule inhibitor, synergize with the BET inhibitor JQ1 in TNBC lines. High-complexity DNA barcoding and mathematical modeling indicate a high rate of de novo acquired resistance to these drugs relative to pre-existing resistance. We demonstrate that the combination of JQ1 and palbociclib induces cell division errors, which can increase the chance of developing aneuploidy. Characterizing acquired resistance to combination treatment at a single cell level shows heterogeneous mechanisms including activation of G1-S and senescence pathways. Our results establish a rationale for further investigation of combined BET and CDK4/6 inhibition in TNBC and suggest novel mechanisms of action for these drugs and new vulnerabilities in cells after emergence of resistance.

Lessons Learned from Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been an area of interest in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine for the past 20 years. The main biological goal of SCNT is to reverse the differentiated state of a somatic cell, for the purpose of creating blastocysts from which embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be derived for therapeutic cloning, or for the purpose of reproductive cloning. However, the consensus is that the low efficiency in creating normal viable offspring in animals by SCNT (1-5%) and the high number of abnormalities seen in these cloned animals is due to epigenetic reprogramming failure. In this review we provide an overview of the current literature on SCNT, focusing on protocol development, which includes early SCNT protocol deficiencies and optimizations along with donor cell type and cell cycle synchrony; epigenetic reprogramming in SCNT; current protocol optimizations such as nuclear reprogramming strategies that can be applied to improve epigenetic reprogramming by SCNT; applications of SCNT; the ethical and legal implications of SCNT in humans; and specific lessons learned for establishing an optimized SCNT protocol using a mouse model.

Induced DNA hypomethylation by Folic Acid Deprivation in Bovine Fibroblast Donor Cells Improves Reprogramming of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos

Aberrant patterns of DNA methylation are consistent events in SCNT derived embryos and mechanistically are believed to be related to abnormal development. While some epigenetic drugs have been used in attempts to improve SCNT efficiency but some concerns remained toward the safety of these drugs on the health of future offspring. Folate is an essential cofactor in one‐carbon cycle for conversion of homocysteine to methionine, thereby ensuring supply of SAM, the universal methyl donor for many biological methylation reactions including DNA methylation. Therefore, in vitro DNA hypo-methylation can be induced by folate deprivation and this study aims at deciphering the role of folic acid deprivation in culture medium of BFFs for 6 days on SCNT efficiency. Our data revealed that culture of fibroblast cells in folate− medium containing 0.5% FBS did not alter the cell cycle compared to other groups. Flowcytometric analysis revealed that DNA methylation (5-mC level) in folate deprived cells cultured in 0.5% serum was decreased compared to folate+ group. The result of bisulfite sequencing was in accordance with flowcytometric analysis, which indicated a decrease in DNA methylation of POU5F1 promoter. Gene expression analysis revealed an increase in expression of POU5F1 gene in folate− group. The nuclear area of the cells in folate− group was significantly larger than folate+ group. Induced DNA hypomethylation by folate deprivation in the folate− group significantly improved blastocyst rate compared to the folate+ group. DNA methylation level in POU5F1 promoter and ICR of H19 and IGF2 of SCNT derived embryos in the folate− group was similar to the IVF derived blastocysts. In conclusion, our results proposes a promising “non-chemical” instead of “chemical” approach using inhibitors of epigenetic modifier enzymes for improving mammalian SCNT efficiency for agricultural and biomedical purposes.

Enhancement of in Vitro Developmental Outcome of Cloned Goat Embryos After Epigenetic Modulation of Somatic Cell-Inherited Nuclear Genome with Trichostatin A

In this study, the effect of trichostatin A (TSA)-mediated epigenomic modulation of nuclear donor cells on the in vitro developmental potential of caprine somatic cell cloned embryos was examined. The enucleated ex vivo-matured oocytes were subzonally injected with adult ear skin-derived fibroblast cells exposed or not exposed to TSA (at a concentration of 50 nM). The experiment was designed on the basis of three different approaches to TSA-dependent modulation of donor cell-descended genome: before being used for somatic cell nuclear transfer/SCNT (Group I); immediately after activation of nuclear-transferred (NT) oocytes (Group II); or combined treatment both before being used for SCNT and after activation of NT oocytes (Group III). In the control Group IV, donor cell nuclei have not been treated with TSA at any stage of the experimental design. In TSA-treated Groups I and II and untreated Group IV, cleavage activities of cloned embryos were at the similar levels (80.6%, 79.8% and 77.1%, respectively). But, significant difference was observed between Groups III and IV (85.3 vs. 77.1%). Moreover, in the experimental Groups I and III, the percentages of cloned embryos that reached the blastocyst stages remarkably increased as compared to those noticed in the control Group IV (31.2% vs. 36.7% vs. 18.9%, respectively). In turn, among embryos assigned to Group II, blastocyst formation rate was only slightly higher than that in the control Group IV, but the differences were not statistically significant (25.8% vs. 18.9%). To sum up, TSA-based epigenomic modulation of somatic cell-inherited nuclear genome gave rise to increased competences of caprine cloned embryos to complete their development to blastocyst stages. In particular, sequential TSA-mediated modulation of both nuclear donor cells and activated NT oocytes led to improvement in the blastocyst yields of cloned goat embryos, which can result from enhanced donor cell nuclear reprogrammability.

Cloning: A Sleeping Beauty Awaiting the Kiss?

The first 20 years of somatic cell nuclear transfer can hardly be described as a success story. Controversially, many factors leading to the fiasco are not intrinsic features of the technique itself. Misunderstandings and baseless accusations alongside with unsupported fears and administrative barriers hampered cloners to overcome the initial challenging period with obvious difficulties that are common features of a radically new approach. In spite of some promising results of mostly sporadic and small-scale experiments, the future of cloning is still uncertain. On the other hand, a reincarnation, just like the idea of electric cars, may result in many benefits in various areas of science and economy. One can only hope that-in contrast to electric cars-the ongoing paralyzed phase will not last for 100 years, and breakthroughs achieved in some promising areas will provide enough evidence to intensify research and large-scale application of cloning in the next decade.

Metabolic gene expression and epigenetic effects of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate on H3K9ac in bovine cells, oocytes and embryos

The rapid decline in fertility that has been occurring to high-producing dairy cows in the past 50 years seems to be associated with metabolic disturbances such as ketosis, supporting the need for research to improve our understanding of the relations among the diet, metabolism and embryonic development. Recently, the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) was demonstrated to be a potent inhibitor of histone deacetylases (HDACs). Herein, we performed a series of experiments aiming to investigate the epigenetic effects of BOHB on histone acetylation in somatic cells, cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. Treatment with BOHB does not increase histone acetylation in cells but stimulates genes associated with ketolysis and master regulators of metabolism. We further demonstrated that maturing COCs with high levels of BOHB does not affect their maturation rate or histone acetylation but increases the expression of PPARA in cumulus cells. Treatment of somatic cell nuclear transfer zygotes with BOHB causes hyperacetylation, which is maintained until the blastocyst stage, causing enhanced FOXO3A expression and blastocyst production. Our data shed light on the epigenetic mechanisms caused by BOHB in bovine cells and embryos and provide a better understanding of the connection between nutrition and reproduction.

Genome scanning for identification and mapping of receptor-like kinase (RLK) gene superfamily in Solanum tuberosum

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are a key class of genes that contribute to diverse phenomena from plant development to defense responses. The availability of completed potato genome sequences provide an excellent opportunity to identify and characterize RLK gene superfamily in this lineage. We identified 747 non-redundant RLK genes in the potato genome that were classified into 52 subfamilies, of which 58% members organized into tandem repeats. Nine of potato RLK subfamilies organized into tandem repeats. Also, six subfamilies exhibited lineage-specific expansion compared to Arabidopsis. The majority of RLK genes were physically organized within heterogeneous and homogeneous clusters on chromosomes and were unevenly distributed on the genome. Chromosome 2, 3 and 7 contained the highest number of RLK genes and the most underrepresented chromosomes were chromosome 8, 10 and 11. Taken together, our results provide a framework for future efforts on comparative, evolutionary and functional studies of the members of RLK superfamily.

Manipulating the Mitochondrial Genome To Enhance Cattle Embryo Development

The mixing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the donor cell and the recipient oocyte in embryos and offspring derived from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) compromises genetic integrity and affects embryo development. We set out to generate SCNT embryos that inherited their mtDNA from the recipient oocyte only, as is the case following natural conception. While SCNT blastocysts produced from Holstein (Bos taurus) fibroblasts were depleted of their mtDNA, and oocytes derived from Angus (Bos taurus) cattle possessed oocyte mtDNA only, the coexistence of donor cell and oocyte mtDNA resulted in blastocysts derived from nondepleted cells. Moreover, the use of the reprogramming agent, Trichostatin A (TSA), further improved the development of embryos derived from depleted cells. RNA-seq analysis highlighted 35 differentially expressed genes from the comparison between blastocysts generated from nondepleted cells and blastocysts from depleted cells, both in the presence of TSA. The only differences between these two sets of embryos were the presence of donor cell mtDNA, and a significantly higher mtDNA copy number for embryos derived from nondepleted cells. Furthermore, the use of TSA on embryos derived from depleted cells positively modulated the expression of CLDN8, TMEM38A, and FREM1, which affect embryonic development. In conclusion, SCNT embryos produced by mtDNA depleted donor cells have the same potential to develop to the blastocyst stage without the presumed damaging effect resulting from the mixture of donor and recipient mtDNA.

An integrated analysis revealed different microRNA-mRNA profiles during skeletal muscle development between Landrace and Lantang pigs

Pigs supply vital dietary proteins for human consumption, and their economic value depends largely on muscle production. MicroRNAs are known to play important roles in skeletal muscle development. However, their relationship to distinct muscle production between pig breeds remains unknown. Here, we performed an integrated analysis of microRNA-mRNA expression profiles for Landrace (LR, lean) pigs and the Chinese indigenous Lantang pig (LT, lard-type) during 8 stages of skeletal muscle developmental, including at 35, 49, 63, 77 dpc (days post coitum) and 2, 28, 90, 180 dpn (days postnatal). As differentially expressed-miRNA expression profiles can be well classified into two clusters by PCA analysis, we grouped the embryonic stages as G1 and the postnatal stages as G2. A total of 203 genes were predicted miRNA targets, and a STEM analysis showed distinct expression patterns between G1 and G2 in both breeds based on their transcriptomic data. Furthermore, a STRING analysis predicted interactions between 22 genes and 35 miRNAs, including some crucial myogenic factors and myofibrillar genes. Thus, it can be reasonably speculated that myogenic miRNAs may regulate myofibrillar genes in myofiber formation during embryonic stages and muscle hypertrophy during postnatal stages, leading to distinct differences in muscle production between breeds.

The influence of in vitro fertilization and embryo culture on the embryo epigenetic constituents and the possible consequences in the bovine model

Medically assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro embryo production, are increasingly being used to palliate infertility. Eggs are produced following a hormonal regimen that stimulates the ovaries to produce a large number of oocytes. Collected oocytes are then fertilized in vitro and allowed to develop in vitro until they are either frozen or transferred to mothers. There are controversial reports on the adverse impacts of these technologies on early embryos and their potential long-term effects. Using newly developed technological platforms that enable global gene expression and global DNA methylation profiling, we evaluated gene perturbations caused by such artificial procedures. We know that cells in the early embryo produce all cells in the body and are able to respond to their in vitro environment. However, it is not known whether gene perturbations are part of a normal response to the environment or are due to distress and will have long-term impacts. While the mouse is an established genetic model used for quality control of culture media in clinics, the bovine is a large mono-ovulating mammal with similar embryonic kinetics as humans during the studied developmental window. These model systems are critical to understand the effects of assisted reproduction without the confounding impact of infertility and without the limitations imposed by the scarcity of donated human samples and ethical issues. The data presented in this review come mostly from our own experimentation, publications, and collaborations. Together they demonstrate that the in vitro environment has a significant impact on embryos at the transcriptomic level and at the DNA methylation level.

Meiotic arrest as an alternative to increase the production of bovine embryos by somatic cell nuclear transfer

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of meiotic arrest using phosphodiesterase type 3A (PDE 3A) inhibitors, cilostamide and C-type natriuretic peptide (NPPC), on pre-maturation (PM) of oocytes to be used in the production of cloned embryos. Nuclear maturation, in vitro embryo production (IVP), somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and parthenogenetic activation (PA), and total cells number of cloned embryos were evaluated. The results were analysed by chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis test with a P-value 0.05) between control and PM, both for cleavage (78.2% and 76.9%) and blastocyst (35.5% and 29.3%) rates. After SCNT, cleavage rate was also similar (P > 0.05) between control and PM (66% and 51.9%) however, blastocyst rate was lower (P < 0.05) in the PM group than in the control group (7.4% and 30.2%). After 6 h of PM with 100 nM of NPPC, approximately 84.9% of the oocytes remained at GV. No difference was found between control and PM in cleavage (69.2% and 76.1%) and blastocyst rates (37,4% and 35%) after IVP. Similarly, no differences between PM and control groups were observed for cleavage (69.2% and 68.4%) and blastocyst (24.4% and 21.5%) rates. SCNT and PA embryos from control or PM oocytes had similar total cell number. It can be concluded that PM for 6 h with 100 nM NPPC is feasible for cloned embryo production without affecting embryo outcome.

Remodeling somatic nuclei via exogenous expression of protamine 1 to create spermatid-like structures for somatic nuclear transfer

This protocol describes how to convert the chromatin structure of sheep and mouse somatic cells into spermatid-like nuclei through the heterologous expression of the protamine 1 gene (Prm1). Furthermore, we also provide step-by-step instructions for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) of Prm1-remodeled somatic nuclei in sheep oocytes. There is evidence that changing the organization of a somatic cell nucleus with that which mirrors the spermatozoon nucleus leads to better nuclear reprogramming. The protocol may have further potential application in determining the protamine and histone footprints of the whole genome; obtaining 'gametes' from somatic cells; and furthering understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating the maintenance of DNA methylation in imprinted control regions during male gametogenesis. The protocol is straightforward, and it requires 4 weeks from the establishment of the cell lines to their transfection and the production of cloned blastocysts. It is necessary for researchers to have experience in cell biology and embryology, with basic skills in molecular biology, to carry out the protocol.

A New, Dynamic Era for Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer?

Cloning animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has remained an uncontrollable process for many years. High rates of embryonic losses, stillbirths, and postnatal mortality have been typical outcomes. These developmental problems arise from abnormal genomic reprogramming: the capacity of the oocyte to reset the differentiated memory of a somatic cell. However, effective reprogramming strategies are now available. These target the whole genome or single domains such as the Xist gene, and their effectiveness has been validated with the ability of experimental animals to develop to term. Thus, SCNT has become a controllable process that can be used to 'rescue' endangered species, and for biomedical research such as therapeutic cloning and the isolation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).