Dataset Information

Effect of vitrification on global gene expression dynamics of bovine elongating embryos

ABSTRACT: Embryo vitrification involves exposure to high concentrations of cryoprotectants and osmotic stress during cooling and warming. A multitude of these factors have the potential of affecting gene expression. In this study, in vitro produced bovine embryos at the blastocyst stage were submitted to vitrification. Four recipients each were used for transferring non-vitrified (80) and vitrified (80) embryos. Twelve non-vitrified and nine vitrified viable day-14 (D14) embryos were recovered by uterine flushing. RNA-seq analysis of whole embryo or isolated trophectoderm (TE) from vitrified and fresh recovered D14 embryos revealed a total of 927 genes changed their expression as a result of vitrification, among them 782 and 145 genes were up- and down-regulated, respectively. In TE isolates, vitrification resulted in 4,096 and 280 up- and down-regulated genes, respectively. In addition, we found 671 and 61 genes commonly up- and down-regulated in both vitrified whole embryo and TE. Commonly up-regulated pathways by vitrification included epithelial adherens junctions, sirtuin signaling, germ cell-sertoli cell junction, ATM signaling, NER, and protein ubiquitination pathways. The commonly down-regulated pathways included EIF2 signaling, oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction, regulation of eIF4 and p70S6K signaling, mTOR signaling, sirtuin singling, and NER pathways. Our analysis identified specific pathways and implicated specific gene expression patterns important to cryopreservation affecting embryo developmental competence.

ORGANISM(S): Bos taurus

PROVIDER: GSE159891 | GEO | 2021/03/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Studies on embryo cryopreservation efficiency had been focused mainly on technical and embryo factors. While structural damages can be easily evaluated, physiological damages only can be estimated by analyzing their in vitro and in vivo development to later stages. In order to determine how cryopreservation process affect embryo pre-implantory development, a transcriptional microarray study has been performed comparing gene expression of 6 days old rabbit embryos, previously vitrified or frozen and transferred into recipients rabbit females, to their in vivo counterparts. For each experimental group, control, vitrified and frozen late blastocysts, total RNA was extracted from 3 pools of approximately 10 embryos and labeled with Cy3 or Cy5 dyes. Then, six competitive hybridizations were carried out including two dye-swaps to compensate dye-bias. A specifically microarray designed to study rabbit gene expression profiling, the Rabbit 44K oligonucleotide array (Agilent Technologies), was used in this study. Identification of differentially expressed transcripts from 6 day old blastocysts was achieved using the Limma algorithm, and functional annotation was performed by Blast2GO software. Compared to 6 day old in vivo derived embryos, viable vitrified embryos only present 3 differentially expressed genes, in contrast to frozen viable embryos with 24 genes upregulated and 46 genes downregulated. These results reveal that effects of cryopreservation still remain in late blastocyst pre-implantatory gene expression, and potential damage and alterations produced by vitrification and slow-freezing procedures are differentially resolved after 3 days of in vivo development. Transcriptional microarray study that compares gene expression of viable 6 day old rabbit embryos, previosly vitrified or frozen and tranferred into recipient rabbit females, to their in vivo counterparts. Experiment 1: Control embryos vs. Vitrified embryos and Experiment 2: Control embryos vs. Frozen embryos. Biological replicates used: 3 replicates for control embryos, 3 replicates for vitrified embryos and 3 replicates for frozen embryos.

Project description:Since the first human conceived through in vitro fertilisation in 1978, over 8 million babies have been born by assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Although most ART babies and children seem healthy, in recent years, several human and animal model studies have evidenced a potential impact of ART on long-term development. However, the long-term follow-up data in this field is still limited. Till now, studies are mainly focused on techniques such as in vitro fertilisation or in vitro culture, being the information from gametes/embryos cryopreservation field practically missing. Herein, we have developed an animal model to determine whether vitrified-thawed embryo transfer procedure has long-term consequences over the offspring. The birth weight, growth performance and adult body weight of the rabbits derived from vitrified-thawed embryos was compared with that of the naturally-conceived animals. In adulthood, the liver, heart, kidneys, spleen, lungs, gonads and adrenal glands of the males were weighed and compared. Moreover, some haematological and biochemical parameters were assessed on peripheral blood. Besides, some liver samples were obtained to perform a comparative proteomic study. The embryo vitrification-transfer process modified the birth weight and the growth pattern of the offspring, reducing the growth performance in a sex-specific manner. In adulthood, animals derived from vitrified embryos showed a significantly lower body, liver and heart weight. Molecular analyses revealed that vitrified-thawed embryo transfer procedure triggers concordant reprogramming of the liver proteome. The most relevant metabolic alteration denoted by the protein profile was that related to the oxidative phosphorylation, suggesting an impaired oxidative metabolism in the mitochondria. Furthermore, hints of dysregulation in the zinc and lipid metabolism were identified. These results evidence long-term consequences in the offspring derived from cryopreserved-transferred embryos and represented an evident example of the phenotypic plasticity exhibited by the mammalian embryo.

Dataset Information

Effect of vitrification on global gene expression dynamics of bovine elongating embryos

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure