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Seasonal Heat Stress Effects on Transcriptomic Profiles and DNA Methylation of Bovine Oocytes

ABSTRACT: Heat stress affects oocyte developmental competence and is a major cause of reduced fertility in heat stressed cattle. Negative effects of heat stress on the oocyte have been observed at morphological, biochemical and developmental levels. However, the mechanisms by which heat stress affects the oocyte at the transcriptional and epigenetic levels remain to be further elucidated. Here we aimed to investigate the effect of heat stress on oocyte quality, transcriptomic profiles and DNA methylation of oocytes collected through the transition from spring to summer under Louisiana conditions. Summer heat resulted in a lower number of high quality oocytes obtained compared to the spring season. There was no difference in maturation rates of oocytes collected during spring as compared to summer. RNA sequencing analysis showed that a total of 212 and 93 genes were differentially expressed as a result of heat stress at the GV and MII oocytes, respectively. Five common genes (E2F8, GATAD2B, BHLHE41, FBXO44, and RAB39B) were significantly affected by heat in both GV and MII oocytes. A number of pathways were also influenced by heat stress including glucocorticoid biosynthesis, apoptosis signaling, and HIPPO signaling in GV oocytes, and Oct4 pluripotency, Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, and melatonin degradation I in MII oocytes, respectively. In addition, fluorescent immunocytochemistry analysis showed no difference in global levels of DNA methylation and DNA hydroxymethylation at either the GV or MII stage between spring and summer oocytes. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the effect of heat stress on the molecular mechanisms altered in bovine oocytes.

ORGANISM(S): Bos taurus

PROVIDER: GSE166413 | GEO | 2021/04/27

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: Early embryonic development is governed by maternal transcripts stored within the oocyte during oogenesis. Transcriptional activity of the oocyte ultimately dictates its developmental potential and may be influenced by maternal age, resulting in reduced competence of oocytes derived from women of advanced age, compared with the young. In the current study, RNA-Seq was used to perform transcriptome profiling of human GV and MII oocytes derived from young and advanced maternal age women. Participants/Materials and Methods: Cumulus dissection from donated oocytes was performed. GV and MII oocytes underwent deep RNA sequencing using the SMART-Seq v4 Ultra Low Input RNA protocol (Takara-Clontech, USA) and Nextera XT DNA library preparation kit (Illumina, USA). Data processing, quality assessment and bioinformatics analysis were performed using source-software, including FastQC, HISAT2, StringTie, edgeR and DAVID. Results: Following deep single-cell RNA-Seq on GV and MII oocytes, hundreds of transcripts were significantly differentially expressed between young maternal age (YMA) and advanced maternal age (AMA) groups, with the most significant biological processes relating to mitochondrial reserves. The GV to MII transition shares common biological processes between young and AMA groups, however, some genes involved in mitochondria function were altered during ageing. A decrease in mitochondrial-related transcripts was also observed during the GV to MII transition. However, there was a much greater reduction of mitochondrial-related transcripts in MII oocytes of AMA. This observation was confirmed when YMA MII oocytes were compared with the AMA MII group with mitochondrial-related transcripts being significantly higher expressed in the YMA group, including biological processes, such as mitochondrial electron transport and ATP biosynthetic process. These results indicate a higher energy potential in YMA MII oocytes that is decreased with age. Other significantly higher biological processes in the YMA MII group include transcripts involved in the regulation of ubiquitin-dependent degradation. Lack of these transcripts could lead to a non-appropriate removal of oogenesis remnants following fertilisation in the AMA MII group. Discussion: Understanding reproductive ageing effects at the RNA level in human oocytes may reveal differences in the mechanisms regulating the GV to MII transition that impact on oocyte quality in YMA and AMA patients. Further investigations of the up-/down-regulated transcripts during ageing could guide and improved IVF outcomes for AMA patients.

Project description:Study Question: What effects do maternal age and oocyte maturation stage have on the human oocyte transcriptome that may be associated with oocyte developmental potential? Summary Answer: Although polyadenylated transcript abundance changes during human oocyte maturation irrespective of age, young (YNG) and advanced maternal age (AMA) metaphase II (MII) oocytes exhibit divergent transcriptomes. What is known already: Maternal age and maturation stage affect oocyte polyadenylated transcript abundance in human oocytes. Although RNA-Seq analysis of single human MII oocytes has been conducted, comparison of the germinal vesicle (GV) and MII oocyte transcriptomes has not been investigated using RNA-Seq, a technique that could provide novel insight into oocyte maturation and age-associated aberrations in gene expression. Participants / materials, settings, methods: Patients undergoing infertility treatment at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (Lone Tree, CO, USA) underwent ovarian stimulation with FSH and received hCG for final follicular maturation prior to ultrasound guided egg retrieval. Unused GV oocytes obtained at retrieval were donated for transcriptome analysis. Single oocytes were stored (at -80°C in PicoPure RNA Extraction Buffer; Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) immediately upon verification of immaturity or after undergoing in vitro oocyte maturation (24 hour incubation), representing GV and MII samples, respectively. After isolating RNA and generating single oocyte RNA-Seq libraries (SMARTer Ultra Low Input RNA HV kit; Clontech, USA), Illumina sequencing (100 bp paired-end reads in HiSeq 2500) and bioinformatics analysis (CLC Genomics Workbench, DESeq2, Weighted Gene Correlation Network Analysis (WGCNA), 3’UTR motif analysis, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis) were performed. Main results and the role of chance: Within the 12,770 expressed genes in human oocytes (reads per kilobase per million mapped reads (RPKM) > 0.4 in at least 3 of 5 replicates for a minimum of one sample type), 458 and 3,506 genes significantly (adjusted p < 0.05 and log2 fold change > 1) increased and decreased in polyadenylated transcript abundance during oocyte maturation, respectively. The differentially expressed genes were enriched (FDR < 0.05) for biological functions and canonical pathways related to cell cycle and mitochondrial function. The majority (76%) and minority (25%) of up- and down-regulated transcripts with a complete 3’UTR were predicted to be targets of cytoplasmic polyadenylation (910 total genes), respectively. Differential gene expression analysis between young and advanced maternal age oocytes (within stage) identified 1 and 255 genes that significantly differed (adjusted p < 0.1 and log2 fold change > 1) in polyadenylated transcript abundance for GV and MII oocytes, respectively. These genes included CDK1, NLRP5, and PRDX1, which have been reported to affect oocyte developmental potential and be markers of oocyte quality. Despite similarity in transcript abundance between GV oocytes irrespective of age, divergent expression patterns emerged during oocyte maturation. These age-specific differentially expressed genes were enriched (FDR < 0.05) for functions and pathways associated with mitochondria, cell cycle, and cytoskeleton. Gene modules generated by WGCNA (based on gene expression) and patient traits related to oocyte quality (e.g. age and blastocyst development) were determined to be correlated (p < 0.05) and enriched (FDR < 0.05) for functions and pathways associated with oocyte maturation. Limitations, reasons for caution: The human oocytes used in the current study were obtained from patients with varying causes of infertility (e.g. decreased oocyte quality and oocyte quality-independent factors), possibly affecting oocyte gene expression. Oocytes in this study were retrieved at the GV stage following hCG administration and the MII oocytes were derived by in vitro maturation of patient oocytes, which has the benefit of identifying intrinsic differences between samples, but may not be completely representative of in vivo matured oocytes. Thus, these factors should be considered when interpreting the results. Wider Implications of the findings: Transcriptome profiles of young and advanced maternal age oocytes, particularly at the MII stage, suggest aberrant transcript abundance contributes to the age-associated decline in fertility.

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Seasonal Heat Stress Effects on Transcriptomic Profiles and DNA Methylation of Bovine Oocytes

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