Background. New Wenshen Shengjing Decoction (NWSSJD), a traditional Chinese compound medicine, has significant effect on spermatogenesis disorder and can significantly improve sperm quality. Many components in NWSSJD can induce epigenetic modifications of different types of cells. It is not yet known whether they can cause epigenetic modifications in sperm or early embryos. Objective. This study investigated the effect of NWSSJD on mouse early embryonic development and its regulation of H3K4me3 in mouse sperm and early embryos. Methods. Spermatogenesis disorder was induced in male mice with CPA (cyclophosphamide). NWSSJD was administrated for 30 days. Then, the male mice were mated with the female mice with superovulation, and the embryo degeneration rate of each stage was calculated. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression of H3K4me3 in sperm and embryos at various stages. Western blotting was performed to detect methyltransferase SETD1B expression. The expressions of development-related genes (OCT-4, NANOG, and CDX2) and apoptosis-related genes (BCL-2 and p53) were measured with qRT-PCR. Results. Compared with the CPA group, NWSSJD significantly reduced the H3K4me3 level in sperms, significantly increased the number of normal early embryos (2-cell embryos, 3-4-cell embryos, 8-16-cell embryos, and blastocysts) per mouse, and reduced the degeneration rate of the embryos. The expression levels of H3K4me3 and methyltransferase SETD1B in early embryos were significantly elevated by NWSSJD. Additionally, NWSSJD significantly promoted BCL-2 expression, while reducing p53 expression, thus inhibiting embryonic cell apoptosis. Moreover, the expressions of development-related genes OCT-4 and CDX2 were significantly increased by NWSSJD, but NANOG expression had no significant difference. Conclusion. NWSSJD may promote early embryonic development possibly by maintaining low H3K4me3 levels in sperms and normal H3K4me3 modification in early embryos and by inhibiting embryonic cell apoptosis.
BackgroundMacroalgae, particularly commercially grown seaweed, substantially contribute to CO2 removal and carbon storage. However, knowledge regarding the CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) of macroalgae is limited. Carbonic anhydrase (CA), the key component of biophysical CCM, plays important roles in many physiological reactions in various organisms. CA has been widely studied in microalgae and higher plants. However, few characteristics of CA in Pyropia yezoensis are known, particularly its intracellular location and responses to different concentrations of Ci.ResultsWe retrieved transcriptomic and genomic data for P. yezoensis and identified, amplified and characterized 11 putative genes encoding CA. The predicted corresponding proteins clustered into three subfamilies: α-, β- and γ-type. Transcriptomic and qRT-PCR results revealed different expression levels of these PyCA genes in the two life stages of P. yezoensis, and their expression levels varied under different Ci conditions. The intracellular localization of eight CA isoforms—one in the chloroplasts, four in the cytoplasm and three in the mitochondria—were elucidated with fusion proteins. One γCA isoform (PyCA10) was shown to be localized in the cytosol, and its localization is discussed. We also discuss the potential roles of the CA isoforms in development and the CCM in the two life stages. ConclusionsCA isoforms in P. yezoensis are widely distributed within cells, and higher PyCA expression, particularly of certain chloroplastic, cytosolic and mitochondrional CAs, is observed more often during the leafy stage. This expression results in stronger carbon sequestration ability in leafy thalli than filamentous thalli.
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