Three-Dimensional Visualization of Mouse Endometrial Remodeling After Superovulation.

Uterine status determines pregnancy success. Although it is well known that superovulation operations can disrupt uterine function, our understanding of the morphological changes in the uterine endometrium at the three-dimensional (3D) level is limited. Here, combining the tissue clearing with 3D deep imaging, we reveal an increase in epithelial density and angiogenesis after ovarian stimulation, which is accompanied by a circulating surge in P4 levels.

Author Correction: PANDORA-seq expands the repertoire of regulatory small RNAs by overcoming RNA modifications.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00687-w.

Development of mouse preimplantation embryos in space.

The development of life beyond planet Earth is a long-standing quest of the human race, but whether normal mammalian embryonic development can occur in space is still unclear. Here, we show unequivocally that preimplantation mouse embryos can develop in space, but the rate of blastocyst formation and blastocyst quality are compromised. Additionally, the cells in the embryo contain severe DNA damage, while the genome of the blastocysts developed in space is globally hypomethylated with a unique set of differentially methylated regions.

Caffeine consumption during early pregnancy impairs oviductal embryo transport, embryonic development and uterine receptivity in mice.

Caffeine consumption has been widely used as a central nervous system stimulant. Epidemiological studies, however, have suggested that maternal caffeine exposure during pregnancy is associated with increased abnormalities, including decreased fertility, delayed conception, early spontaneous abortions, and low birth weight. The mechanisms underlying the negative outcomes of caffeine consumption, particularly during early pregnancy, remain unclear.

Dnmt2 mediates intergenerational transmission of paternally acquired metabolic disorders through sperm small non-coding RNAs.

The discovery of RNAs (for example, messenger RNAs, non-coding RNAs) in sperm has opened the possibility that sperm may function by delivering additional paternal information aside from solely providing the DNA . Increasing evidence now suggests that sperm small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) can mediate intergenerational transmission of paternally acquired phenotypes, including mental stress and metabolic disorders. How sperm sncRNAs encode paternal information remains unclear, but the mechanism may involve RNA modifications.