Single-cell and spatial transcriptomes reveal the impact of maternal low protein diet on follicular cell composition and ovarian micro-environment in the offspring.

Maternal low protein diet around pregnancy reduces the primordial follicles in offspring ovary. Resolving cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with low protein diet is therefore urgently needed for the guidance of dietary interventions. Here, we utilized single-cell and spatial RNA-seq to create transcriptomic atlases of offspring ovaries from maternal low protein diet mice.

Flavopiridol induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by interfering with CDK1 signaling pathway in human ovarian granulosa cells.

Several clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the use of flavopiridol (FP) to treat a variety of cancers, and almost all cancer drugs were found to be associated with toxicity and side effects. It is not clear whether the use of FP will affect the female reproductive system. Granulosa cells, as the important cells that constitute the follicle, play a crucial role in determining the reproductive ability of females.

NLRP14 Safeguards Calcium Homeostasis via Regulating the K27 Ubiquitination of Nclx in Oocyte-to-Embryo Transition.

Sperm-induced Ca rise is critical for driving oocyte activation and subsequent embryonic development, but little is known about how lasting Ca oscillations are regulated. Here it is shown that NLRP14, a maternal effect factor, is essential for keeping Ca oscillations and early embryonic development. Few embryos lacking maternal NLRP14 can develop beyond the 2-cell stage.

SRSF10 is essential for progenitor spermatogonia expansion by regulating alternative splicing.

Alternative splicing expands the transcriptome and proteome complexity and plays essential roles in tissue development and human diseases. However, how alternative splicing regulates spermatogenesis remains largely unknown. Here, using a germ cell-specific knockout mouse model, we demonstrated that the splicing factor is essential for spermatogenesis and male fertility.

Single cell RNA sequencing techniques and applications in research of ovary development and related diseases.

The ovary is a highly organized composite of germ cells and various types of somatic cells, whose communications dictate ovary development to generate functional oocytes. The differences between individual cells might have profound effects on ovary functions. Single cell RNA sequencing techniques are promising approaches to explore the cell type composition of organisms, the dynamics of transcriptomes, the regulatory network between genes and the signaling pathways between cell types at the single cell resolution.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic quality of oocytes derived from serum-free culture of secondary follicles in vitro.

In vitro culture of follicles is a promising technology to generate large quantities of mature oocytes and it could offer a novel option of assisted reproductive technologies. Here we described a 2-dimensional follicular serum-free culture system with 3-dimensional effect that can make secondary follicles develop into antral follicles (78.52%), generating developmentally mature oocytes in vitro (66.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals species-specific time spans of cell cycle transitions in early oogenesis.

Oogenesis is a highly regulated process and its basic cellular events are evolutionarily conserved. However, the time spans of oogenesis differ substantially among species. To explore these interspecies differences in oogenesis, we performed single-cell RNA-sequencing on mouse and monkey female germ cells and downloaded the single-cell RNA-sequencing data of human female germ cells.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals regulation of fetal ovary development in the monkey (Macaca fascicularis).

Germ cells are vital for reproduction and heredity. However, the mechanisms underlying female germ cell development in primates, especially in late embryonic stages, remain elusive. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of 12,471 cells from whole fetal ovaries, and explored the communications between germ cells and niche cells.

PRC2 and EHMT1 regulate H3K27me2 and H3K27me3 establishment across the zygote genome.

The formation of zygote is the beginning of mammalian life, and dynamic epigenetic modifications are essential for mammalian normal development. H3K27 di-methylation (H3K27me2) and H3K27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) are marks of facultative heterochromatin which maintains transcriptional repression established during early development in many eukaryotes. However, the mechanism underlying establishment and regulation of epigenetic asymmetry in the zygote remains obscure.

High-throughput sequencing reveals landscapes of female germ cell development.

Female germ cell development is a highly complex process that includes meiosis initiation, oocyte growth recruitment, oocyte meiosis retardation and resumption and final meiotic maturation. A series of coordinated molecular signaling factors ensure successful oogenesis. The recent rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies allows for the dynamic omics in female germ cells, which is essential for further understanding the regulatory mechanisms of molecular events comprehensively.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the landscape of early female germ cell development.

Meiosis initiation is a crucial step for the production of haploid gametes, which occurs from anterior to posterior in fetal ovaries. The asynchrony of the transition from mitosis to meiosis results in heterogeneity in the female germ cell populations, which limits the studies of meiosis initiation and progression at a higher resolution level. To dissect the process of meiosis initiation, we investigated the transcriptional profiles of 19 363 single germ cells collected from E12.

RNA-Seq transcriptome reveals different molecular responses during human and mouse oocyte maturation and fertilization.

Background: Female infertility is a worldwide concern and the etiology of infertility has not been thoroughly demonstrated. Although the mouse is a good model system to perform functional studies, the differences between mouse and human also need to be considered. The objective of this study is to elucidate the different molecular mechanisms underlying oocyte maturation and fertilization between human and mouse.

Deletion of BAF250a affects oocyte epigenetic modifications and embryonic development.

BRG1-associated factor 250a (BAF250a) is a component of the SWI/SNF adenosine triphosphate-dependent chromatin remodeling complex, which has been shown to control chromatin structure and transcription. BAF250a was reported to be a key component of the gene regulatory machinery in embryonic stem cells controlling self-renewal, differentiation, and cell lineage decisions. Here we constructed Baf250a ;Gdf9-cre (Baf250a ) mice to specifically delete BAF250a in oocytes to investigate the role of maternal BAF250a in female germ cells and embryo development.

Degradation of Ccnb3 is essential for maintenance of MII arrest in oocyte.

Before fertilization, ovulated mammalian oocytes are arrested at the metaphase of second meiosis (MII), which is maintained by the so-called cytostatic factor (CSF). It is well known that the continuous synthesis and accumulation of cyclin B is critical for maintaining the CSF-mediated MII arrest. Recent studies by us and others have shown that Ccnb3 is required for the metaphase-to-anaphase transition during the first meiosis of mouse oocytes, but whether Ccnb3 plays a role in MII arrest and exit remains unknown.

Mettl14 is required for mouse postimplantation development by facilitating epiblast maturation.

N6-methyladenosine (mA) is the most prevalent and reversible internal modification of mammalian messenger and noncoding RNAs mediated by specific mA writer, reader, and eraser proteins. As an mA writer, the methyltransferase-like 3-methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14)-Wilms tumor 1-associated protein complex dynamically regulates mA modification and plays important roles in diverse biologic processes. However, our knowledge about the complete functions of this RNA methyltransferase complex, the contributions of each component to the methylation, and their effects on different biologic pathways are still limited.

Epigenetic dynamics and interplay during spermatogenesis and embryogenesis: implications for male fertility and offspring health.

Mapping epigenetic modifications and identifying their roles in the regulation of spermatogenesis and embryogenesis are essential for gaining fundamental medical understandings and for clinical applications. More and more evidence has shown that specific epigenetic modifications are established during spermatogenesis, which will be transferred into oocyte fertilisation, and play an important role in the early embryo development. Defects in epigenetic patterns may increase the risk of abnormal spermatogenesis, fertilisation failure, early embryogenesis abnormality and several other complications during pregnancy.