Background Extracellular vesicles (EVs), as a promising platform for drug delivery, have attracted much attention. Degradation and regeneration of EVs maintain their homeostasis in vivo, but this regeneration is missing in the in vitro culture (IVC) system, which is likely to lead to negative effects. It is particularly concerning that most studies involving the addition of EVs in IVC seem to overlook this point. Methods We used rabbit embryos and oviduct fluid EVs as a model of embryo development to examine the effect of loss or gain of EV functionality in an IVC system. Embryonic development ratios were determined in each group. Malondialdehyde and ammonium ions in the culture medium were measured. RNA-seq, reactive oxygen species (ROS) staining, immunofluorescence of LC3 and H3K36me3, and qPCR of oxidative stress-related genes and autophagy-related genes of blastocysts in the in vivo group, non-EVs group, con-EVs group, and R-EVsM group was implemented. Results Incubation of embryos with 9.1×10 11 EV particles/mL had a positive effect at 48 h and 72 h, which disappeared by 96 h, however. EVs at a concentration of 9.1×10 12 particles/mL even showed a negative effect at 96 h. As culture time in the IVC system was increased, the amount of malondialdehyde and ammonium ions in the culture medium was increased, and there was a decrease in embryonic development activity of EVs. Lack of EV renewal in the IVC system impaired embryonic development competence, while replacement of EVs and medium during IVC could sustain embryonic development. Loss or gain of renewal in the IVC system affected EVs’ influence on embryo transcriptome, embryonic ROS, autophagy, epigenetic state and apoptosis. Conclusion Loss of renewal in the IVC system affected EVs’ role in embryonic development by causing an imbalance in ROS, autophagy, abnormal H3K36me3 levels and apoptosis, while gain of renewal in the IVC system reduced these adverse effects and ensured the beneficial function of EVs.
Obesity is a metabolic disorder resulting from behavioral, environmental and heritable causes, and can have a negative impact on male reproduction. There have been few experiments in mice, rats, and rabbits on the effects of obesity on reproduction, which has inhibited the development of better treatments for male subfertility caused by obesity. Nonhuman primates are most similar to human beings in anatomy, physiology, metabolism, and biochemistry and are appropriate subjects for obesity studies. In this investigation, we conducted a transcriptome analysis of the testes of cynomolgus monkeys on high-fat, high-fructose, and cholesterol-rich diets to determine the effect of obesity on gene expression in testes. The results showed that the testes of obese monkeys had abnormal morphology, and their testes transcriptome was significantly different from that of non-obese animals. We identified 507 differentially abundant genes (adjusted p value < 0.01, log2 [FC] > 2) including 163 up-regulated and 344 down-regulated genes. Among the differentially abundant genes were ten regulatory genes, including IRF1, IRF6, HERC5, HERC6, IFIH1, IFIT2, IFIT5, IFI35, RSAD2, and UBQLNL. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis was conducted, and we found that processes and pathways associated with the blood testes barrier (BTB), immunity, inflammation, and DNA methylation in gametes were preferentially enriched. We also found abnormal expression of genes related to infertility (TDRD5, CLCN2, MORC1, RFX8, SOHLH1, IL2RB, MCIDAS, ZPBP, NFIA, PTPN11, TSC22D3, MAPK6, PLCB1, DCUN1D1, LPIN1, and GATM) and down-regulation of testosterone in monkeys with dietetic obesity. This work not only provides an important reference for research and treatment on male infertility caused by obesity, but also valuable insights into the effects of diet on gene expression in testes.
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) shows great application value in the generation of transgenic animals, protection of endangered species, and therapeutic cloning.However, the cloning efficiency is still very low, which greatly restricts its application. Compared to fertilized embryos, cloned embryos lack the sperm proteins, which are considered to play an important role in embryonic development. Here, we compared the sperm proteome, with that of donor fibroblasts and oocytes, and identified 342 proteins unique to sperm, with 42 being highly expressed. The 384 proteins were mainly enriched in the categories of post-translational modification and cytoskeletal arrangement. Extracts of soluble sperm or fibroblast proteins were injected into cloned embryos, and the result showed that injection of sperm protein significantly inhibited abnormal embryonic cleavage, significantly decreased the level of trimethylated histone H3 Lys9 (H3K9me3) and the apoptotic index, and increased the inner cell mass (ICM)-to-trophectoderm (TE) ratio. More importantly, the sperm proteins also significantly enhanced the birthrate. The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that sperm-derived proteins improve embryo cloning efficiency. Our findings not only provide new insights into ways to overcome low cloning efficiency, but also add to the understanding of sperm protein function.
Background Obese patients have been found to be susceptible to iron deficiency, and malabsorption of dietary iron is the cause of obesity-related iron deficiency (ORID). Divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and ferroportin (FPN), are two transmembrane transporter proteins expressed in the duodenum that are closely associated with iron absorption. However, there have been few studies on the association between these two proteins and the increased susceptibility to iron deficiency in obese patients. Chronic inflammation is also thought to be a cause of obesity-related iron deficiency, and both conditions can have an impact on spermatogenesis and impair male reproductive function. Based on previous studies, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance through gametes was observed in obesity. Results Our results showed that obese mice had decreased blood iron levels (p < 0.01), lower protein and mRNA expression for duodenal DMT1 (p < 0.05), but no statistically significant variation in mRNA expression for duodenal FPN (p > 0.05); there was an increase in sperm miR-135b expression (p < 0.05). Bioinformatics revealed ninety overlapping genes and further analysis showed that they were primarily responsible for epithelial cilium movement, fatty acid beta-oxidation, protein dephosphorylation, fertilization and glutamine transport, which are closely related to spermatogenesis, sperm development and sperm viability in mice. Conclusions In conclusion, this study demonstrated that high-fat diet impairs male fertility by disrupting DMT1 and miR-135b in the gut-testis axis.
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