Engineering metaphase spindles: Construction site and building blocks

In an active, crowded cytoplasm, eukaryotic cells construct metaphase spindles from conserved building blocks to segregate chromosomes. Yet, spindles execute their function in a stunning variety of cell shapes and sizes across orders of magnitude. Thus, the current challenge is to understand how unique mesoscale spindle characteristics emerge from the interaction of molecular collectives. Key components of these collectives are tubulin dimers, which polymerise into microtubules. Despite all conservation, tubulin is a genetically and biochemically complex protein family, and we only begin to uncover how tubulin diversity affects microtubule dynamics and thus spindle assembly. Moreover, it is increasingly appreciated that spindles are dynamically intertwined with the cytoplasm that itself exhibits cell-type specific emergent properties with yet mostly unexplored consequences for spindle construction. Therefore, on our way toward a quantitative picture of spindle function, we need to understand molecular behaviour of the building blocks and connect it to the entire cellular context.

Limited spermatogenic differentiation of testicular tissue from prepubertal marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in an in vitro organ culture system

PURPOSE

of the research: To achieve male fertility preservation and restoration, experimental strategies for in vitro germ cell differentiation are required. The effects of two different culture conditions on in vitro maintenance and differentiation of non-human primate germ cells was studied. Three testes from three 6-month-old marmosets were cultured using a gas-liquid interphase system for 12 days. Testicular maturation in pre-culture control and samples cultured in gonadotropin and serum supplemented and non-supplemented culture samples was evaluated using Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) and immunohistochemical stainings.

PRINCIPLE RESULTS

Gonadotropins and serum-supplemented tissues demonstrate up to meiotic differentiation (BOULE + Pachytene spermatocyte) and advanced localization of germ cells (MAGEA4+). Moreover, complex (with gonadotropin and marmoset monkey serum) conditions induced progression in somatic cell maturation with advanced seminiferous epithelial organization, maintenance of encapsulation of cultured fragments with peritubular-myoid cells, preservation of tubular structural integrity and architecture.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

We report stimulation-dependent in vitro meiotic transition in non-human primate testes. This model represents a novel ex vivo approach to obtain crucial developmental progression.

The origin and significance of additional aneuploidy events in couples undergoing preimplantation genetic diagnosis for translocations by array comparative genomic hybridization

Diagnostic application of array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) in preimplantation genetic diagnosis for reciprocal and Robertsonian translocations has revealed 55-65% embryos with additional aneuploidies with or without translocation-related imbalances. The occurrence of these extra abnormalities with the balanced form of the translocation reduces the number of embryos suitable for transfer. Eighty-three embryos were followed up on days 5-7 of development from 23 infertile or sub-fertile carriers for whole chromosome and segmental aneuploidies present in addition to the balanced or unbalanced translocations detected on aCGH diagnosis. Embryos were analysed by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (n = 63) and aCGH (n = 20). Meiotic aneuploidy affected 35% of embryos and 47% had mitotic events; 15% had both types. Meiotic and mitotic events were almost equal (60 versus 64), 97 affected whole chromosomes (58 meiotic, 39 mitotic) and 27 were segmental (two meiotic, 25 mitotic). In 85.5% of embryos with whole chromosome additional aneuploidies, the aneuploidy was present throughout or in more than 50% of cells. All embryos diagnosed as abnormal (translocation balanced or unbalanced) after aCGH diagnosis at cleavage stage would have remained unsuitable for transfer if tested at later stages of development. Additional aneuploidies merit full consideration when considering the choice of embryos to transfer.