-Y262C mutation causes abnormal zona pellucida formation and female infertility in humans.

Defective oocyte maturation is a common cause of female infertility. The loss of the zona pellucida (ZP) represents a specific condition of impaired oocyte maturation. The extracellular matrix known as the ZP envelops mammalian oocytes and preimplantation embryos, exerting significant influence on oogenesis, fertilization, and embryo implantation.

GATAD2B is required for pre-implantation embryonic development by regulating zygotic genome activation.

Major zygotic genome activation (ZGA) occurs at the late 2-cell stage and involves the activation of thousands of genes, supporting early embryonic development. The reasons underlying the regulation of ZGA are not clear. Acetylation modifications of histone tails promote transcriptional activation, and the maternal deletion of H4K16ac leads to failure in ZGA.

NUSAP1 regulates mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.

The correct assembly of the spindle apparatus directly regulates the precise separation of chromosomes in mouse oocytes, which is crucial for obtaining high-quality oocytes capable of successful fertilization. The localization, assembly, migration, and disassembly of the spindle are regulated by a series of spindle-associated proteins, which exhibit unique expression level variations and specific localization in oocytes. Proteomic analysis revealed that among many representative spindle-associated proteins, the expression level of nucleolar and spindle-associated protein 1 (NUSAP1) significantly increased after meiotic resumption, with a magnitude of change higher than that of other proteins.

Case report: A novel homozygous variant in ZP3 is associated with human empty follicle syndrome.

Empty follicle syndrome (EFS) is a rare condition in female infertility. It is characterized by the inability to retrieve oocytes from visibly large, normally developing follicles in the ovaries, despite ovarian stimulation. The genetic factors contributing to this syndrome remain unclear.

A novel homozygous variant in PADI6 is associate with human cleavage-stage embryonic arrest.

Repeated absence of useable embryos is a difficult problem for infertility patients. Among them, embryonic developmental arrest is more common, but the genetic cause is not known. The embryos of a patient who came to our hospital three times could not develop beyond the four-cell stage.

Krüppel-like factor 12 regulates aging ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis by repressing SPHK1 transcription and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) production.

Oxidative stress triggered by aging, radiation, or inflammation impairs ovarian function by inducing granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis. However, the mechanism inducing GC apoptosis has not been characterized. Here, we found that ovarian GCs from aging patients showed increased oxidative stress, enhanced reactive oxygen species activity, and significantly decreased expression of the known antiapoptotic factor sphingosine-1-phosphate/sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in GCs.

Ribonuclease activity of MARF1 controls oocyte RNA homeostasis and genome integrity in mice.

Producing normal eggs for fertilization and species propagation requires completion of meiosis and protection of the genome from the ravages of retrotransposons. Mutation of (meiosis regulator and mRNA stability factor 1) results in defects in both these key processes in mouse oocytes and thus in infertility. MARF1 was predicted to have ribonuclease activity, but the structural basis for the function of MARF1 and the contribution of its putative ribonuclease domain to the mutant oocyte phenotype was unknown.

Oocyte stage-specific effects of MTOR determine granulosa cell fate and oocyte quality in mice.

MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) is a widely recognized integrator of signals and pathways key for cellular metabolism, proliferation, and differentiation. Here we show that conditional knockout (cKO) of in either primordial or growing oocytes caused infertility but differentially affected oocyte quality, granulosa cell fate, and follicular development. cKO of in nongrowing primordial oocytes caused defective follicular development leading to progressive degeneration of oocytes and loss of granulosa cell identity coincident with the acquisition of immature Sertoli cell-like characteristics.

Interference with the C-terminal structure of MARF1 causes defective oocyte meiotic division and female infertility in mice.

Meiosis-arrest female 1 (MARF1) is a recently identified key oogenic regulator essential for the maintenance of female fertility and genome integrity in mice. However, the detailed functions and the underlying mechanisms of MARF1 remain elusive. Here, in an attempt to create a mouse model expressing fluorescent protein-tagged MARF1 to facilitate further exploration of the roles of MARF1 in oocytes, we produced a Marf1-eGFP knockin (KI) mouse line in which the C-terminal structure and function of MARF1 were interfered by its fusing eGFP peptide.

A lane-level LBS system for vehicle network with high-precision BDS/GPS positioning.

In recent years, research on vehicle network location service has begun to focus on its intelligence and precision. The accuracy of space-time information has become a core factor for vehicle network systems in a mobile environment. However, difficulties persist in vehicle satellite positioning since deficiencies in the provision of high-quality space-time references greatly limit the development and application of vehicle networks.

Quantification of an exogenous cancer biomarker in urinalysis by Raman spectroscopy.

We quantified an exogenous cancer biomarker, Acetyl amantadine (AcAm), directly from urine solution using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). SERS was used for the detection of AcAm using a commercial Raman substrate after beta-cyclodextrin encapsulation for capture of the analyte. We achieved a detection limit of 1 ng mL(-1) of AcAm in the mock urine in the absence of steroids without extraction or other pre-treatment methods required.

Suppression of NHE1 by small interfering RNA inhibits HIF-1α-induced angiogenesis in vitro via modulation of calpain activity.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) orchestrates angiogenesis under hypoxic conditions mainly due to increased expression of such target genes as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Na+/H+exchanger-1 (NHE1), a potential HIF target gene product, plays a pivotal role in proliferation, survival, migration, adhesion and so on. However, it is unknown whether NHE1 is involved in HIF-1α-induced angiogenesis.

[Inactivation mechanism of microorganisms by the synergy of silver and light irradiation, and the application in household electrical appliances].

The inactivation efficiencies of microorganisms were found to be enhanced by using silver solution together with ultraviolet light (UV-A, 395 nm) irradiation. The inactivation efficiencies were improved remarkably especially in eukaryotic microorganism. To make clear the inactivation mechanism of microorganisms by the combination effect of silver and ultraviolet light irradiation, the resultant solution was characterized by ESR (Electron spin resonance, ESR).

Study on an environmental-friendly and high-efficient fuel cell energy conversion system.

The kinds and the distribution of the coal in China are investigated. The results indicated that the 80% coal in China is used by the method of the coal gasification. The possibility of utilization and development of the fuel cell power plant in China is analyzed.