An integrated chromatin accessibility and transcriptome landscape of human pre-implantation embryos.

Human pre-implantation embryonic development involves extensive changes in chromatin structure and transcriptional activity. Here, we report on LiCAT-seq, a technique that enables simultaneous profiling of chromatin accessibility and gene expression with ultra-low input of cells, and map the chromatin accessibility and transcriptome landscapes for human pre-implantation embryos. We observed global difference in chromatin accessibility between sperm and all stages of embryos, finding that the accessible regions in sperm tend to occur in gene-poor genomic regions.

Clinical and neonatal outcomes of patients of different ages following transfer of thawed cleavage embryos and blastocysts cultured from thawed cleavage-stage embryos.

Background: Frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) has become a routine procedure in assisted reproductive technology (ART). In FET, although blastocysts cultured from thawed cleavage-stage embryos are associated with better perinatal outcomes. it may increase cycle cancellation due to no suitable embryo to transfer.

Effects of human umbilical cord blood CD34 cell transplantation in neonatal hypoxic-ischemia rat model.

Perinatal brain injury can cause death in the neonatal period and lifelong neurodevelopmental deficits. Stem cell transplantation had been proved to be effective approach to ameliorate neurological deficits after brain damage. In this study we examine the effect of human umbilical cord blood CD34 cells on model of neonatal rat hypoxic-ischemic brain damage and compared the neuroprotection of transplantation of CD34 cells to mononuclear cells from which CD34 cells isolated on neonatal hypoxic-ischemia rat model.

ZP2 pathogenic variants cause in vitro fertilization failure and female infertility.

Purpose: The oocyte-borne genetic causes leading to fertilization failure are largely unknown. We aimed to identify novel human pathogenic variants (PV) and genes causing fertilization failure.

Methods: We performed exome sequencing for a consanguineous family with a recessive inheritance pattern of female infertility characterized by oocytes with a thin zona pellucida (ZP) and fertilization failure in routine in vitro fertilization.

The clinical and neonatal outcomes after stimulation of immotile spermatozoa using SperMagic medium.

To evaluate the efficiency and safety of SperMagic medium on stimulating the immotile spermatozoa in testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and absolute asthenozoospermia, 96 patients with TESE and 106 patients with absolute asthenozoospermia were enrolled in this study. The motile spermatozoa were detected in 47 TESE patients and 68 absolute asthenozoospermia and these patients were assigned to control group. The immotile spermatozoa in 49 TESE patients and 34 absolute asthenozoospermia were stimulated with SperMagic medium.

Clinical outcomes in carriers of complex chromosomal rearrangements: a retrospective analysis of comprehensive chromosome screening results in seven cases.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical outcomes in carriers of complex chromosomal rearrangements (CCRs).

Design: Case series.

Setting: An institute for reproductive and stem cell engineering.

Generation of a human embryonic stem cell line expressing tetrameric Zoanthus sp. green fluorescent protein: NERCe002-A-1.

The human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line NERCe002-A-1 was generated through lentiviral transduction of the original NERCe002-A-1 hESC line with Zoanthus sp. green fluorescent protein (ZsGreen). Cells that expressed ZsGreen showed a >8.

Spheroid-cultured human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells attenuate hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation is a promising treatment for ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). However, its effects on hepatic IRI were not consistent in the previous studies. 3D spheroid-cultured MSCs enhance their production of trophic and anti-inflammatory properties, but their effects on hepatic IRI remain unclear.

mutation that causes human non-obstructive azoospermia and premature ovarian insufficiency identified by whole-exome sequencing.

Background: The genetic causes of the majority of male and female infertility caused by human non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) with meiotic arrest are unknown.

Objective: To identify the genetic cause of NOA and POI in two affected members from a consanguineous Chinese family.

Methods: We performed whole-exome sequencing of DNA from both affected patients.

Inner cell mass incarceration in 8-shaped blastocysts does not increase monozygotic twinning in preimplantation genetic diagnosis and screening patients.

Background: The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been reported to increase the incidence of monozygotic twinning (MZT) compared with the incidence following natural conception. It has been hypothesized that splitting of the inner cell mass (ICM) through a small zona hole may result in MZT. In this study, using a cohort of patients undergoing preimplantation genetic diagnosis/screening (PGD/PGS), we compared the clinical and neonatal outcomes of human 8-shaped blastocysts hatching with ICM incarceration with partially or fully hatched blastocysts, and attempted to verify whether this phenomenon increases the incidence of MZT pregnancy or negatively impact newborns.

Let-7d increases ovarian cancer cell sensitivity to a genistein analog by targeting c-Myc.

c-Myc is a key oncogenic transcription factor that participates in tumor pathogenesis. In this study, we found that levels of c-Myc mRNA and protein were higher in early ovarian cancer tissues than normal ovary samples. Increased c-Myc levels correlated positively with clinical stage I (Ia+b/Ic) in ovarian cancer patients.

Role of telomeric repeat-containing RNA in telomeric chromatin remodeling during the early expansion of human embryonic stem cells.

This study aimed to explore the role of telomeric repeat-containing RNA (TERRA) in telomeric chromatin remodeling during the early expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). During the derivation of hESCs, histone demethylation in the telomeric region facilitates telomerase-mediated telomere elongation. An adequate telomere repeat is essential for hESCs to acquire and/or maintain the unlimited symmetric division, which suggests that there is a link between pluripotency and telomere maintenance.

Self-diploidization of human haploid parthenogenetic embryos through the Rho pathway regulates endomitosis and failed cytokinesis.

A diploid genome is necessary for normal mammalian development, thus haploid parthenogenetic embryos undergo frequent self-diploidization during preimplantation development; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, time-lapse recording revealed that human haploid parthenotes (HPs) undergo self-diploidization via failed cytokinesis (FC) and endomitosis (EM). The frequencies of FC/EM were significantly higher in HPs than in normal fertilized embryos (26.

Time-lapse observation and transcriptome analysis of a case with repeated multiple pronuclei after IVF/ICSI.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cause of repeated multipronucleus (MPN) formation in zygotes in a patient after both in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Method: This is a case study. A patient had unexplained primary infertility with recurring total MPN zygotes after IVF and ICSI cycles.

Impact of adipose tissue or umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells on the immunogenicity of human cord blood derived endothelial progenitor cells.

The application of autologous endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) transplantation is a promising approach in therapeutic cardiovascular diseases and ischemic diseases. In this study, we compared the immunogenicity of EPCs, adipose tissue (AD)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and umbilical cord (UC)-derived MSCs by flow cytometry and the mixed lymphocyte reaction. The impact of AD-MSCs and UC-MSCs on the immunogenicity of EPCs was analyzed by the mixed lymphocyte reaction and cytokine secretion in vitro and was further tested by allogenic peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) induced immuno-rejection on a cell/matrigel graft in an SCID mouse model.

Polar body transfer restores the developmental potential of oocytes to blastocyst stage in a case of repeated embryo fragmentation.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the developmental potential of human reconstructed oocytes after polar body genome transfer (PBT) and to report the case of a woman with multiple cycles of severe embryo fragmentation.

Methods: Fresh and cryopreserved first polar bodies (PB1s) were transferred to enucleated metaphase II oocytes (PB1T), while fresh PB2s were removed from fertilized oocytes and used instead of the female pronucleus in donor zygotes. Reconstructed oocytes underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and were cultured to blastocyst.

Establishment of human embryonic stem cell line with a complex abnormal karyotype and the stable XIST expression.

The embryonic stem cell line chHES-3XISTa was derived from heterogeneous chHES-3 cells. chHES-3XISTa showed a new abnormal karyotype of 46,XX with 8 derivation chromosomes and expressed X inactive specific transcript (XIST) in continual culture. Tri-methylation of H3 Lys-27 (H3K27me3) punctate enrichment located in RNA Polymerase II hole was also found in all chHES-3XISTa cells.

Generation of human embryonic stem cells from abnormal blastocyst diagnosed with albinism.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line chHES-478 was derived from abnormal blastocyst diagnosed with albinism after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) treatment. DNA sequencing analysis confirmed that chHES-478 cell line carried a compound heterozygous mutation, c.896G>A(p.

Human embryonic stem cells derived from abnormal blastocyst donated by polycystic kidney syndrome patient.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line chHES-468 was derived from abnormal blastocyst donated by polycystic kidney syndrome (PKD) patient after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) treatment. DNA sequencing analysis confirmed that chHES-468 cell line carried a heterozygous mutation, c.10526_10527delAG, of PKD1.

Generation of human embryonic stem cells from abnormal blastocyst diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line chHES-480 was derived from abnormal blastocyst diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) treatment. DNA sequencing analysis confirmed that chHES-480 cell line carried a hemizygous missense mutation c.1825G>A(p.

Generation of human embryonic stem cell line chHES-458 from abnormal embryos with HTT gene mutation.

The human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line chHES-458 was derived from a abnormal blastocyst carrying the expanded CAG repeat mutation of the HTT gene that would lead to Huntington disease. This cell line maintained a normal karyotype 46, XX during long-term culture and displayed pluripotent characteristics, including expression of pluripotency-related transcription factors and capacity of forming well-differentiated three germ layers after being injected into the SCID mice.

Generation of human embryonic stem cell line chHES-472 from abnormal embryos diagnosed with Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type3 (SCA3) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder. Human embryonic stem cell line chHES-472 was derived from abnormal embryo donated by SCA3 patient after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) treatment. This cell line had a normal karyotype and retained the disease-causing mutant in ATXN3 gene.

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from a retinoblastoma patient carrying a c.2663G>A mutation in RB1 gene.

Skin fibroblasts were obtained from a male patient diagnosed with retinoblastoma (RB) carrying a c.2663G>A mutation in the 25 exon of RB1 gene. RB-iPS cells was generated via delivered four reprogramming factors (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28) into these skin fibroblasts.

Derivation of human embryonic stem cell from spinal muscular atrophy patient.

We established a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line chHES-427 from the abnormal embryo carrying homozygous deletion of exon 7 of survival motor neuron gene (SMN). This cell line maintained a normal karyotype 46, XX during long-term culture. Further characteristic analysis suggested that the cells expressed the pluripotency-related markers and had the capacity to differentiate into the derivatives from the three germ layers in vitro.

Human embryonic stem cells derived from abnormal blastocyst donated by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency patient.

A human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line was derived from abnormal embryo donated by Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency patient. Sequencing analysis confirmed that the hESC line possessed the mutant contributing to abnormal expression of G6PD. Further characteristic analysis demonstrated that the favism hESC line maintained stable and normal karyotype, expressed pluripotent markers and had the capacity of generating the derivatives from all three germ layers.