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Paternal knockout of Slc38a4/SNAT4 causes placental hypoplasia associated with intrauterine growth restriction in mice

ABSTRACT: The placenta is critical for mammalian embryonic development because the embryo’s supply of nutrients, including amino acids, depends solely on mother-to-embryo transport through the placenta. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this amino acid supply are poorly understood. In this study, we focused on the system A amino acid transporters, Slc38a1/SNAT1, Slc38a2/SNAT2, and Slc38a4/SNAT4, which carry neutral, short-side-chain amino acids, to determine their involvement in placental or embryonic development. A triple-target CRISPR screen identified Slc38a4/SNAT4 as the critical amino acid transporter for placental development in mice. We established mouse lines from the CRISPR founders with large deletions in Slc38a4 and found that, consistent with the imprinted paternal expression of Slc38a4/SNAT4 in ther placenta, paternal knockout (KO), but not maternal KO, of Slc38a4/SNAT4 caused placental hypoplasia associated with reduced fetal weight. Immunostaining revealed that SNAT4 was widely expressed in differentiating cytotrophoblasts and maturing trophoblasts at the maternal–fetal interface. A blood metabolome analysis revealed that amino acid concentrations were globally reduced in Slc38a4/SNAT4 mutant embryos. These results indicated that, in mice, SNAT4-mediated amino acid transport plays a major role in both placental and embryonic development. Given that expression of Slc38a4 in placentas is conserved in other species, our Slc38a4/SNAT4 mutant mice could be a promising model for the analysis of placental defects leading to intrauterine growth restriction in mammals.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE136212 | GEO | 2019/08/23

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Germline epigenetic programming, including genomic imprinting, substantially influences offspring development. Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) plays an important role in Histone 3 Lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3)-dependent imprinting, loss of which leads to growth and developmental changes in mouse offspring. In this study, we show that offspring from mouse oocytes lacking the PRC2 protein Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) were initially developmentally delayed, characterised by low blastocyst cell counts and substantial growth delay in mid-gestation embryos. This initial developmental delay was resolved as offspring underwent accelerated fetal development and growth in late gestation resulting in offspring that were similar stage and weight to controls at birth. The accelerated development and growth in offspring from Eed-null oocytes was associated with remodelling of the placenta, which involved an increase in fetal and maternal tissue size, conspicuous expansion of the glycogen enriched cell population and delayed parturition. Despite placental remodelling and accelerated offspring fetal growth and development, placental efficiency and fetal blood glucose levels were low, and the fetal blood metabolome was unchanged. Moreover, while expression of the H3K27me3-imprinted gene and amino acid transporter Slc38a4 was increased, fetal blood levels of individual amino acids were similar to controls, indicating that placental amino acid transport was not enhanced. Genome-wide analyses identified extensive transcriptional dysregulation and DNA methylation changes in affected placentas, including a range of imprinted and non-imprinted genes. Together, while deletion of Eed in growing oocytes resulted in fetal growth and developmental delay and placental hyperplasia, our data indicate a remarkable capacity for offspring fetal growth to be normalised despite inefficient placental function and the loss of H3K27me3-dependent genomic imprinting.

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Paternal knockout of Slc38a4/SNAT4 causes placental hypoplasia associated with intrauterine growth restriction in mice

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