Background: A dramatic increase in fetal situs inversus diagnoses by ultrasound in the months following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surge of December 2022 in China led us to investigate whether maternal SARS-CoV-2 exposure could be associated with elevated risk of fetal situs inversus.
Methods: In this multi-institutional, hospital-based, matched case-control study, we investigated pregnant women who underwent ultrasonographic fetal biometric assessment at gestational weeks 20-24 at our hospitals. Each pregnant woman carrying a situs inversus fetus was randomly matched with four controls based on the date of confinement.
The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) remains a threat to pregnant women. However, the impact of early pregnancy SARS-CoV-2 infection on the maternal-fetal interface remains poorly understood. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of single-cell transcriptomics and metabolomics in placental samples infected with SARS-CoV-2 during early pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is an important cause of infertility characterized by the functional decline of the ovary. Granulosa cells (GCs) around oocytes are critical for folliculogenesis, and GC dysfunction is one of the important etiologies of POI. The aim of this study was to explore the potential biomarkers of POI by identifying hub genes and analyze the correlation of biomarkers with immune infiltration in POI using RNA profiling and bioinformatics analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple chromatin modifiers associated with H3K9me3 play important roles in the transition from embryonic stem cells to 2-cell (2C)-like cells. However, it remains elusive how H3K9me3 is remodeled and its association with totipotency. Here, we integrated transcriptome and H3K9me3 profiles to conduct a detailed comparison of 2C embryos and 2C-like cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe METTL3-METTL14 complex, the "writer" of N-methyladenosine (mA), plays an important role in many biological processes. Previous studies have shown that Mettl3 overexpression can increase the level of mA and promote somatic cell reprogramming. Here, we demonstrate that Mettl14, another component of the methyltransferase complex, can significantly enhance the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in an mA-independent manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe genomic and carbohydrate metabolic features of Hao 2018 ( Hao 2018) were investigated through pan-genomic and transcriptomic analyses, and key enzyme genes that may encode the process involved in its extracellular polysaccharide synthesis were screened. The pan-genome of the strains consists of a core-genome containing 2331 genes, an accessory-genome containing 956 genes, and a unique-genome containing 1519 genes. Clusters of Orthologous Groups analyses showed that harbors strain-specifically diverse metabolisms, probably representing high evolutionary genome changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExopolysaccharides (EPSs) are carbohydrate polymers produced and secreted by microorganisms. In a changing marine environment, EPS secretion can reduce damage from external environmental disturbances to microorganisms. Meanwhile, EPSs have promising application prospects in the fields of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn estuarine ecosystems, bivalves experience large pH fluctuations caused by the anthropogenic elevation of atmospheric CO and Cu pollution. This study investigates whether Cu toxicity increases indiscriminately in two bivalve species from different estuarine habitats as a result of elevated Cu bioaccumulation in acidified seawater. This was carried out by evaluating the effects of Cu exposure on two bivalve species (clams and scallops) for 28 d, at a series of gradient pH levels (pH 8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Maternal factors that are enriched in oocytes have attracted great interest as possible key factors in somatic cell reprogramming. We found that surfeit locus protein 4 (Surf4), a maternal factor, can facilitate the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) previously, but the mechanism remains elusive.
Materials And Methods: In this study, we investigated the function and mechanism of Surf4 in somatic cell reprogramming using a secondary reprogramming system.
In recent years, the wide application of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) in food, cosmetics, medicine, and other fields has drawn tremendous attention. In this study, an EPS produced by Hao 2018 was isolated and purified, and its fermentation conditions were optimized. Its structure and biological functions were also studied.
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