Identification and Preliminary Analysis of Granulosa Cell Biomarkers to Predict Oocyte In Vitro Maturation Outcome in the Southern White Rhinoceros ().

In recent years, biomarkers in granulosa cells (GC) have been determined and associated in several species with oocyte maturation, in vitro fertilization success, and embryo development outcomes. The identification of biomarkers of oocyte competence can aid in improving assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in the southern white rhino (SWR). This study aimed to identify biomarkers present in SWR GC associated with oocytes that either did or did not mature in vitro.

Unraveling the role of sperm retained histones in bull fertility and daughter fertility.

During spermatogenesis, a substantial proportion of histones are substituted by protamine to condense the genome within the sperm head. Studies indicate that a minority of histones, typically ranging from 1 to 15 %, persist in mammalian sperm post-substitution. The persistence of histones in the zygote facilitates chromatin accessibility to transcription factors in regions crucial for early embryonic development.

Granulosa cells provide transcriptomic information on ovarian follicle dynamics in southern white rhinoceros.

Much remains unknown about the reproductive physiology of southern white rhinoceros (SWR) and the effect of ovarian stimulation prior to ovum pickup (OPU) have not been fully elucidated. Granulosa cells (GC) provide valuable insight into follicle growth and oocyte maturation status. The goals of this study were to evaluate transcriptomic changes in GC from three stages of follicle development and to identify biomarkers possibly associated with follicular growth and maturation as a result of ovarian stimulation.

Decoding epigenetic markers: implications of traits and genes through DNA methylation in resilience and susceptibility to mastitis in dairy cows.

Cattle farming faces challenges linked to intensive exploitation and climate change, requiring the reinforcement of animal resilience in response to these dynamic environments. Currently, genetic selection is used to enhance resilience by identifying animals resistant to specific diseases; however, certain diseases, such as mastitis, pose difficulties in genetic prediction. This study introduced the utilization of enzymatic methyl sequencing (EM-seq) of the blood genomic DNA from twelve dairy cows to identify DNA methylation biomarkers, with the aim of predicting resilience and susceptibility to mastitis.

Provision of choline chloride to the bovine preimplantation embryo alters postnatal body size and DNA methylation†.

Choline is a vital micronutrient. In this study, we aimed to confirm, and expand on previous findings, how choline impacts embryos from the first 7 days of development to affect postnatal phenotype. Bos indicus embryos were cultured in a choline-free medium (termed vehicle) or medium supplemented with 1.