Oogenesis in Women: From Molecular Regulatory Pathways and Maternal Age to Stem Cells.

It is a well-known fact that the reproductive organs in women, especially oocytes, are exposed to numerous regulatory pathways and environmental stimuli. The maternal age is one cornerstone that influences the process of oocyte fertilization. More precisely, the longer a given oocyte is in the waiting-line to be ovulated from menarche to menopause, the longer the duration from oogenesis to fertilization, and therefore, the lower the chances of success to form a viable embryo.

Expression Profiles of AQP3 and AQP4 in Lung Adenocarcinoma Samples Generated via Bronchoscopic Biopsies.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are highly conserved channel proteins which are mainly responsible for the exchange of water and small molecules and have shown to play a pivotal role in the development and progression of cancer. Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common primary lung cancer seen in patients in Europe and the United States. However, in patients it is often not diagnosed until the advanced tumor stage is present.

Relevance of Vitamin D and Its Deficiency for the Ovarian Follicle and the Oocyte: An Update.

For many years, vitamin D (VD) has been known to be an essential micronutrient with important relevance not only for the skeletal system, but also for numerous other mammalian organ systems. Low levels of VD result in a VD deficiency, which is a global health problem. Moreover, VD deficiencies are linked to several pathologies, for instance, diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes mellitus, or sub- and infertility.

The Interplay between Telomeres, Mitochondria, and Chronic Stress Exposure in the Aging Egg.

While at the organismal level, biological aging can be estimated by telomere length and DNA methylation signatures, reliable biomarkers that can predict reproductive age are much needed to gauge the quality of an oocyte. Reproductive medicine and fertility centers often merely quantitate the ovarian reserve to predict the likelihood of fertilization and pregnancy in women of advanced reproductive age. It is highly important to address the level of age-related decline in oocyte quality since it leads to an increased risk of miscarriages and aneuploidy.

Pleiotropic Effects of IGF1 on the Oocyte.

A woman's endocrine system plays a crucial role in orchestrating cellular interactions throughout her life. The growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system appears to impact crucial reproductive events and cell types of the ovary, such as granulosa cells, theca cells, and oocytes. Further, IGF1 is a cornerstone during embryonic development and influences predominantly developing and pre-antral follicles.

Pannexins and Connexins: Their Relevance for Oocyte Developmental Competence.

The oocyte is the major determinant of embryo developmental competence in all mammalian species. Although fundamental advances have been generated in the field of reproductive medicine and assisted reproductive technologies in the past three decades, researchers and clinicians are still trying to elucidate molecular factors and pathways, which could be pivotal for the oocyte's developmental competence. The cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix communications are crucial not only for oocytes but also for multicellular organisms in general.

A New Experimental Porcine Model of Venous Thromboembolism.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is a severe disease affecting the human venous system, accompanied by high morbidity and mortality rates. The aim of the study was to establish a new porcine VTE model based on the formation of the thrombus in vivo. The study was performed on 10 castrated male pigs: thrombus was formed in each closed femoral vein and then successfully released from the right femoral vein into the circulation of animals.

The In Vitro Effect of Steroid Hormones, Arachidonic Acid, and Kinases Inhibitors on , , , and Gene Expression in the Porcine Uterine Luminal Epithelial Cells during the Estrous Cycle.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins, which play an important role in water homeostasis in the uterus. According to the literature, the expression of aquaporins in reproductive structures depends on the local hormonal milieu. The current study investigated the effect of selected PKA kinase inhibitor H89 and MAPK kinase inhibitor PD98059, on the expression of , , , and , and steroid hormones (E), progesterone (P), and arachidonic acid (AA) in the porcine endometrium on days 18-20 and 2-4 of the estrous cycle (the follicular phase where estrogen and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are secreted increasingly in preparation for estrus and the luteal phase where the ovarian follicles begin the process of luteinization with the formation of the corpus luteum and progesterone secretion, respectively).

The Relevance of Aquaporins for the Physiology, Pathology, and Aging of the Female Reproductive System in Mammals.

Aquaporins constitute a group of water channel proteins located in numerous cell types. These are pore-forming transmembrane proteins, which mediate the specific passage of water molecules through membranes. It is well-known that water homeostasis plays a crucial role in different reproductive processes, e.

New Gene Markers Involved in Molecular Processes of Tissue Repair, Response to Wounding and Regeneration Are Differently Expressed in Fibroblasts from Porcine Oral Mucosa during Long-Term Primary Culture.

The mechanisms of wound healing and vascularization are crucial steps of the complex morphological process of tissue reconstruction. In addition to epithelial cells, fibroblasts play an important role in this process. They are characterized by dynamic proliferation and they form the stroma for epithelial cells.

Stemness Potency of Human Gingival Cells-Application in Anticancer Therapies and Clinical Trials.

Gingivae, as the part of periodontium, are involved in tooth support and possess the ability to heal rapidly, without scar formation. Recently, dental tissues have been identified as a potential source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and several populations of MSCs were isolated from the orofacial region, including gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs). GMSCs exhibit robust immunomodulatory and differentiation potential and are easily obtainable, which make them promising candidates for cellular therapies.

CRISPR/Cas9 in Cancer Immunotherapy: Animal Models and Human Clinical Trials.

Even though chemotherapy and immunotherapy emerged to limit continual and unregulated proliferation of cancer cells, currently available therapeutic agents are associated with high toxicity levels and low success rates. Additionally, ongoing multi-targeted therapies are limited only for few carcinogenesis pathways, due to continually emerging and evolving mutations of proto-oncogenes and tumor-suppressive genes. CRISPR/Cas9, as a specific gene-editing tool, is used to correct causative mutations with minimal toxicity, but is also employed as an adjuvant to immunotherapy to achieve a more robust immunological response.

Cortical Granule Distribution and Expression Pattern of Genes Regulating Cellular Component Size, Morphogenesis, and Potential to Differentiation are Related to Oocyte Developmental Competence and Maturational Capacity In Vivo and In Vitro.

Polyspermia is an adverse phenomenon during mammalian fertilization when more than one sperm fuses with a single oocyte. The egg cell is prepared to prevent polyspermia by, among other ways, producing cortical granules (CGs), which are specialized intracellular structures containing enzymes that aim to harden the zona pellucida and block the fusion of subsequent sperm. This work focused on exploring the expression profile of genes that may be associated with cortical reactions, and evaluated the distribution of CGs in immature oocytes and the peripheral density of CGs in mature oocytes.

Changes in , and Gene Expression in the Porcine Oviduct According to Estrous Cycle and Early Pregnancy.

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a group of small, integral membrane proteins which play an important role in fluid homeostasis in the reproductive system. In our previous study, we demonstrated AQP1, 5 and 9 protein expression and localization in the porcine oviduct. The presence of these isoforms could suggest their role in the transport of the ovum to the uterus by influencing the epithelial cells' production of oviductal fluid.

The processes of cellular growth, aging, and programmed cell death are involved in lifespan of ovarian granulosa cells during short-term IVC - Study based on animal model.

The oogenesis and folliculogenesis are closely linked and occur simultaneously in the growing ovarian follicles. Biochemical and morphological changes in oocytes (OC) and surrounding granulosa cells (GCs) are highly complex and depend on many factors, including intercellular communication. GCs are cells with many functions, often crucial for the proper viability of the oocyte and subsequent positive fertilization.

Transcriptomic analysis of expression of genes regulating cell cycle progression in porcine ovarian granulosa cells during short-term in vitro primary culture.

The primary function of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) is the support of oocytes during maturation and development. Molecular analyses of granulosa cell-associated processes, leading to improvement of understanding of the cell cycle events during the formation of ovarian follicles (folliculogenesis), may be key to improve the in vitro fertilization procedures. Primary in vitro culture of porcine GCs was employed to examine the changes in the transcriptomic profile of genes belonging to "cell cycle", "cell division", "cell cycle process", "cell cycle phase transition", "cell cycle G1/S phase transition", "cell cycle G2/M phase transition" and "cell cycle checkpoint" ontology groups.

New markers for regulation of transcription and macromolecule metabolic process in porcine oocytes during in vitro maturation.

Oocyte maturation is essential for proper fertilization, embryo implantation and early development. While the physiological conditions of these processes are relatively well‑known, its exact molecular mechanisms remain widely undiscovered. Oocyte growth, differentiation and maturation are therefore the subject of scientific debate.

Pituitary Hormones (FSH, LH, PRL, and GH) Differentially Regulate AQP5 Expression in Porcine Ovarian Follicular Cells.

This study aimed to examine the effect of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), and growth hormone (GH) on Aquaporin 5 (AQP5) expression in granulosa (Gc) and theca cells (Tc) from medium (MF) and large (LF) ovarian follicles of pigs. The results showed that GH significantly decreased the expression of AQP5 in Gc from MF in relation to the control. In the Gc of large follicles, PRL stimulated the expression of AQP5.

"Biological Adhesion" is a Significantly Regulated Molecular Process during Long-Term Primary In Vitro Culture of Oviductal Epithelial Cells (Oecs): A Transcriptomic and Proteomic Study.

Oviductal epithelial cells (OECs) actively produce stimulating and protecting factors, favoring survival and viability of gametes and early embryos. The oviduct participates in the initial reproductive events, which strongly depends on adhesion. The analysis of differential gene expression in OECs, during long-term in vitro culture, enables recognition of new molecular markers regulating several processes, including "biological adhesion".

Genes Involved in the Processes of Cell Proliferation, Migration, Adhesion, and Tissue Development as New Potential Markers of Porcine Granulosa Cellular Processes : A Microarray Approach.

Proper course of folliculogenesis and oogenesis have an enormous impact on female fertility. Both processes take place in the ovary and involve not only the maturing germ cell, but also few types of somatic cells that assist the ovarian processes and mediate the dialog with the oocyte. These cells, granulosa and theca, are heavily involved in essential reproductive processes, such as ovulation, fertilization, and embryo implantation.

Transcriptomic Pattern of Genes Regulating Protein Response and Status of Mitochondrial Activity Are Related to Oocyte Maturational Competence-A Transcriptomic Study.

This paper aims to identify and describe new genetic markers involved in the processes of protein expression and modification reflected in the change of mitochondrial activity before and after in vitro maturation of the oocyte. Porcine oocytes collected from the ovaries of slaughtered landrace gilts were subjected to the process of in vitro maturation. Transcriptomic changes in the expression profile of oocyte genes involved in response to hypoxia, the transmembrane protein receptor serine threonine kinase signaling pathway, the "transforming growth factor β receptor signaling pathway", "response to protein stimulus", and "response to organic substance" were investigated using microarrays.

Comparative Analysis of the Liver Transcriptome among Cattle Breeds Using RNA-seq.

Global gene expression in liver transcriptome varies among cattle breeds. The present investigation was aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), metabolic gene networks and metabolic pathways in bovine liver transcriptome of young bulls. In this study, we comparatively analyzed the bovine liver transcriptome of dairy (Polish Holstein Friesian (HF); = 6), beef (Hereford; = 6), and dual purpose (Polish-Red; = 6) cattle breeds.

New Gene Markers of Angiogenesis and Blood Vessels Development in Porcine Ovarian Granulosa Cells during Short-Term Primary Culture In Vitro.

The physiological processes that drive the development of ovarian follicle, as well as the process of oogenesis, are quite well known. Granulosa cells are major players in this occurrence, being the somatic element of the female gamete development. They participate directly in the processes of oogenesis, building the cumulus-oocyte complex surrounding the ovum.

'Heart development and morphogenesis' is a novel pathway for human ovarian granulosa cell differentiation during long‑term in vitro cultivation‑a microarray approach.

Granulosa cells (GCs) have many functions in the endocrine system. Most notably, they produce progesterone following ovulation. However, it has recently been proven that GCs can change their properties when subjected to long‑term culture.

Expression pattern of new genes regulating female sex differentiation and in vitro maturational status of oocytes in pigs.

The processes underlying maturation of mammalian oocytes are considered crucial for the oocytes ability to undergo monospermic fertilization. The same factors of influence are suggested to impact the development of sex associated characteristics, allowing sex differentiation to progress during embryonic growth. The primary aim of the study was to analyze the gene ontology groups involved in regulation of porcine oocytes' response to endogenous stimuli.