Project description:Egg yolk constitutes about a third of the structure of the chicken egg however, the molecular structure and physiological effects of egg yolk-derived lipid membranous vesicles are not clearly understood. In this study, for the first record, the egg yolk nanovesicles (vitellovesicles, VVs) were isolated, characterized, and used as a supplement for porcine embryo culture. Yolks of ten freshly oviposited eggs were filtered and ultracentrifuged at 100,000 × g for 3 h to obtain a pellet. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis of the pellet revealed bilipid membranous vesicles. Protein contents of the pellet were analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry and the miRNA content was also profiled through BGISEQ-500 sequencer. VVs were supplemented with the in vitro culture medium of day-7 hatched parthenogenetic blastocysts. After 2 days of blastocyst culture, the embryonic cell count was increased in VVs supplemented embryos in comparison to the non-supplemented embryos. TUNEL assay showed that apoptotic cells were increased in control groups when compared with the VVs supplemented group. Reduced glutathione was increased by 2.5 folds in the VVs supplemented group while reactive oxygen species were increased by 5.3 folds in control groups. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that VVs significantly increased the expression of lipid metabolism-associated genes (monoglyceride lipase and lipase E), anti-apoptotic gene (BCL2), and superoxide dismutase, while significantly reducing apoptotic gene (BAX). Culturing embryos on Matrigel basement membrane matrix indicated that VVs significantly enhanced embryo attachment and embryonic stem cell outgrowths compared to the non-supplemented group. This considers the first report to characterize the molecular bioactive cargo contents of egg yolk nanovesicles to show their embryotrophic effect on mammalian embryos. This effect might be attributed to the protein and miRNA cargo contents of VVs. VVs can be used for the formulation of in vitro culture medium for mammalian embryos including humans.
Project description:Cryopreservation causes significant lethal and sub-lethal damage to spermatozoa. In order to improve freezing outcomes, a comprehensive understanding of sub-lethal damage is required. Cryopreservation induced changes to sperm proteins have been investigated in several species, but few have employed currently available state of the art, data independent acquisition mass spectrometry (MS) methods. We used the SWATH LC-MS method to quantitatively profile proteomic changes to ram spermatozoa following exposure to egg yolk and cryopreservation. Egg yolk contributed 15 proteins to spermatozoa, including vitellogenins, apolipoproteins and complement component C3. Cryopreservation significantly altered the abundance of 51 proteins. Overall, 27 proteins increased (e.g. SERPINB1, FER) and 24 proteins decreased (e.g. CCT subunits, CSNK1G2, TOM1L1) in frozen thawed ram spermatozoa, compared to fresh spermatozoa. Chaperones constituted 20% of the proteins lost from spermatozoa following cryopreservation. These alterations may interfere with both normal cellular functioning and the ability of frozen thawed spermatozoa to appropriately respond to stress. This is the first study to apply SWATH mass spectrometry techniques to characterise proteins contributed by egg yolk based freezing media and to profile cryopreservation induced proteomic changes to ram spermatozoa.
Project description:The proteomic profiles of silky fowl egg yolk (SFEY) and Leghorn egg yolk (LEY) were analysed by bottom-up label-free liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), aiming to provide a theoretical basis for understanding the proteomic and biological differences between the two yolks and further develop the nutritional and biomedical value of silky fowl eggs.
Project description:We used a transcriptomic approach based on the comparison of the expression between the liver of sexually mature hens versus pre-laying pullets to better appreciate which hepatic proteases and antiproteases are specifically expressed in relation to vitellogenesis. Using a 20K chicken oligoarray corresponding to 12 595 different chicken genes, a total of 582 genes were shown to be over-expressed in the liver at sexual maturity of hens (1.2 to 67 fold- difference). Most of the top ten over-expressed genes are known components of egg yolk or of the perivitelline membrane. The combination of different bioinformatic tools reveals 12 proteases and 3 antiproteases amongst the over-expressed genes, including many predicted proteins with yet unknown functions.
Project description:Oviparous animals support reproduction via the incorporation of yolk as a nutrient source into the eggs. In Caenorhabditis elegans, however, yolk proteins seem dispensable for fecundity, despite constituting the vast majority of the embryonic protein pool and acting as carriers for nutrient-rich lipids. Here, we used yolk protein-deprived C. elegans mutants to gain insight into the traits that may yet be influenced by yolk rationing. We show that massive yolk provisioning confers a temporal advantage during embryogenesis, while also increasing early juvenile body size and promoting competitive fitness. Opposite to species that reduce egg production under yolk deprivation, our results indicate that C. elegans relies on yolk as a fail-safe to secure offspring survival, rather than to maintain offspring numbers.
Project description:We used a transcriptomic approach based on the comparison of the expression between the liver of sexually mature hens versus pre-laying pullets to better appreciate which hepatic proteases and antiproteases are specifically expressed in relation to vitellogenesis. Using a 20K chicken oligoarray corresponding to 12 595 different chicken genes, a total of 582 genes were shown to be over-expressed in the liver at sexual maturity of hens (1.2 to 67 fold- difference). Most of the top ten over-expressed genes are known components of egg yolk or of the perivitelline membrane. The combination of different bioinformatic tools reveals 12 proteases and 3 antiproteases amongst the over-expressed genes, including many predicted proteins with yet unknown functions. 8 samples of each condition( liver of 38 weeks old mature hens and of 10 weeks old immature pullets) were analysed, with an experimental design in dye switch (half of the slides labeled with fluorophore Alexa 555 and half with Alexa 647 for each condition)
Project description:It was analyzed whole genome microarray data to describe the changes in gene transcription profile in human MCF-7 cancer cells under the influence of fatty acid extracts from CLA-enriched and non-enriched egg yolks.Those results might be found useful in assessing the application of CLA-enriched egg as a nutraceutics in cancer prevention.