Project description:Abnormal placentation in cloned animals remains an unsolved problem. We demonstrated the involvement of micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the abnormal enlargement (hyperplasia) of placentas in cloned mice. Using a comparative transcriptome analysis of cloned placentas, we noted the consistent upregulation of clustered miRNAs within Sfmbt2, a paternally expressed imprinted gene. This region was biallelically activated by loss of imprinting (LOI) in cloned placentas. Deletion of the maternal allele of the whole miRNA cluster resulted in the correction of their expression levels and upregulation of their putative target genes with antitumor or apoptotic functions. Consequently, the placental size was reduced to the normal level and histology was ameliorated. In contrast, correcting the expression of the LOI genes (Sfmbt2, Gab1, and Scl38a4) in cloned placentas had no impact on placental size. Thus, we identified that LOI of clustered miRNAs within Sfmbt2 in cloned placentas was the major cause of abnormal placental enlargement.
Project description:Abnormal placentation in cloned animals remains an unsolved problem. We demonstrated the involvement of micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the abnormal enlargement (hyperplasia) of placentas in cloned mice. Using a comparative transcriptome analysis of cloned placentas, we noted the consistent upregulation of clustered miRNAs within Sfmbt2, a paternally expressed imprinted gene. This region was biallelically activated by loss of imprinting (LOI) in cloned placentas. Deletion of the maternal allele of the whole miRNA cluster resulted in the correction of their expression levels and upregulation of their putative target genes with antitumor or apoptotic functions. Consequently, the placental size was reduced to the normal level and histology was ameliorated. In contrast, correcting the expression of the LOI genes (Sfmbt2, Gab1, and Scl38a4) in cloned placentas had no impact on placental size. Thus, we identified that LOI of clustered miRNAs within Sfmbt2 in cloned placentas was the major cause of abnormal placental enlargement.
Project description:To investigate the differentially expressed mRNAs and microRNAs in human placenta between early-onset preeclampsia (EO-PE) and preterm birth controls (PTB), next generation sequencing was performed in 5 paired EO-PE and PTB placentas.
Project description:In cattle, the in vitro production (IVP) of embryos is becoming more relevant than embryos produced in vivo, i.e., after ovarian stimulation and embryo transfer (MOET). However, the effects of IVP on the developmental programming of specific organs in the postnatal calves are yet unknown. The objective of this study was to compare the hepatic and muscular transcriptomic modifications between IVP and MOET male calves of three months of age (n=4 per group). Tissue samples from liver and semitendinosus muscle were obtained at 3 months of age, and the extracted RNA was sequenced through RNAseq to determine differentially expressed genes (DEG; FDR<0.05). KEGG pathways enrichment analysis showed that DEG up-regulated in the liver and the muscle of the IVP calves were involved in oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. In contrast, ribosome and translation were up-regulated in the liver but down-regulated in the muscle of the IVP calves compared to the MOET calves (FDR<0.05). In conclusion, our findings indicated an altered hepatic and muscular energy regulation in phenotypically normal IVP calves compared to MOET calves.