Publications by authors named "Lamas-Toranzo Ismael"
In Brief: Bovine embryos lacking SMC2 (a core component of condensins I and II) are unable to survive maternal recognition of pregnancy. SMC2 KO embryos are able to form blastocysts, exhibiting a reduced cell proliferation ability, and arrest their development shortly after hatching.
Abstract: Condensins are large protein complexes required for chromosome assembly and segregation during mitosis and meiosis.
Article Synopsis
- Scientists studied how a gene called TEAD4 affects early development in different mammals, like cows and rabbits.
- In mice, TEAD4 is really important for making certain cell types, but in the other animals, it didn't seem to be needed for the same process.
- Even though the gene wasn't necessary for some development steps, there were still some changes, like the number of cells in certain areas being lower in cows without TEAD4.
Article Synopsis
- The research investigates whether the gene expression profile (transcriptome) of cumulus cells can predict the developmental potential of embryos derived from donor oocytes.
- Cumulus cells were analyzed using RNA sequencing from three groups based on oocyte developmental outcomes: unable to reach the blastocyst stage, able but not resulting in pregnancy, and those that did result in a clinical pregnancy.
- Results showed minimal differences in gene expression across groups, with only a few specific genes linked to developmental potential, suggesting cumulus cell transcriptome is not a strong indicator of successful pregnancy establishment.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the relationship between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in cumulus cells (CCs) and embryo development potential in humans and cattle, aiming to determine if mtDNA can be a reliable predictor for oocyte development.
- - Results indicate that mtDNA content in CCs provides minimal predictive value for assessing oocyte developmental potential in both species, as it showed no significant differences among developmental outcomes.
- - Previous research suggested a link between mtDNA content in oocytes and developmental potential, but this study challenges the idea that mtDNA content in CCs can serve as a useful proxy for predicting embryo success during assisted reproductive technologies.
Article Synopsis
- Cumulus cells are used in this study to analyze the differences in gene expression related to the developmental potential of oocytes during in vitro embryo production.
- The research involved comparing cumulus cells from three groups of oocytes based on their developmental outcomes: those developing into blastocysts, those that cleaved but stopped developing, and those that did not cleave at all.
- A total of 49, 50, and 18 differentially expressed genes were identified in comparisons between these groups, with specific genes linked to processes such as cell adhesion and signaling pathways found to be upregulated or downregulated in the successful blastocyst-developing oocytes.
Despite four decades of effort, robust propagation of pluripotent stem cells from livestock animals remains challenging. The requirements for self-renewal are unclear and the relationship of cultured stem cells to pluripotent cells resident in the embryo uncertain. Here, we avoided using feeder cells or serum factors to provide a defined culture microenvironment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFailures during conceptus elongation are a major cause of pregnancy losses in ungulates, exerting a relevant economic impact on farming. The developmental events occurring during this period are poorly understood, mainly because this process cannot be recapitulated in vitro. Previous studies have established an in vitro post-hatching development (PHD) system that supports bovine embryo development beyond the blastocyst stage, based on agarose gel tunnels and serum- and glucose-enriched medium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe fusion of gamete membranes during fertilization is an essential process for sexual reproduction. Despite its importance, only three proteins are known to be indispensable for sperm-egg membrane fusion: the sperm proteins IZUMO1 and SPACA6, and the egg protein JUNO. Here we demonstrate that another sperm protein, TMEM95, is necessary for sperm-egg interaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZona pellucida (ZP), the extracellular matrix sheltering mammalian oocytes and embryos, is composed by 3 to 4 proteins. The roles of the three proteins present in mice have been elucidated by KO models, but the function of the fourth component (ZP4), present in all other eutherian mammals studied so far, has remained elusive. Herein, we report that ablation impairs fertility in female rabbits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Exercise can help improve how brains work, and researchers wanted to see if this improvement could be passed down to kids, even if those kids don't exercise.
- They did tests with mice to see how exercise from their fathers affected them, looking at their behavior and brain features.
- The findings showed that if a dad exercised, his kids had better brain health and memory abilities too, suggesting that being active can help future generations!
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates developmental differences between competent and incompetent bovine oocytes selected using Brilliant Cresyl Blue (BCB) staining prior to in vitro maturation (IVM), finding that although nuclear maturation rates are similar, cleavage and blastocyst rates are significantly better in BCB+ oocytes.
- - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content is notably higher in BCB+ oocytes (1.9-fold increase), indicating that mtDNA synthesis is crucial for achieving full developmental competence before IVM.
- - Transcriptional analysis reveals that BCB- cumulus cells show increased activity in key metabolic pathways like anaerobic glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), suggesting that these processes are linked to