Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexandra Depince, Pierre-Yves Le Bail, Charlene Rouillon, Catherine Labbe
Summary: The study on goldfish clones suggests that authentic clones can be produced using non-enucleated oocytes, and clone survival rate is unrelated to spawn quality. The first and second cell cycles are critical for clones to reach hatching stage, while DNA methylation reprogramming significantly influences clone morphology quality.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Jin Sun, Weisheng Zheng, Wenqiang Liu, Xiaochen Kou, Yanhong Zhao, Zehang Liang, Lu Wang, Zihao Zhang, Jing Xiao, Rui Gao, Shaorong Gao, Cizhong Jiang
Summary: The study derived TSCs from blastocysts using different methods and analyzed the dynamics of transcription and DNA methylation, revealing the crucial role of FGF4 treatment in TSC formation. Specific DNA methylation remodeling processes and transcription factor networks play a key role in TSC pluripotency.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Hao Wu, Wendi Zhou, Haijun Liu, Xudai Cui, Wenkui Ma, Haixin Wu, Guangdong Li, Likai Wang, Jinlong Zhang, Xiaosheng Zhang, Pengyun Ji, Zhengxing Lian, Guoshi Liu
Summary: In this study, ASMT ovarian overexpression transgenic goats were produced using SCNT, and the whole-genome methylation of cloned and WT goats was measured using WGBS. Differences in methylation were mainly observed in intergenic and intronic regions, with CG-type methylation sites showing strong correlation. Functional annotation revealed DMGs enriched in various signaling pathways, with 10 growth and development related genes identified. These results indicate that the differential patterns of DNA methylation between cloned and WT goats are likely due to SCNT, shedding light on the mechanisms of somatic cell cloning technology.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kanokwan Srirattana, Masahiro Kaneda, Rangsun Parnpai
Summary: This article reviews recent approaches for improving the technical aspects of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and enhancing epigenetic modifications in donor cells, oocytes, and cloned embryos in order to increase cloning efficiency.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Young-Bum Son, Yeon Ik Jeong, Kyu Chan Hwang, Yeon Woo Jeong, Woo Suk
Summary: This study evaluated the developmental potential of interspecies lycaon-dog embryos and assessed the mitochondrial content and metabolism of the produced cloned lycaon-dog fetus. Despite the genetic identity between the cloned lycaon-dog fetus and lycaon donor cell, mitochondrial DNA was inherited from the oocyte donor dogs. The study suggested that nuclear-mitochondrial incompatibility may contribute to fetal death due to impaired pyruvate metabolism.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Van Khanh Nguyen, Tamas Somfai, Daniel Salamone, Vu Thi Thu Huong, Huong Le Thi Nguyen, Quan Xuan Huu, Au Thi Hoang, Hieu Trung Phan, Yen Kim Thi Pham, Lan Doan Pham
Summary: An efficient culture system was established to produce embryos by SCNT of the endangered Vietnamese ? pig, achieving a blastocyst production rate of 26.4% by improving culture systems for donor cells, oocytes, and embryos culture. Transfer of embryos resulted in pregnancies, but live offspring were not obtained.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo Fu, Hong Ma, Di Liu
Summary: During fertilization and embryo development, the cellular totipotency undergoes changes, with some embryonic stem cells being able to convert to a totipotent state. In the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), however, the establishment of totipotency in cloned embryos is often compromised. This review explores practical strategies for inducing 2-cell-like cells (2CLCs) in the study of cloned embryo development and suggests that these cell models can offer new opportunities for improving SCNT efficiency.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Mingtian Deng, Baobao Chen, Yingnan Yang, Yongjie Wan, Zifei Liu, Jun Fu, Feng Wang
Summary: This study utilized RNA sequencing to analyze the transcriptional activity of SCNT embryos during ZGA/EGA in goats, mice, humans, and cattle. The research identified differentially expressed genes that failed to be reprogrammed during SCNT embryo development, as well as key players in histone methylation and N6-methyladenosine modifiers that were differentially expressed in SCNT embryos of all species. Furthermore, the study identified critical genes potentially essential for SCNT reprogramming using weighted gene correlation network analysis, providing valuable insights for future studies.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Yue Xi, Xiao-Li Zhang, Qing-Xin Luo, Hai-Ning Gan, Yu-Shi Liu, Shi-He Shao, Xu-Hua Mao
Summary: Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract, with risk factors including age, high salt intake, Helicobacter pylori infection, and a diet deficient in fruits and vegetables. Infection with H. pylori is a significant risk factor for gastric cancer, resulting in methylation of tumor genes and activation of carcinogenic signaling pathways. The precise mechanism by which this occurs is unclear, but it is directly associated with alterations in oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and other genes.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Evelyn Lopes Dos Santos, Joao Carlos Bespalhok Filho, Fabricio Augusto Hansel, Joao Arthur Tikler Sousa, Celso Garcia Auer, Neusa Steiner, Juliana Degenhardt
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of genotypes on somatic embryogenesis and the potential role of 5-azacytidine (5-azaC). The findings showed that genotypes play a role in somatic embryogenesis, and 5-azaC can affect the proliferation and morphology of aged embryogenic masses.
PLANT CELL TISSUE AND ORGAN CULTURE
(2023)
Review
Developmental Biology
Andy Greenfield
Summary: The birth of Dolly the sheep in 1996 sparked debates and concerns about ethics and applications of biotechnology, leading to a shift in focus towards genetic technologies such as genome editing and mitochondria replacement. Despite the long shadow cast by Dolly over discussions on biotechnology, the general existential angst she symbolized is not seen as a mandatory or reliable guide on how to approach biotechnologies today.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Daiki Shikata, Shogo Matoba, Masashi Hada, Akihiko Sakashita, Kimiko Inoue, Atsuo Ogura
Summary: In this study, researchers identified RLTR45-int subfamily of ERVK as a strong reprogramming barrier for SCNT. This reprogramming barrier not only suppressed the expression of RLTR45-int elements, but also inhibited the expression of nearby genes, further affecting the development and survival of embryos.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Gaetan De Waele, Jim Clauwaert, Gerben Menschaert, Willem Waegeman
Summary: The adoption of current single-cell DNA methylation sequencing protocols is hindered by incomplete coverage, outlining the need for effective imputation techniques. By adapting the Transformer neural network architecture and combining axial attention with sliding window self-attention, the CpG Transformer shows state-of-the-art performances on various datasets. The CpG Transformer also demonstrates interpretability and rapid transfer learning properties, making it efficient for practitioners to train models on new datasets with limited computational resources and time constraints.
Article
Virology
Ann Sofie Olesen, Louise Lohse, Camille Melissa Johnston, Thomas Bruun Rasmussen, Anette Botner, Graham J. Belsham
Summary: This study found that ASFV infection in pigs leads to an increase in the levels of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and host mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the serum, while infection with CSFV does not cause this change. Therefore, the level of cfDNA in the serum is a sensitive marker of virulent ASFV infection.
Article
Cell Biology
Masashi Hada, Hisashi Miura, Akie Tanigawa, Shogo Matoba, Kimiko Inoue, Narumi Ogonuki, Michiko Hirose, Naomi Watanabe, Ryuichiro Nakato, Katsunori Fujiki, Ayumi Hasegawa, Akihiko Sakashita, Hiroaki Okae, Kento Miura, Daiki Shikata, Takahiro Arima, Katsuhiko Shirahige, Ichiro Hiratani, Atsuo Ogura
Summary: The placenta is a specialized organ in mammals that functions only for fetal maintenance during gestation. A study on mouse trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) found that the TSC genome contains large-scale heterochromatin structures termed THDs, which maintain the trophoblastic nature of TSCs and are resistant to genomic reprogramming. Similar THD-like domains were also found in mouse and human placental cells.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)