DNA methylation and gene expression changes in mouse pre- and post-implantation embryos generated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection with artificial oocyte activation

Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology

Pengcheng Kong¹  Mingru Yin²  Wenzhi Li²  Qianqian Zhu²  Qifeng Lyu²  Hui Long²  Weina Yu² 

[1]Department of Assisted Reproduction, First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 201204, Shanghai, China

[2]Department of Assisted Reproduction, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 200011, Shanghai, China

关键词: Artificial oocyte activation;    Mouse blastocysts;    Gene expression;    Imprinted gene;    DNA methylation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12958-021-00845-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe application of artificial oocyte activation (AOA) after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is successful in mitigating fertilization failure problems in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Nevertheless, there is no relevant study to investigate whether AOA procedures increase developmental risk by disturbing subsequent gene expression at different embryonic development stages.MethodsWe used a mouse model to explore the influence of AOA treatment on pre- and post-implantation events. Firstly, the developmental potential of embryos with or without AOA treatment were assessed by the rates of fertilization and blastocyst formation. Secondly, transcriptome high-throughput sequencing was performed among the three groups (ICSI, ICSI-AOA and dICSI-AOA groups). The hierarchical clustering and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis were used. Subsequently, Igf2r/Airn methylation analysis were detected using methylation-specific PCR sequencing following bisulfite treatment. Finally, birth rate and birth weight were examined following mouse embryo transfer.ResultsThe rates of fertilization and blastocyst formation were significantly lower in oocyte activation-deficient sperm injection group (dICSI group) when compared with the ICSI group (30.8 % vs. 84.4 %, 10.0 % vs. 41.5 %). There were 133 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the ICSI-AOA group and ICSI group, and 266 DEGs between the dICSI-AOA group and ICSI group. In addition, the imprinted gene, Igf2r is up regulated in AOA treatment group compared to control group. The Igf2r/Airn imprinted expression model demonstrates that AOA treatment stimulates maternal allele-specific mehtylation spreads at differentially methylated region 2, followed by the initiation of paternal imprinted Airn long non-coding (lnc) RNA, resulting in the up regulated expression of Igf2r. Furthermore, the birth weight of newborn mice originating from AOA group was significantly lower compared to that of ICSI group. The pups born following AOA treatment did not show any other abnormalities during early development. All offspring mated successfully with fertile controls.ConclusionsAOA treatment affects imprinted gene Igf2r expression and mehtylation states in mouse pre- and post-implantation embryo, which is regulated by the imprinted Airn. Nevertheless, no significant differences were found in post-natal growth of the pups in the present study. It is hoped that this study could provide valuable insights of AOA technology in assisted reproduction biology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY