Project description:Metabolic stress associated with negative energy balance in high producing dairy cattle and obesity in women is a risk factor for decreased fertility. Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are involved in this pathogenesis as they jeopardize oocyte and embryo development. Growing evidence indicates that maternal metabolic disorders can disturb epigenetic programming, and more specifically DNA methylation, in the offspring. Final oocyte maturation and early embryo development coincide with specific methylation changes and both time periods are sensitive to adverse environments. Therefore, we investigated whether elevated NEFA concentrations affect the establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation patterns in oocytes and embryos and subsequently alter transcriptomic profiles and developmental competence of the resultant blastocysts. To do this, bovine oocytes and embryos were exposed to different NEFA concentrations in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, oocytes were matured in vitro for 24 hours in medium containing: 1) physiological (âBASALâ) concentrations of oleic (OA), palmitic (PA) and stearic (SA) or 2) elevated (pathophysiological or âHIGH COMBIâ) concentrations of OA, PA and SA. In the second experiment, zygotes were cultivated in vitro for 6.5 days under BASAL or HIGH COMBI conditions. The developmental competence was evaluated by assessing cleavage and blastocyst rate. Overall gene expression and DNA methylation of resultant blastocysts were analyzed using microarray techniques. Data regarding DNA methylation were re-evaluated by pyrosequencing. HIGH COMBI-exposed oocytes and embryos displayed a lower competence to develop into blastocysts compared to their BASAL-exposed counterparts (19.3 % compared to 23.2 % and 18.2 % compared to 25.3 %, respectively) (P < 0.05). HIGH COMBI-exposed oocytes and embryos resulted in blastocysts with altered DNA methylation profiles and transcriptomic fingerprints, compared to BASAL-exposed counterparts. Differences in gene expression and methylation were more pronounced after exposure during culture compared to maturation suggesting that zygotes are more susceptible to an adverse environment. Main gene networks affected were related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, cell death, immune response and metabolic disorders. This may offer clues regarding the high rate of embryonic loss and metabolic diseases during later stages of life observed in offspring from mothers displaying lipolytic disorders. The effect of elevated NEFA exposure during embryo culture (6.5 days) on gene expression was evaluated by exposing embryos to the BASAL or HIGH COMBI conditions. A total of 1412 oocytes were used, equally distributed between treatments in 4 replicates. Resultant day 7.5 blastocysts were snap frozen for subsequent transcriptome analysis (80 blastocysts in each experiments, equally collected between treatments in 4 replicates).

Project description:Metabolic stress associated with negative energy balance in high producing dairy cattle and obesity in women is a risk factor for decreased fertility. Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are involved in this pathogenesis as they jeopardize oocyte and embryo development. Growing evidence indicates that maternal metabolic disorders can disturb epigenetic programming, and more specifically DNA methylation, in the offspring. Final oocyte maturation and early embryo development coincide with specific methylation changes and both time periods are sensitive to adverse environments. Therefore, we investigated whether elevated NEFA concentrations affect the establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation patterns in oocytes and embryos and subsequently alter transcriptomic profiles and developmental competence of the resultant blastocysts. To do this, bovine oocytes and embryos were exposed to different NEFA concentrations in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, oocytes were matured in vitro for 24 hours in medium containing: 1) physiological (âBASALâ) concentrations of oleic (OA), palmitic (PA) and stearic (SA) or 2) elevated (pathophysiological or âHIGH COMBIâ) concentrations of OA, PA and SA. In the second experiment, zygotes were cultivated in vitro for 6.5 days under BASAL or HIGH COMBI conditions. The developmental competence was evaluated by assessing cleavage and blastocyst rate. Overall gene expression and DNA methylation of resultant blastocysts were analyzed using microarray techniques. Data regarding DNA methylation were re-evaluated by pyrosequencing. HIGH COMBI-exposed oocytes and embryos displayed a lower competence to develop into blastocysts compared to their BASAL-exposed counterparts (19.3 % compared to 23.2 % and 18.2 % compared to 25.3 %, respectively) (P < 0.05). HIGH COMBI-exposed oocytes and embryos resulted in blastocysts with altered DNA methylation profiles and transcriptomic fingerprints, compared to BASAL-exposed counterparts. Differences in gene expression and methylation were more pronounced after exposure during culture compared to maturation suggesting that zygotes are more susceptible to an adverse environment. Main gene networks affected were related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, cell death, immune response and metabolic disorders. This may offer clues regarding the high rate of embryonic loss and metabolic diseases during later stages of life observed in offspring from mothers displaying lipolytic disorders. Two experiments were set up to characterize the epigenomic profile of the resultant day 7.5 blastocysts. In the first (in vitro maturation or IVM) experiment, the effect of elevated NEFA exposure during oocyte maturation (24 h) on DNA methylation profiles was evaluated by exposing oocytes to the BASAL or HIGH COMBI conditions. In the second (in vitro culture or IVC) experiment, the effect of elevated NEFA exposure during embryo culture (6.5 days) on DNA methylation marks was evaluated by exposing embryos to the BASAL or HIGH COMBI conditions. A total of 1039 and 1412 oocytes were used in the IVM and IVC experiment, respectively, equally distributed between treatments in 4 replicates. Resultant day 7.5 blastocysts were snap frozen for subsequent DNA methylation analysis (80 blastocysts in each experiments, equally collected between treatments in 4 replicates).

Project description:Metabolic stress associated with negative energy balance in high producing dairy cattle and obesity in women is a risk factor for decreased fertility. Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are involved in this pathogenesis as they jeopardize oocyte and embryo development. Growing evidence indicates that maternal metabolic disorders can disturb epigenetic programming, and more specifically DNA methylation, in the offspring. Final oocyte maturation and early embryo development coincide with specific methylation changes and both time periods are sensitive to adverse environments. Therefore, we investigated whether elevated NEFA concentrations affect the establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation patterns in oocytes and embryos and subsequently alter transcriptomic profiles and developmental competence of the resultant blastocysts. To do this, bovine oocytes and embryos were exposed to different NEFA concentrations in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, oocytes were matured in vitro for 24 hours in medium containing: 1) physiological (“BASAL”) concentrations of oleic (OA), palmitic (PA) and stearic (SA) or 2) elevated (pathophysiological or “HIGH COMBI”) concentrations of OA, PA and SA. In the second experiment, zygotes were cultivated in vitro for 6.5 days under BASAL or HIGH COMBI conditions. The developmental competence was evaluated by assessing cleavage and blastocyst rate. Overall gene expression and DNA methylation of resultant blastocysts were analyzed using microarray techniques. Data regarding DNA methylation were re-evaluated by pyrosequencing. HIGH COMBI-exposed oocytes and embryos displayed a lower competence to develop into blastocysts compared to their BASAL-exposed counterparts (19.3 % compared to 23.2 % and 18.2 % compared to 25.3 %, respectively) (P < 0.05). HIGH COMBI-exposed oocytes and embryos resulted in blastocysts with altered DNA methylation profiles and transcriptomic fingerprints, compared to BASAL-exposed counterparts. Differences in gene expression and methylation were more pronounced after exposure during culture compared to maturation suggesting that zygotes are more susceptible to an adverse environment. Main gene networks affected were related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, cell death, immune response and metabolic disorders. This may offer clues regarding the high rate of embryonic loss and metabolic diseases during later stages of life observed in offspring from mothers displaying lipolytic disorders.

Project description:Background: Factors secreted from the placenta into maternal and fetal circulation are important for maternal and fetal development during pregnancy. Maternal hematopoietic stem cells maintain maternal blood supply. The placenta is an early site of fetal hematopoiesis, and placental hematopoietic stem cells are involved in the early stages of fetal blood cell differentiation. Cross-talk between placental cells and hematopoietic stem cells represents an important but understudied phenomenon of pregnancy. The impact of toxicant exposure on placental-immune cell communication is poorly understood. The goals of this study were to 1) determine if factors secreted from placental cells alter transcriptomic responses in hematopoietic stem cells in vitro and 2) if monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), the major metabolite of the pollutant diethylhexyl phthalate, modifies these effects. Methods: Using in vitro cell line models of hematopoietic stem cells (K-562) and placental syncytiotrophoblasts (differentiated BeWo), we treated K-562 cells for 24 hours with media conditioned by incubation with BeWo cells, media conditioned with BeWo cells treated with 10 µM MEHP, or unconditioned controls (n = 4 replicates for each group). We extracted K-562 cell RNA and performed RNA sequencing. We then conducted differential gene expression and pathway analysis by treatment group and accounted for multiple comparisons using false discovery rate (FDR). Results: K-562 cells treated with BeWo cell conditioned media differentially expressed 173 genes (FDR<0.05 and fold-change>2.0), relative to vehicle control. Cells treated with BeWo media upregulated TPM4 2.4 fold (FDR=1.8x10-53) and S1PR3 3.3 fold (FDR=1.6x10-40) compared to controls. Upregulated genes were enriched for biological processes including stem cell maintenance (“somatic stem cell population maintenance”), cell proliferation (“positive regulation of endothelial cell proliferation”) and immune processes (“myeloid leukocyte cytokine production”). Downregulated genes were enriched for protein translation (“mitochondrial translation”) and transcriptional regulation (“RNA processing”). Cells treated with media from BeWo cells treated with MEHP upregulated (FDR<0.05) eight genes, including genes involved in fat/lipid metabolism (PLIN2, fold-change: 1.4; CPT1A, fold-change: 1.4) and iron uptake (TFRC, fold-change: 1.3), relative to the BeWo conditioned media treatment. Conclusion: Hematopoietic stem cells are responsive to media that has been conditioned by placental cells, potentially impacting processes related to stem cell maintenance and proliferation, which may represent placental-immune communication important for development. The metabolite MEHP only had a modest impact on these responses at the single concentration tested. Future directions will investigate components of placental cell media (hormones, microvesicles, and proteins) contributing to hematopoietic cell signals.

Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) “program” an elevated risk of metabolic syndrome in the offspring. Epigenetic alterations are a suspected mechanism. GDM has been associated with placental DNA methylation changes in some epigenome-wide association studies. It remains unclear which genes or pathways are affected, and whether any placental differential gene methylations are correlated to fetal growth or circulating metabolic health biomarkers. In an epigenome-wide association study using the Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip, we sought to identify genome-wide placental differentially methylated genes and enriched pathways in GDM, and to assess the correlations with fetal growth and metabolic health biomarkers in cord blood. The study samples were 30 pairs of term placentas in GDM vs. euglycemic pregnancies (controls) matched by infant sex and gestational age at delivery in the Shanghai Birth Cohort. Cord blood metabolic health biomarkers included insulin, C-peptide, proinsulin, IGF-I, IGF-II, leptin and adiponectin. Adjusting for maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, mode of delivery and placental cell type heterogeneity, 256 differentially methylated positions (DMPs,130 hypermethylated and 126 hypomethylated) were detected between GDM and control groups accounting for multiple tests with false discovery rate <0.05 and beta-value difference >0.05. WSCD2 was identified as a differentially methylated gene in both site- and region-level analyses. We validated 7 hypermethylated (CYP1A2, GFRA1, HDAC4, LIMS2, NAV3, PAX6, UPK1B) and 10 hypomethylated (DPP10, CPLX1, CSMD2, GPR133, NRXN1, PCSK9, PENK, PRDM16, PTPRN2, TNXB) genes reported in previous epigenome-wide association studies. We did not find any enriched pathway accounting for multiple tests. DMPs in 11 genes (CYP2D7P1, PCDHB15, ERG, SIRPB1, DKK2, RAPGEF5, CACNA2D4, PCSK9, TSNARE1, CADM2, KCNAB2) were correlated with birth weight (z score) accounting for multiple tests. There were no significant correlations between placental gene methylations and cord blood biomarkers. In conclusions, GDM was associated with DNA methylation changes in a number of placental genes, but these placental gene methylations were uncorrelated to the observed metabolic health biomarkers (fetal growth factors, leptin and adiponectin) in cord blood. We validated 17 differentially methylated placental genes in GDM, and identified 11 differentially methylated genes relevant to fetal growth.

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Elevated Dietary Non-Esterified Fatty Acid Levels Impact BeWo Trophoblast Metabolism and Lipid Processing: A Multi-OMICS Outlook

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