Acetylation at lysine 27 on maternal H3.3 regulates minor zygotic genome activation.

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) initiates transcription in early embryogenesis and requires extensive chromatin remodeling, including rapid incorporation of the histone variant H3.3. The distinct sources of H3.

Lactate regulates major zygotic genome activation by H3K18 lactylation in mammals.

Lactate is present at a high level in the microenvironment of mammalian preimplantation embryos and . However, its role in preimplantation development is unclear. Here, we report that lactate is highly enriched in the nuclei of early embryos when major zygotic genome activation (ZGA) occurs in humans and mice.

Deep annotation of long noncoding RNAs by assembling RNA-seq and small RNA-seq data.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly being recognized as modulators in various biological processes. However, due to their low expression, their systematic characterization is difficult to determine. Here, we performed transcript annotation by a newly developed computational pipeline, termed RNA-seq and small RNA-seq combined strategy (RSCS), in a wide variety of cellular contexts.

Functional evaluation of LTR-derived lncRNAs in porcine oocytes and zygotes with RNA-seq and small RNA-seq.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly being recognized as modulators of early embryonic development in mammals. However, they are seldom investigated in pigs. Here, to annotate full-length RNA transcripts, we performed annotation using a newly developed computational pipeline-an RNA-seq and small RNA-seq combined strategy-using our previously obtained RNA-seq and small RNA-seq data from porcine oocytes and zygotes.

Porcine Pluripotent Stem Cells Established from LCDM Medium with Characteristics Differ from Human and Mouse Extended Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have unlimited self-renewal and multifunctional development potential in vitro. Porcine PSCs are highly desirable due to the conserved characteristics between pigs and humans. Extended PSCs (EPSCs) are additionally capable of differentiating into embryonic (Em) and extraembryonic (E×Em) parts.

Melatonin Regulates Lipid Metabolism in Porcine Cumulus-Oocyte Complexes via the Melatonin Receptor 2.

Previous studies suggest that the inclusion of melatonin (MTn) in in vitro maturation protocols improves the developmental competence of oocytes by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the molecular mechanisms integrating melatonin receptor (MT)-mediated lipid metabolism and redox signaling during in vitro cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) development still remain unclear. Here, we aimed to elucidate the potential role of MTn receptors in lipid metabolic adjustments during in vitro porcine COC development.

Tannin Supplementation Improves Oocyte Cytoplasmic Maturation and Subsequent Embryo Development in Pigs.

To investigate the effects of tannins (TA) on porcine oocyte maturation (IVM), different concentrations of TA (0, 1, 10 and 100 μg/mL) were supplemented with a maturation medium and the COCs and subsequent embryonic development were examined. The results showed that 10 µg/mL TA significantly improved the cumulus expansion index (CEI), cumulus-expansion-related genes (, , , and ) expression and blastocyst formation rates after parthenogenetic activation (PA), fertilization (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) compared to the control groups, but not oocyte nuclear maturation. Nevertheless, 10 µg/mL TA dramatically enhanced the mRNA expression of oocyte-development-related genes (, , and ), GSH, ATP, SOD1, PGC1α, BMP15, GDF9 and CDC2 levels and reduced intracellular ROS level in porcine oocytes.