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Cellular senescence in reproduction: a two-edged sword Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Luiza Pretto, Eduarda Nabinger, Eduardo Cremonesi Filippi-Chiela, Lucas Rosa Fraga
Cellular senescence (CS) is the state when cells are no longer capable to divide even after stimulation with grown factors. Cells that begin to undergo CS stop in the cell cycle and enter a suspended state without committing to programmed cell death. These cells assume a specific phenotype and influence their microenvironment by secreting molecules and extracellular vesicles that are part of the so-called
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4D label-free quantitative proteomic analysis identifies CRABP1 as a novel candidate gene for litter size in rabbits Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-03-11 Zhiyuan Bao, Yang Chen, Jiali Li, Jiawei Cai, Jie Yang, Pin Zhai, Bohao Zhao, Xinsheng Wu
In commercial rabbit breeding, litter size is a crucial reproductive trait. This trait directly determines the reproductive ability of female rabbits and is crucial for evaluating the production efficiency. We here compared differentially expressed proteins of in the ovary tissue from New Zealand female rabbits with high (H) and low (L) litter sizes by using 4D label-free quantitative proteomic technology
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The role of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase gene in preventing ovarian transplant rejection in rats Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-03-06 Aizhuan Long, Shuyun Zhao, Guanyou Huang, Xiaoying Li, Hui Cheng, Zengchunxiao Chen, Zhu Hu, Leilei Zhu, Danqing Zhao, Xiaoyan Hu, Jun Wang
Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) plays important roles in maternal immune tolerance. Female Sprague Dawley rats (9–11 weeks old) were randomly divided into an autoplastic transplantation group (n = 75) and an allograft transplantation group (n = 300) further divided into subgroups of ovarian transplantation, allograft ovarian transplantation, allograft ovarian transplantation with cyclosporine A
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Magnetic resonance imaging of placental Intralobule structure and function in a pre-clinical nonhuman primate model Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Andrew Melbourne, Matthias C Schabel, Anna L David, Victoria H J Roberts
The placenta has a critical role in delivery of oxygen and an array of nutrients, hormones, antibodies and other biochemicals to the fetus, as well as the elimination of carbon dioxide and other waste products from the fetal circulation. Interrogating placental function is therefore essential for assessment of fetal and maternal health during gestation. Although the central role of adequate blood flow
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LncRNA S100PBP promotes proliferation and steroid hormone synthesis of granulosa cells by sponging MiR-2285bc-BMPR2 in bovine Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Kai Wang, Ying Cheng, Yongping Ren, Haoyu Xiu, Wenxiang Meng, Tong Guo, Xiaoyan Ma, Ermias Kebreab, Dong Wang, Lihua Lyu
In bovine follicular development, the proliferation of bovine granulosa cells (GCs) affect follicular selection, atresia, and cystic follicle formation. With the proliferation of GCs and secretion of steroid hormones, follicles develop further and increase in diameter. However, when cystic follicles appear on the ovaries, GCs stop proliferating, resulting in the reduction of GCs layer. In our previous
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In Vitro Culture Alters Cell Lineage Composition and Cellular Metabolism of Bovine Blastocyst Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-25 Hao Ming, Mingxiang Zhang, Sandeep Rajput, Deirdre Logsdon, Linkai Zhu, William B Schoolcraft, Rebecca L Krisher, Zongliang Jiang, Ye Yuan
Profiling bovine blastocyst transcriptome at the single-cell level has enabled us to reveal the first cell lineage segregation, during which the inner cell mass (ICM), trophectoderm (TE), and an undefined population of transitional cells were identified. By comparing the transcriptome of blastocysts derived in vivo (IVV), in vitro from a conventional culture medium (IVC), and in vitro from an optimized
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Regulation of early spermatogenesis in the giant prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii by a GCL homolog Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-24 Jonathan Molcho, Dana Albagly, Tom Levy, Rivka Manor, Eliahu D Aflalo, Jorge Alfaro-Montoya, Amir Sagi
The germ cell-less (GCL) gene is crucial for gonad development in various organisms. Early interventions in its expression suggested a regulatory role at the mitotic stages of spermatogenesis, and its early knockout resulted in complete sterility in Drosophila. Genomic and transcriptomic data available for the catadromous giant prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii enabled the identification of a GCL homolog
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HOTAIR/miR-1277-5p/FBN2 signaling axis is involved in recurrent spontaneous abortion by regulating the growth, migration, and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-23 Na Long, Ru-liang Sun, Qing-hua Lai, Mei-yin Lu, Xiao-hong Li, Yan-na Chen, Dong-yan Zhu
Objective This study aimed to explore the specific pathways by which HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) contributes to the pathogenesis of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA). Methods Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was employed to assess the differential expression levels of HOTAIR in chorionic villi tissues from URSA patients and women with voluntarily terminated
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The pathogenesis of endometriosis and adenomyosis: insights from single-cell RNA sequencing Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Qiutong Li, Jinghua Shi, Dai Yi, Xiaoyan Li, Zhiyue Gu, Hailan Yan, Jinhua Leng
Endometriosis and adenomyosis are two similar gynecological diseases that are characterized by ectopic implantation and the growth of the endometrial tissue. Previous studies have reported that they share a common pathophysiology in some respects, such as a similar cellular composition and resistance to the progestogen of lesions, but their underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Emerging single-cell
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Prenatal exposure to DEHP and high-fat diet synergistically disrupts gonadal function in male mice Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Radwa Barakat, Po-Ching Patrick Lin, Mary Bunnell, Ji-Eun Oh, Saniya Rattan, Cyrus Arnieri, Jodi A Flaws, CheMyong J Ko
Prenatal exposure to Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) impairs the reproductive system and causes fertility defects in male offspring. Additionally, high-fat diet (HF) is a risk factor for reproductive disorders in males. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to a physiologically relevant dose of DEHP in conjunction with HF diet synergistically impacts reproductive function
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IGFBP1a is a nutrient deficient response factor that can inhibit fish reproduction through the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-20 Wei Li, Hangyu Li, Qiongyao Hu, Linlin Wang, Zhan Yin, Guangfu Hu
Reproduction is a high energy consuming process, so long-term malnutrition can significantly inhibit gonadal development. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism by which fasting inhibits reproduction. Our present study found that fasting could dramatically induce insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) expression in the liver, hypothalamus, pituitary and ovaries of grass
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Inefficient Sox9 upregulation and absence of Rspo1 repression lead to sex reversal in the B6.XY TIR mouse gonad Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 Jiangqin Cao, Fatima El Mansouri, Sofia Reynoso, Zongping Liu, Jiaqiao Zhu, Teruko Taketo
Sry on the Y-chromosome upregulates Sox9, which in turn upregulates a set of genes such as Fgf9 to initiate testicular differentiation in the XY gonad. In the absence of Sry expression, genes such as Rspo1, Foxl2, and Runx1 support ovarian differentiation in the XX gonad. These two pathways antagonize each other to ensure the development of only one gonadal sex in normal development. In the B6.YTIR
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Establishment and comparison of human term placenta-derived trophoblast cells Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Manuel S Vidal, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Natasha Vora, Kamil Khanipov, Cristina Antich, Marc Ferrer, Rheanna Urrabaz-Garza, Jeena E Jacob, Ramkumar Menon
Research on the biology of fetal-maternal barriers has been limited by access to physiologically relevant cells, including trophoblast cells. In this study, we describe the development of a human-term placenta-derived cytotrophoblast immortalized cell line (hPTCCTB) derived from the basal plate. hPTCCTB cells are comparable to their primary cells of origin in terms of morphology, marker expression
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Membrane Inflammasome activation by Choriodecidual Ureaplasma parvum infection without intra-amniotic infection in an NHP model Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 Sudeshna Tripathy, Irina Burd, Meredith A Kelleher
Intrauterine infection is a significant cause of preterm labor and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Ureaplasma parvum is the microorganism most commonly isolated from cases of preterm birth and preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM). However, the mechanisms during the early stages of ascending reproductive tract infection remain poorly understood. To examine inflammation in fetal (chorioamnionic)
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Bta-miR-301a targets ACVR1 to influence cleavage time and blastocyst formation rate of early embryos in cattle Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Heqiang Li, Jing Gao, Jingyi Wang, Baobao Zhao, Xiaonan Ma, Bihan Zhang, Changrong Lv, Hailian Qiao, Yongsheng Wang, Suzhu Qing
Accumulating evidence indicates that paternally-derived miRNAs play a crucial role in the development of early embryos and are regarded as the key factor in the successful development of somatic cell cloned embryos. In our previous study, bta-miR-301a was found to be highly expressed in bovine sperm, and was delivered into oocytes during fertilization. In this study, bioinformatics, dual luciferase
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Cyclophosphamide activates ferroptosis induced dysfunction of Leydig cells via SMAD2 pathway Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-06 Senlin Liao, Cun Wei, Guanyang Wei, Haoyu Liang, Fan Peng, Lei Zhao, Ziguang Li, Cundong Liu, Qizhao Zhou
Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug and immunosuppressant in the clinic, and the hypoandrogenism caused by CP is receiving more attention. Some studies found that ferroptosis is a new mechanism of cell death closely related to chemotherapeutic drugs and plays a key role in regulating reproductive injuries. The purpose of this study is to explore ferroptosis' role in testicular
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New uses for an old technique: live imaging on the slice organ culture to study reproductive processes Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-02-03 Ciro Maurizio Amato, Humphrey Hung-Chang Yao
Reproductive processes are dynamic and involve extensive morphological remodeling and cell–cell interactions. Live imaging of organs enhances our understanding of how biological processes occur in real time. Slice culture is a type of organ culture where thick slices are collected from an organ and cultured for several days. Slice culture is a useful and easy-to-implement technique for live imaging
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Intronless Pabpc6 encodes a testis-specific, cytoplasmic poly(a)-binding protein but is dispensable for spermatogenesis in the mouse Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-28 Yuko Kaku, Yuka Isono, Hideto Tanaka, Tomohiro Kobayashi, Yoshinori Kanemori, Shin-ichi Kashiwabara
Besides ubiquitous poly(A)-binding protein, cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1), testis-specific PABPC2/PABPt (in humans, referred to as PABPC3), and female and male germline-specific PABPC1L/ePAB, have been reported in the mouse testis. Recent in silico analysis additionally identified testis-specific Pabpc6 in the mouse. In this study, we characterized PABPC6 and its mutant mice. PABPC6 was initially detectable
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Foxp2 deficiency impairs reproduction by modulating the hypothalamic–pituitary-gonadal axis in zebrafish Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-27 Maya Wang, Juanjuan Luo, Lu Dai, Meilan Feng, Xiaoqian Cao, Jiannan Zhang, Yiping Wan, Xiaojun Yang, Yajun Wang
FOXP2 was initially characterized as a transcription factor linked to speech and language disorders. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) reveals that Foxp2 is enriched in the gonadotrope cluster of the pituitary gland and colocalized with the hormones LHB and FSHB in chickens and mice, implying that FOXP2 might be associated with reproduction in vertebrates. Herein, we investigated the roles of
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High-throughput mRNA-seq atlas of human placenta shows vast transcriptome remodeling from first to third trimester Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Tania L Gonzalez, Sahar Wertheimer, Amy E Flowers, Yizhou Wang, Chintda Santiskulvong, Ekaterina L Clark, Caroline A Jefferies, Kate Lawrenson, Jessica L Chan, Nikhil V Joshi, Yazhen Zhu, Hsian-Rong Tseng, S Ananth Karumanchi, John Williams, Margareta D Pisarska
The placenta, composed of chorionic villi, changes dramatically across gestation. Understanding differences in ongoing pregnancies are essential to identify the role of chorionic villi at specific times in gestation and develop biomarkers and prognostic indicators of maternal-fetal health. The normative mRNA profile is established using next-generation sequencing of 124 first trimester and 43 third
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Activation of Interleukin33-NFκB Axis in granulosa cells during atresia and its role in disposal of Atretic follicles Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Jean Wu, Colin Carlock, Kiana Tatum, Junbo Shim, Cindy Zhou, Yahuan Lou
It has been previously shown that the cytokine interleukin33 (IL33) is required for two processes, i.e. autophagic digestion of granulosa cells and recruitment of macrophages into atretic follicles, for full disposal of atretic follicles. Now, this study shows that activation of IL33-ST2 (IL33 receptor)-NFκB axis in granulosa in early atretic follicles may regulate those two events. Injection of hCG
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LRRC52 is likely a functional component of human KSper Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Jiali Zhang, Liping Zheng, Ying Chen, Tao Luo, Xuhui Zeng, Hang Kang
Completion of fertilization is orchestrated by various ion channels in sperm membrane. Hyperpolarization of membrane potential, an indispensable event during the capacitation process, is dominated by sperm potassium channel (KSper). In addition to sperm-specific SLO3, which forms the channel pore, the auxiliary subunit leucine-rich-repeat-containing protein 52 (LRRC52) is required to form mKSper to
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Role of miRNAs in glucose metabolism of mouse cumulus cells Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-25 Rui-Jie Ma, Min Zhang, Jia-Shun Wu, Zhi-Peng Wang, Guo-Liang Wang, Nan He, Ming-Jiu Luo, Jing-He Tan
It is known that the oocyte has a limited capacity to acquire and metabolize glucose, and it must rely on cumulus cells (CCs) to take up glucose and produce pyruvate for use to produce ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. We therefore propose that miRNAs might regulate glucose metabolism (GM) in CCs and might be used as markers for oocyte quality assessment. Here, mouse CC models with impaired glycolysis
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FGF2, LIF, and IGF-1 (FLI) supplementation improves mouse oocyte in vitro maturation via increased glucose metabolism Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Asrafun Nahar, John Becker, Rolando Pasquariello, Jason Herrick, Heather Rogers, Mingxiang Zhang, William Schoolcraft, Rebecca L Krisher, Ye Yuan
Chemically defined oocyte maturation media supplemented with FGF2, LIF and IGF-1 (FLI medium) enabled significantly improved oocyte quality in multiple farm animals, yet the molecular mechanisms behind such benefits were poorly defined. Here, we first demonstrated that FLI medium enhanced mouse oocyte quality assessed by blastocyst formation after in vitro fertilization, and implantation and fetal
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Coiled-coil domain containing 159 (CCDC159) is required for spermatid head and tail assembly in mice Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 Tingting Ge, Lu Yuan, Linwei Xu, Fan Yang, Wenhua Xu, Changmin Niu, Guanghua Li, Huiping Zhou, Ying Zheng
The centrosome is critical for maintaining the sperm head-tail connection and the formation of flagellar microtubules. In this study, we found that in mouse testes, coiled-coil domain-containing protein 159 (CCDC159) is specifically localized to the head-tail coupling apparatus (HTCA) of spermatids, a structure that ensures sperm head-tail tight conjunction. CCDC159 contains a C-terminal coiled-coil
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Roles of histone post-translational modifications in meiosis Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-15 Hui Nie, Xueyu Kong, Xiaoyu Song, Xiaoyu Guo, Zhanyu Li, Cunxian Fan, Binyuan Zhai, Xiao Yang, Ying Wang
Histones post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation and ubiquitination, play vital roles in various chromatin-based cellular processes. Meiosis is crucial for organisms that depend on sexual reproduction to produce haploid gametes, during which chromatin undergoes intricate conformational changes. An increasing body of evidence is clarifying the essential
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Targeted deletion of NR2F2 and VCAM1 in theca cells impacts ovarian follicular development: insights into PCOS? Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Nicholes R Candelaria, JoAnne S Richards
Defining features of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) include elevated expression of steroidogenic genes, theca cell androgen biosynthesis and peripheral levels of androgens. In previous studies we identified vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1) as a selective androgen target gene in specific NR2F2/SF1 (+/+) theca cells. By deleting NR2F2 and VCAM1 selectively in CYP17A1 theca cells in mice, we
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GRIM-19 deficiency promotes macrophage polarization to the M1 phenotype partly through glycolysis in unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-11 Bingyu Wang, Yang Yang, Jinwen Ye, Xiaojuan Han, Lin Yang, Yufei Huang, Lan Chao
The occurrence of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) is closely related to immune system disorders, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of GRIM-19 in URSA and the possible pathogenesis of URSA according to macrophage polarization. Here, we showed that GRIM-19 was downregulated in the uterine decidual macrophages
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Uterine injury during diestrus leads to placental and embryonic defects in future pregnancies in mice Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-11 Elisa T Zhang, Kristen L Wells, Abby J Bergman, Emily E Ryan, Lars M Steinmetz, Julie C Baker
Uterine injury from procedures such as Cesarean sections (C-sections) often have severe consequences on subsequent pregnancy outcomes, leading to disorders such as placenta previa, placenta accreta, and infertility. With rates of C-section at approximately 30% of deliveries in the US and projected to continue to climb, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which these pregnancy disorders arise
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Chimeric PRMT6 protein produced by an endogenous retrovirus promoter regulates cell fate decision in mouse preimplantation embryos Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-10 Shinnosuke Honda, Maho Hatamura, Yuri Kunimoto, Shuntaro Ikeda, Naojiro Minami
Murine endogenous retrovirus with leucine tRNA primer, also known as MERVL, is expressed during zygotic genome activation in mammalian embryos. Here we show that protein arginine N-methyltransferase 6 (Prmt6) forms a chimeric transcript with MT2B2, one of the long terminal repeat sequences of MERVL, and is translated into an elongated chimeric protein (PRMT6MT2B2) whose function differs from that of
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Biological characteristics of pregnancy in captive Yangtze finless porpoises revealed by urinary metabolomics metabolomics Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2024-01-02 Bin Tang, Yujiang Hao, Chaoqun Wang, Zhengyu Deng, Zhangbing Kou, Haojie Zhou, Haobo Zhang, Fei Fan, Kexiong Wang, Ding Wang
The Yangtze finless porpoises (YFP; Neophocaena asiaeorientalis a.) is an endemic and critically endangered species in China. Intensive captive breeding is essential for understanding the biology of critically endangered species, especially their pregnancy characteristics, knowledge of which is crucial for effective breeding management. Urine metabolomics can reveal metabolic differences, arising from
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Tissue clearing and imaging approaches for in toto analysis of the reproductive system Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-30 Lillian Folts, Anthony S Martinez, Jennifer McKey
New microscopy techniques in combination with tissue clearing protocols and emerging analytical approaches have presented researchers with the tools to understand dynamic biological processes in a three-dimensional context. This paves the road for the exploration of new research questions in reproductive biology, for which previous techniques have provided only approximate resolution. These new methodologies
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Abundance of selected genes implicated in testicular functions in Camelus Dromedarius with high and low epididymal semen quality Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-25 Dina E M Rashad, Sally Ibrahim, Mohamed M M El-Sokary, Karima Gh M Mahmoud, Mahmoud E A Abou El-Roos, Gamal A M Sosa, Mohamed M M Kandiel
Studying testicular genes´ expression may give key insights into precise regulation of its functions that influence epididymal sperm quality. The current study aimed to investigate the abundance of candidate genes involved in the regulation of testicular functions specially those regulate sperm function (PLA2G4D, SPP1 and CLUAP1), testicular steroidogenic function (ESR1 and AR), materials transport
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Pathological shifts in tryptophan metabolism in human term placenta exposed to LPS or poly I:C Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-25 Cilia Abad, Rona Karahoda, Anna Orbisova, Petr Kastner, Heblik Daniel, Radim Kucera, Ramon Portillo, Frantisek Staud
Maternal immune activation during pregnancy is a risk factor for offspring neuropsychiatric disorders. Among the mechanistic pathways by which maternal inflammation can affect fetal brain development and programming, those involving tryptophan (TRP) metabolism have drawn attention because various TRP metabolites have neuroactive properties. This study evaluates the effect of bacterial (LPS) and viral
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Vitamin D3 promotes fish oocyte development by directly regulating gonadal steroid hormone synthesis Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-25 Gang Yang, Ke Cheng, Yanqing Huang, Chunfang Wang
Vitamin D receptors (VDR) and vitamin D3 metabolizing enzymes have been found to be highly expressed in the ovaries and spermatophores of fish. However, the role of VD3 on fish gonadal development has rarely been reported. In this study, two-month-old female zebrafish were fed with different concentrations of VD3 diets (0 IU/kg, 700 IU/kg, 1400 IU/kg, and 11,200 IU/kg) to investigate the effects of
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AKAP3 mediated type I PKA Signaling is required for mouse sperm Hyperactivation and fertility Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-25 Zhongkun Liang, Chaowei Dai, Fenfen He, Yu Wang, Yihua Huang, Heying Li, Yongming Wu, Yafang Hu, Kaibiao Xu
Protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway which mediated protein phosphorylation is important for sperm motility and male fertility. This process relies on A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) that organize PKA and its signalosomes within specific subcellular compartments. Previously, it was found that the absence of AKAP3 leads to multiple morphological abnormalities in mouse sperm. But how AKAP3 regulates
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Long non-coding RNAs: a summary of their roles in placenta development and pathology Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-23 Enoch Appiah Adu-Gyamfi, Elisha Ann Cheeran, Joudi Salamah, Divine Blessing Enabulele, Ayesha Tahir, Bum-Kyu Lee
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are cellular transcripts that have more than 200 nucleotides in length and do not code for proteins. Due to their low expression levels, lncRNAs were previously considered as mere transcriptional noise. However, current evidence indicates that they regulate a myriad of biological processes such as cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis. Hence, their expression patterns
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BKCa channels are involved in spontaneous and LPS-stimulated uterine contraction in late gestation mice Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-23 Junjie Bao, Xiaofeng Ma, Lindsey N Kent, Monali Wakle-Prabagaran, Ronald McCarthy, Sarah K England
The large-conductance, voltage-gated, calcium (Ca2+)-activated potassium channel (BKCa) is one of the most abundant potassium channels in the myometrium. Previous work conducted by our group has identified a link between inflammation, BKCa channels and excitability of myometrial smooth muscle cells. Here we investigate the role of BKCa channels in spontaneous and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated
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The role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in mediating the effects of mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate in mouse ovarian antral follicles Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-23 Alison M Neff, Zane Inman, Vasiliki E Mourikes, Ramsés Santacruz-Márquez, Andressa Gonsioroski, Mary J Laws, Jodi A Flaws
Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a pervasive environmental toxicant used in the manufacturing of numerous consumer products, medical supplies, and building materials. DEHP is metabolized to mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP). MEHP is an endocrine disruptor that adversely affects folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis in the ovary, but its mechanism of action is not fully understood. Thus, we tested
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Metabolic characteristics of granulosa cell tumor: role of PPARγ signaling Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-21 Seok-Yeong Yu, Yi Luan, Pauline C Xu, Yaqi Zhang, Rosemary Dong, Amirhossein Abazarikia, So-Youn Kim
The relative rarity of ovarian granulosa cell tumor (GCT) cases and preclinical models for GCT has posed a challenge for understanding GCT and developing therapeutics. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the key disruptions related to cancer progression. GCT exhibits significant lipid accumulation and overexpression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), a regulator of lipid metabolism
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EGR1 modulates EPHB4-induced trophoblast dysfunction in recurrent spontaneous abortion Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-13 Rong Hua, Yi Mo, Xiu Lin, Bin Zhang, Min He, Chun Huang, Yujie Huang, Jie Li, Jiangfan Wan, Huamei Qin, Qinshan Xie, Donggui Zeng, Yan Sun
Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), defined as at least three unexplained abortions occurring before the 20th week of pregnancy, has a great impact on women’s quality of life. Ephrin receptor B4 (EPHB4) has been associated with trophoblast function in preeclampsia. The present study aimed to verify the hypothesis that EPHB4 regulates the biological functions of trophoblasts in RSA and to explore
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Morphological evaluation of the feline placenta correlates with gene expression of vascular growth factors and receptors Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-12 Erwin Kristobal Gudenschwager-Basso, Galit Frydman, Shaneke Weerakoon, Hariyat Andargachew, Cassandra Martin Piltaver, William R Huckle
Placental angiogenesis is critical for normal development. Angiogenic factors and their receptors are key regulators of this process. Dysregulated placental vascular development is associated with pregnancy complications. Despite their importance, vascular growth factor expression has not been thoroughly correlated with placental morphologic development across gestation in cats. We postulate that changes
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Activation of HAND2-FGFR signaling pathway by lncRNA HAND2-AS1 in adenomyosis Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-12 Ya Zheng, Shuang Wu, Lingli Liu, Yining Guan, Wenxia Sun, Congxiu Miao, Quanxi Li
HAND2 is a critical mediator of progesterone action in endometrial stromal cells. Silencing of Hand2 expression in mouse uterus leads to an unopposed FGFR-mediated action that causes female mice infertility. To investigate the involvement of HAND2-FGFR signaling in pathogenesis of adenomyosis, immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization, and quantitative real time PCR were employed to assess gene expression
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Applying a novel kinomics approach to study decidualization and the effects of antigestagens using a canine model Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-12 Isabelle De Geyter, Mariusz P Kowalewski, Miguel Tavares Pereira
Maternal decidual cells are crucial for the maintenance of canine pregnancy as they are the only cells expressing the nuclear progesterone (P4) receptor (PGR) in the placenta. Interfering with P4/PGR signaling adversely affects decidual cells and terminates pregnancy. Although immortalized dog uterine stromal (DUS) cells can be decidualized in vitro using cAMP, the involvement of cAMP-dependent kinases
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Profiles of interferon-stimulated genes in multiple tissues and circulating pregnancy-associated glycoproteins and their association with pregnancy loss in dairy cows Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 Rafael R Domingues, Joao Paulo N Andrade, Thiago O Cunha, Guilherme Madureira, August S Hoppman, Natalia N Teixeira, Pedro L J Monteiro, Victor H Gomez-Leon, Joao Paulo N Martins, Milo C Wiltbank
Pregnancy loss (PL) in lactating dairy cows disrupts reproductive and productive efficiency. We evaluated the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISG) in blood leukocytes, vaginal and cervical epithelial cells, luteolysis-related genes, progesterone and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) profiles in lactating dairy cows (n = 86) to gain insight about PL. Expression of ISG on d17, d19,
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BNC1 deficiency induces mitochondrial dysfunction-triggered spermatogonia apoptosis through the CREB/SIRT1/FOXO3 pathway: the therapeutic potential of nicotinamide riboside and metformin Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Feida Ni, Feixia Wang, Jingyi Li, Yifeng Liu, Xiao Sun, Jianpeng Chen, Jiaqun Li, Yanye Zhang, Jiani Jin, Xiaohang Ye, Mixue Tu, Jianhua Chen, Chuan Chen, Dan Zhang
Male infertility is a global health problem that disturbs numerous couples worldwide. Basonuclin 1 (BNC1) is a transcription factor mainly expressed in proliferative keratinocytes and germ cells. A frameshift mutation of BNC1 was identified in a large Chinese primary ovarian insufficiency pedigree. The expression of BNC1 was significantly decreased in the testis biopsies of infertile patients with
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Ovarian sex steroid and epithelial control of immune responses in the uterus and oviduct: human and animal models Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Rasoul Kowsar, Khaled Sadeghi, Farzad Hashemzadeh, Akio Miyamoto
The female reproductive tract (FRT), including the uterus and oviduct (Fallopian tube), is responsible for maintaining an optimal microenvironment for reproductive processes, such as gamete activation and transportation, sperm capacitation, fertilization, and early embryonic and fetal development. The mucosal surface of the FRT may be exposed to pathogens and sexually transmitted microorganisms due
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AHCY plays multiple roles in maintaining the identity and pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem cells Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Qi Jiang, Shubing Lan, Fancheng Tan, Yiping Liang, Zhencheng Guo, Yanlin Hou, Hui Zhang, Guangming Wu, Zhonghua Liu
Adenosylhomocysteinase (AHCY), a key enzyme in the methionine cycle, is essential for the development of embryos and the maintenance of mESCs. However, the precise underlying mechanism of Ahcy in regulating pluripotency remains unclear. As the only enzyme that can hydrolyze S-adenosylhomocysteine in mammals, AHCY plays a critical role in the metabolic homeostasis, epigenetic remodeling, and transcriptional
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Evaluation of novel biomarkers for early pregnancy outcome prediction Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-27 Kassie J Bollig, Suneeta Senapati, Peter Takacs, Jared C Robins, Daniel J Haisenleder, Lynn A Beer, David W Speicher, Nathanael C Koelper, Kurt T Barnhart
Objective: To assess performance and discriminatory capacity of commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) of biomarkers for predicting first trimester pregnancy outcome in a multi-center cohort. Design: In a case–control study at three academic centers of women with pain and bleeding in early pregnancy, ELISAs of biomarkers were screened for assay performance. Performance was
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EHD1 impaired decidualization of endometrial stromal cells in recurrent implantation failure: role of SENP1 in modulating progesterone receptor signalling Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-25 Hui Zhang, Liping Kong, Zhiwen Cao, Yinchun Zhu, Yue Jiang, Xiaoying Wang, Ruiwei Jiang, Yang Liu, Jidong Zhou, Yu Kang, Xin Zhen, Na Kong, Min Wu, Guijun Yan, Haixiang Sun
Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) patients exhibit poor endometrial receptivity and abnormal decidualization with reduced effectiveness and exposure to progesterone, which is an intractable clinical problem. However, the associated molecular mechanisms remain elusive. We found that EH homeodomain 1 (EHD1) expression was abnormally elevated in RIF and linked to aberrant endometrial decidualization
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The fluid factor OVGP1 provides a significant oviductal microenvironment for the reproductive process in the golden hamster Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-23 Kenji Yamatoya, Masaru Kurosawa, Michiko Hirose, Yoshiki Miura, Hikari Taka, Tomoyuki Nakano, Akiko Hasegawa, Kyosuke Kagami, Hiroshi Yoshitake, Kaoru Goto, Takashi Ueno, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Yoichi Shinkai, Frederick W K Kan, Atsuo Ogura, Yoshihiko Araki
The mammalian oviductal lumen is a specialized chamber that provides an environment that strictly regulates fertilization and early embryogenesis, but the regulatory mechanisms to gametes and zygotes are unclear. We evaluated the oviductal regulation of early embryonic development using Ovgp1 (encoding an oviductal humoral factor, OVGP1)-knockout (KO) golden hamsters. The experimental results revealed
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Autophagy core protein BECN1 is vital for spermatogenesis and male fertility in mice Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-17 Lu Ke, Xinyi Lin, Yuchuan Luo, Siming Tao, Chang Yan, Yifeilong He, Yingjie Wu, Ning Liu, Yinghe Qin
Mammalian spermatogenesis is a highly complex multi-step biological process, and autophagy has been demonstrated to be involved in the process of spermatogenesis. Beclin-1/BECN1, a core autophagy factor, plays a critical role in many biological processes and diseases. However, its function in spermatogenesis remains largely unclear. In the present study, germ cell-specific Beclin 1 (Becn1) knockout
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A memorial tribute to DR. KOJI YOSHINAGA. Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Asgerally T Fazleabas,Francesco DeMayo
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In vivo dynamic volumetric imaging of mouse testis and epididymis with optical coherence tomography Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Kohei Umezu, Guzel R Musina, Irina V Larina
The implementation of live imaging in reproductive research is crucial for studying the physiological dynamics. Sperm transport is a highly dynamic process regulated by tubular contractions and luminal flows within the male reproductive tract. However, due to the lack of imaging techniques to capture these dynamics in vivo, there is little information on the physiological and biomechanical regulation
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Maternal preconception stress produces sex-specific effects at the maternal:fetal interface to impact offspring development and phenotypic outcomes Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Yasmine M Cissé, Kristen R Montgomery, Hannah C Zierden, Elizabeth M Hill, Patrick J Kane, Weiliang Huang, Maureen A Kane, Tracy L Bale
Entering pregnancy with a history of adversity, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and racial discrimination stress, is a predictor of negative maternal and fetal health outcomes. Little is known about the biological mechanisms by which preconception adverse experiences are stored and impact future offspring health outcomes. In our maternal preconception stress (MPS) model, female mice
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An interview with Dr. William Watters Thatcher. Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Romana A Nowak
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Progesterone receptor membrane component 2 is critical for human placental extravillous trophoblast invasion. Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Tae Yokouchi-Konishi,Yongjie Liu,Liping Feng
Proper extravillous trophoblast invasion is essential for normal placentation and pregnancy. However, the molecular mechanisms by which cytotrophoblasts differentiate into extravillous trophoblast are unclear. We discovered that in the first-trimester placenta, progesterone receptor membrane component 2 was highly expressed in syncytiotrophoblast but significantly lower in extravillous trophoblast
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Uterine glands originate from islands of FOXA2 positive luminal epithelium cells that differentiate de novo and invade uterine stroma. Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-14 Isabella Sellmer Ramos,Monica O Caldeira,Amanda L Patterson,Matthew C Lucy
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Noncoding RNA regulates the immune microenvironment in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA): new insights into immune mechanisms Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-13 Cen Tang, Wanqin Hu
Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) has various causes, including chromosomal abnormalities, prethrombotic state, and abnormal uterine anatomical factors. However, the pathogenesis of RSA is still unclear. Surprisingly, non-coding RNA can stably express at the maternal-fetal interface and regulate immune cells’ proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Accumulating evidence
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Dopamine receptor D2 regulates genes involved in germ cell movement and sperm motility in rat testes Biol. Reprod. (IF 3.6) Pub Date : 2023-11-13 Sanketa Raut, Kushaan Khambata, Dipty Singh, Nafisa H Balasinor
The function of dopamine receptor D2 (D2R) is well associated with sperm motility; however, the physiological role of D2R present on testicular cells remains elusive. The aim of the present study is to delineate the function of testicular D2R. Serum dopamine levels were found to decrease with age, whereas testicular D2R expression increased. In rat testicular sections D2R immunolabeling was observed