Dataset Information

Methylome-wide analysis of IVF neonates that underwent embryo culture in different media revealed no significant differences.

ABSTRACT: A growing number of children born are conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), which has been linked to an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, as well as altered growth profiles and cardiometabolic differences in the resultant individuals. Some of these outcomes have also been shown to be influenced by the use of different IVF culture media and this effect is hypothesised to be mediated epigenetically, e.g. through the methylome. As such, we profiled the umbilical cord blood methylome of IVF neonates that underwent preimplantation embryo development in two different IVF culture media (G5 or HTF), using the Infinium Human Methylation EPIC BeadChip. We found no significant methylation differences between the two groups in terms of: (i) systematic differences at CpG sites or regions, (ii) imprinted sites/genes or birth weight-associated sites, (iii) stochastic differences presenting as DNA methylation outliers or differentially variable sites, and (iv) epigenetic gestational age acceleration.

SUBMITTER: Koeck RM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9243125 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Methylome-wide analysis of IVF neonates that underwent embryo culture in different media revealed no significant differences.

Koeck Rebekka M RM Busato Florence F Tost Jorg J Consten Dimitri D van Echten-Arends Jannie J Mastenbroek Sebastiaan S Wurth Yvonne Y Remy Sylvie S Langie Sabine S Nawrot Tim S TS Plusquin Michelle M Alfano Rossella R Bijnens Esmée M EM Gielen Marij M van Golde Ron R Dumoulin John C M JCM Brunner Han H van Montfoort Aafke P A APA Zamani Esteki Masoud M

NPJ genomic medicine 20220629 1

A growing number of children born are conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), which has been linked to an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, as well as altered growth profiles and cardiometabolic differences in the resultant individuals. Some of these outcomes have also been shown to be influenced by the use of different IVF culture media and this effect is hypothesised to be mediated epigenetically, e.g. through the methylome. As such, we profiled the umbilical cord blood met ...[more]

PMID: 35768464

Similar Datasets

Project description:Study questionCan we detect DNA methylation differences between ART children that underwent embryo culture in different media?Summary answerWe identified no significant differences in site-specific or regional DNA methylation between the different culture medium groups.What is known alreadyEmbryo culture in G3 or K-SICM medium leads to differences in embryonic, neonatal and childhood outcomes, including growth and weight. The methylome may mediate this association as the period of in vitro culture of ART treatments coincides with epigenetic reprogramming.Study design, size, durationThis study was conducted as a follow-up to a previous culture medium comparison study in which couples were pseudo-randomized to embryo culture in G3 or K-SICM medium. Of the resultant singletons, 120 (n = 65 G3, n = 55 K-SICM), were recruited at age 9.Participants/materials, setting, methodsThe ART children provided a saliva sample from which the methylome was analysed using the Infinium MethylationEPIC array. After quality and context filtering, 106 (n = 57 G3, n = 49 K-SICM) samples and 659 708 sites were retained for the analyses. Differential methylation analyses were conducted using mixed effects linear models corrected for age, sex, sample plate and cell composition. These were applied to all cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites, various genomic regions (genes, promoters, CpG Islands (CGIs)) and as a targeted analysis of imprinted genes and birth weight-associated CpG sites. Differential variance was assessed using the improved epigenetic variable outliers for risk prediction analysis (iEVORA) algorithm and methylation outliers were identified using a previously defined threshold (upper or lower quartile plus or minus three times the interquartile range, respectively).Main results and the role of chanceAfter correcting for multiple testing, we did not identify any significantly differentially methylated CpG sites, genes, promoters or CGIs between G3 and K-SICM children despite a lenient corrected P-value threshold of 0.1. Targeted analyses of (sites within) imprinted genes and birth weight-associated sites also did not identify any significant differences. The number of DNA methylation outliers per sample was comparable between the culture medium groups. iEVORA identified 101 differentially variable CpG sites of which 94 were more variable in the G3 group.Large scale dataGene Expression Omnibus (GEO) GSE196432.Limitations, reasons for cautionTo detect significant methylation differences with a magnitude of <10% between the groups many more participants would be necessary; however, the clinical relevance of such small differences is unclear.Wider implications of the findingsThe results of this study are reassuring, suggesting that if there is an effect of the culture medium on DNA methylation (and methylation-mediated diseases risk), it does not differ between the two media investigated here. The findings concur with other methylome studies of ART neonates and children that underwent embryo culture in different media, which also found no significant methylome differences.Study funding/competing interest(s)Study funded by March of Dimes (6-FY13-153), EVA (Erfelijkheid Voortplanting & Aanleg) specialty programme (grant no. KP111513) of Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+) and the Horizon 2020 innovation (ERIN) (grant no. EU952516) of the European Commission. The authors do not report any conflicts of interest relevant to this study.Trial registration numberDutch Trial register-NL4083.

Project description:Study question: Is gene expression in human preimplantation embryos affected by medium used for culturing embryos during an IVF treatment? Summary answer: Six days of in vitro culture of human preimplantation embryos resulted in a medium-dependent expression level of genes involved in apoptosis, protein degradation, metabolism and cell cycle regulation. What is known already: Several human studies have shown an effect of culture medium on embryo development, pregnancy outcome and birthweight. However, the underlying mechanisms in human embryos are still unknown. In animal blastocysts, it has been demonstrated that culture of preimplantation embryos affects gene expression. In humans, it has been found that culture medium affects gene expression of cryopreserved embryos that, after thawing, were cultured in two different media for 2 more days. Study design, size, duration: In a multicenter trial, women were randomly assigned to two culture media groups (G5 and HTF). Data on embryonic development were collected for all embryos. In one center, embryos originating from 2PN zygotes that were not selected for transfer or cryopreservation on day 2 or 3, were further cultured until day 6 and collected for this study, if couples consented. Participants/materials, setting, methods: Ten blastocysts from each study group, matched for fertilization method, maternal age and blastocyst quality, were selected and their mRNA was isolated and amplified. Embryos were individually examined for genome-wide gene expression using Agilent microarrays and PathVisio was used to identify the pathways that showed a culture medium-dependent activity. Main results and the role of chance: Expression of 951 genes differed significantly (P < 0.01) between the two study groups. Eighteen pathways, involved in apoptosis, metabolism, protein processing and cell cycle regulation, showed a significant overrepresentation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DNA replication, G1 to S cell cycle control and oxidative phosphorylation pathways were upregulated in the G5 group compared with the HTF group. This is in agreement with the higher number of cells seen in G5 embryos on day 2 and 3. Limitations, reasons for caution: Despite careful matching of the embryos, it cannot be ruled out that differences observed between the study groups are affected by factors not investigated. Extrapolation of these results to embryos used for transfer demands caution as in the present study embryos that were not selected for either embryo transfer or cryopreservation have been used for the culture experiment until day 6. Wider implications of the findings: This study shows that gene expression in human preimplantation embryos is affected by the culture medium used during an IVF treatment. Furthermore, it provides insight into the biological mechanisms that are affected. The increased cell cycle regulation is reflected by a higher number of blastomeres. Whether these results are also connected to long-term effects remains unknown. However, it is not unlikely that early adaptations of the preimplantation embryo to its environment persist during fetal and post-natal development. Note: this study has been conducted using the Agilent-028004 SurePrint G3 Human GE 4x180K Microarray. This array contains the same reporters as the Agilent-028004 SurePrint G3 Human GE 8x60K Microarray. As such we have linked this entry to the A-GEOD-14550 array design, belonging to the latter.

Dataset Information

Methylome-wide analysis of IVF neonates that underwent embryo culture in different media revealed no significant differences.

Publications

Methylome-wide analysis of IVF neonates that underwent embryo culture in different media revealed no significant differences.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets