Comprehensive cross production system assessment of the impact of in vitro microenvironment on the expression of messengers and long non-coding RNAs in the bovine blastocyst

Abstract

In vitro production (IVP) of cattle embryos over the past two decades has revealed several negative impacts that have been attributed to the artificial microenvironment. Studies on embryos produced in vitro clearly point to aberrant gene expression levels. So far, the causal association between phenotype and measured gene expression has not led to substantial improvement of IVP systems. The aim of this study was to generate a unique dataset composed of microarray-derived relative transcript abundance values for blastocysts produced in ten in vitro systems differing primarily in culture medium formulation. Between-group comparisons determine the level of overall similarity among systems relative to in vivo reference embryos. The use of the dataset to contrast all in vitro treatments with the in vivo blastocysts pointed to a single common gene network. The 'boutique' array contained a panel of novel uncharacterized transcripts that were variably expressed depending on the medium in which the blastocysts were produced. These novel transcripts were differentially expressed in blastocysts even as carryover from conditions encountered 7 days earlier during oocyte maturation. All of the selected novel candidates thus expressed were from intergenic regions. The function of this long non-coding RNA remains unknown but clearly points to an additional level of complexity in early embryo development.

Improved developmental competence in embryos treated with lycopene during in vitro culture system

“…Assessment of the morphological characteristics and overall gene expression profiles, when combined, could be a superior method for describing and distinguishing functional characteristics of embryos (Côté et al, ). Therefore, the expression of seven selected candidate genes that regulate various aspects of embryonic development and metabolism were profiled via quantitative reverse‐transcription PCR: GDF‐9, BMP‐15 , IKBKB, SOD2 , NDUFA2, ACSL3 , and ACADL .…”

“…Increased mitochondrial intensity accompanies an increase in oocyte metabolism, while increased β‐oxidation—due to improved lipid metabolism—enhances embryo developmental potential from these oocytes (Sutton‐McDowall, Feil, Robker, Thompson, & Dunning, ). Embryonic culture conditions also influence lipid metabolism and the oxidative stress response at the gene‐expression level, which is particularly evident when comparing the transcriptomes of blastocysts generated in vivo versus in vitro (Côté et al, ; Gad et al, ; Plourde et al, ). For example, embryos developed in vitro usually possess markedly more lipids than in vivo controls, which increase the abundance of substrate for damaging lipid peroxidation (De La Torre‐Sanchez, Gardner, Preis, Gibbons, & Seidel, ; De La Torre‐Sanchez, Preis, Seidel, ; Khan, Kim, et al, ; Seidel, ).…”

Embryo competence and cryosurvival: Molecular and cellular features

“…At molecular level, the great plasticity and tolerance to distinct culture conditions/systems including temperature, gas atmosphere, medium composition, embryo density per drop, and many other situations, are associated with an exacerbate gene expression pattern on IVP embryos compared with the in vivo counterparts (Corcoran et al, 2006;Côté et al, 2011;Sudano et al, 2013a).…”

Safety in Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Insights from Gene Expression Studies During Preimplantation Development

“…This point is of particular concern when considering the recent proliferation in media for the extended culture of human preimplantation embryos. A recent microarray analysis compared the relative transcript abundance values for blastocysts produced in ten in vitro systems, differing primarily in culture medium formulation (Côté et al, 2011). A panel of novel uncharacterized transcripts were variably expressed depending on the medium in which the blastocysts were produced.…”