Dynamic methylation pattern of H19DMR and KvDMR1 in bovine oocytes and preimplantation embryos.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the epigenetic reprogramming of ICR1 (KvDMR1) and ICR2 (H19DMR) and expression of genes controlled by them as well as those involved in methylation, demethylation, and pluripotency.

Methods: We collected germinal vesicle (GV) and metaphase II (MII) oocytes, and preimplantation embryos at five stages [zygote, 4-8 cells, 8-16 cells, morula, and expanded blastocysts (ExB)]. DNA methylation was assessed by BiSeq, and the gene expression was evaluated using qPCR.

DNA methylation in regulatory elements of the FKBP5 and NR3C1 gene in mother-child binomials with depression.

Background: The FKBP5 and NR3C1 genes play an important role in stress response, thus impacting mental health. Stress factor exposure in early life, such as maternal depression, may contribute to epigenetic modifications in stress response genes, increasing the susceptibility to different psychopathologies. The present study aimed to evaluate the DNA methylation profile in maternal-infant depression in regulatory regions of the FKBP5 gene and the alternative promoter of the NR3C1 gene.

Multi-locus DNA methylation analysis of imprinted genes in cattle from somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Multi-locus methylation defects (MLMDs) in imprinted loci have been reported in Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS). Large offspring syndrome (LOS), a phenotypic subgroup of abnormal offspring syndrome (AOS), is considered a molecular and phenotypic model for BWS. Both LOS and BWS have presented epigenetic defects in some common imprinted loci.

Expression of pluripotency-related genes in human glioblastoma.

Background: Cancer is a group of heterogeneous diseases characterized by several disruptions of the genetic and epigenetic components of cell biology. Some types of cancer have been shown to be constituted by a mosaic of cells with variable differentiation states, with more aggressive tumors being more undifferentiated. In most cases, undifferentiated tumor cells express associated embryonic markers such as the OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, and CARM1 genes.

Regulatory functions of FKBP5 intronic regions associated with psychiatric disorders.

The FKBP5 gene codifies a co-chaperone protein associated with the modulation of glucocorticoid receptor interaction involved in the adaptive stress response. The FKBP5 intracellular concentration affects the binding affinity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) to glucocorticoids (GCs). This gene has glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) located in introns 2, 5 and 7, which affect its expression.

Multi-locus imprinting disturbances of Beckwith-Wiedemann and Large offspring syndrome/Abnormal offspring syndrome: A brief review.

In vitro fertilization and somatic cell nuclear transfer are assisted reproduction technologies commonly used in humans and cattle, respectively. Despite advances in these technologies, molecular failures can occur, increasing the chance of the onset of imprinting disorders in the offspring. Large offspring syndrome/abnormal offspring syndrome (LOS/AOS) has been described in cattle and has features such as hypergrowth, malformation of organs, and skeletal and placental defects.

MicroRNA expression profiling provides novel insights into immune-related pathways involved in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers, and an increasing number of studies have found that microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in gastric cancer progression; however, the roles of specific miRNAs involved in the immune response to this disease remain unclear. We compared the miRNA expression in tissues from primary gastric cancer patients and healthy controls to find miRNAs dysregulated in gastric cancer and used bioinformatics tools to determine potential roles of these miRNAs in the immune system. We evaluated 25 primary gastric cancer tissues and five healthy gastric tissues.

DNA methylation and functional characterization of the XIST gene during early embryo development in cattle.

XIST, in association with the shorter ncRNA RepA, are essential for the initiation of X chromosome inactivation (XCI) in mice. The molecular mechanisms controlling XIST and RepA expression are well characterized in that specie. However, little is known in livestock.

5meCpG epigenetic marks neighboring a primate-conserved core promoter short tandem repeat indicate X-chromosome inactivation.

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is the epigenetic transcriptional silencing of an X-chromosome during the early stages of embryonic development in female eutherian mammals. XCI assures monoallelic expression in each cell and compensation for dosage-sensitive X-linked genes between females (XX) and males (XY). DNA methylation at the carbon-5 position of the cytosine pyrimidine ring in the context of a CpG dinucleotide sequence (5meCpG) in promoter regions is a key epigenetic marker for transcriptional gene silencing.