Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of normal and ART newborn. The Illumina Infinium 450k Human DNA methylation Beadchip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 450,000 CpGs. Samples included 6 normal newborn heelblood, 6 ART newborn heelblood.
Project description:This SMAART cohort study uses bulk total RNA-sequencing to assses the impact of mode of conception on first trimester human placenta gene expression [PMID: 30611556]. Pregnancies were singleton, gestational age 10-14 weeks, normal karyotype, fetal race Caucasian or biracial Caucasian/Asian, and conceived either with fertility treatments (IVF=in vitro fertilization, NIFT=non-IVF fertility treatment) or without fertility treatments (spontaneous, also called unassisted). Pregnancies were balanced for fetal sex. Chorionic villi tissue leftover after clinical genetic testing was collected for research with informed consent and stored in RNAlater RNA Stabilization Reagent (QIAGEN) at -80C until RNA isolation with the AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN). RNA-seq libraries of >200 nt were constructed with Illumina TruSeq Stranded Total RNA with Ribo-Zero Gold sample prep kits (Illumina) and depleted of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs. After quality check with FastQC, transcript abundances were quantified against the human reference genome (Ensembl build GRCh38) using Kallisto. Differential expression analysis with DESeq2 was performed to compare mode of conception, adjusted for fetal sex and RNA-seq dataset. The dataset adjustment corrected for batch effects from RNA isolation and/or sequencing runs. There were N=141 subjects total, including 74 spontaneous, 33 non-IVF (NIFT), and 34 IVF pregnancies. The subject columns at the end of the DESeq2 files are counts normalized for sequencing depth.
Project description:Differential gene expression during placentation in pregnancies conceived with different fertility treatments compared with spontaneous pregnancies
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of whole blood at birth (Guthrie blood spots) and adulthood of individuals conceived by assisted reproductive technology (ART) and matched non-ART controls. The Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 850,000 CpGs in guthrie cards and whole adult blood.
Project description:Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) account for 1-6% of live births in developed countries. While most children conceived using ART are healthy, increases in birth and genomic imprinting defects have been reported; such abnormal outcomes have been attributed to underlying parental infertility and/or the ART used. Here, we assessed whether paternal genetic and lifestyle factors, that are associated with male infertility and affect the sperm epigenome, can influence ART outcomes. We examined how paternal factors, Dnmt3L haploinsufficiency and/or diet-induced obesity, in combination with ART (superovulation, in vitro fertilization, embryo culture and embryo transfer), could adversely influence embryo development and DNA methylation patterning in mice. While male mice fed high-fat diets (HFD) gained weight and showed perturbed metabolic health, their sperm DNA methylation was minimally affected by the diet. In contrast, Dnmt3L haploinsufficiency induced a marked loss of DNA methylation in sperm; notably, regions affected were associated with neurodevelopmental pathways and enriched in young retrotransposons, sequences that can have functional consequences in the next generation. Following ART, placental imprinted gene methylation and growth parameters were impacted by one or both paternal factors. For the embryos conceived by natural conception, the abnormality rates were similar for WT and Dnmt3L+/- fathers. In contrast, paternal Dnmt3L+/- genotype, as compared to WT fathers, resulted in a 3-fold increase in the incidence of morphological abnormalities in embryos generated by ART. Together, the results indicate that embryonic morphological and epigenetic defects associated with ART may be exacerbated in offspring conceived by fathers with sperm epimutations.
Project description:Assisted reproductive technology (ART) addresses infertility through supraphysiological procedures, yet the effects of trigger-day pharmacotherapy on epigenetic stability and offspring neurodevelopment remain unclear. We demonstrate that ART-conceived offspring exhibit relatively lower global methylation compared to naturally conceived (NC) peers. For the first time, we identify that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) exposure on trigger day might exacerbate oocyte DNA methylation loss, further increasing risk of suboptimal neurodevelopment performance at age three in ART-conceived offspring. In a controlled mouse model, transient hCG-triggered exposure downregulates Ehmt1 and perturbs oocyte DNA methylation, potentially reducing neurogenesis and neurodevelopmental alterations in the offspring. Our findings reveal previously unrecognized epigenetic risks associated with higher dose hCG exposure in ART protocols, highlighting the need for optimized trigger protocols that balance treatment efficacy with long-term offspring health.
Project description:Children conceived using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) have a higher incidence of growth and birth defects, attributable in part to epigenetic perturbations. Both ART and germline defects associated with parental infertility could interfere with epigenetic reprogramming events in germ cells or early embryos. Mouse models indicate that the placenta is more susceptible to the induction of epigenetic abnormalities than the embryo, and thus the placental methylome may provide a sensitive indicator of ‘at risk’ conceptuses. Our goal was to use genome-wide profiling to examine the extent of epigenetic abnormalities in matched placentas from an ART/infertility group and control singleton pregnancies (n=44/group) from a human prospective longitudinal birth cohort, the 3D Study. Principal component analysis revealed a group of ART outliers. The ART outlier group was enriched for females and a subset of placentas showing loss of methylation of several imprinted genes including GNAS, SGCE, KCNQT1OT1 and BLCAP/NNAT. Within the ART group, placentas from pregnancies conceived with IVF/ICSI showed distinct epigenetic profiles as compared to those conceived with less invasive procedures (ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination). Male factor infertility and paternal age further differentiated the IVF/ICSI group, suggesting an interaction of infertility and techniques in perturbing the placental epigenome. Together, the results suggest that the human placenta is sensitive to the induction of epigenetic defects by ART and/or infertility, and we stress the importance of considering both sex and paternal factors and that some but not all ART conceptuses will be susceptible.