Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhaokang Cui, Yajuan Lu, Yilong Miao, Xiaoxin Dai, Yu Zhang, Bo Xiong
Summary: This study identifies Tgm2 as a participant in the post-fertilization block to sperm penetration by hardening the zona pellucida, thus preventing polyspermy.
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Juan P. Cabeza, Juan Camera, Olinda Briski, Minerva Yauri Felipe, Daniel F. Salamone, Andres Gambini
Summary: This study investigates the use of a novel zinc chelator for activating bovine and porcine oocytes. The results show that the zinc chelator can successfully induce blastocyst development in both species, although developmental rates and embryo quality are compromised in bovine compared to calcium-induced embryos. On the contrary, the new concentration and incubation time of the zinc chelator improve developmental rates in porcine without affecting embryo quality. These findings contribute to understanding the role of zinc in oocyte activation and preimplantation embryo development across different mammalian species.
Review
Cell Biology
Soledad N. Gonzalez, Valeria Sulzyk, Mariana Weigel Munoz, Patricia S. Cuasnicu
Summary: Studies on the CRISP protein family in mammalian fertilization have provided insights into their essential roles in gamete interaction and male fertility. Knockout experiments with different CRISP genes revealed their involvement in both gamete interaction and subsequent processes such as sperm transport and early embryo development within the female reproductive tract.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Virginia Savy, Paula Stein, Min Shi, Carmen J. Williams
Summary: The study found that while there were subtle differences in calcium signaling in eggs following superovulation during parthenogenetic activation, there was no impact on the physiological calcium signaling at fertilization. This suggests that superovulation does not disrupt normal calcium signaling during fertilization, supporting its use for both clinical and experimental purposes.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna H. York-Andersen, Benjamin W. Wood, Elise L. Wilby, Alexander S. Berry, Timothy T. Weil
Summary: Egg activation is a complex process involving resumption of cell cycle, mRNA translation, and vitelline membrane cross-linking. While the mechanism of egg activation in insects is not well understood, in Drosophila, it requires volume increase and calcium entry.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Martina Colombo, Isa Mohammed Alkali, Gaia Cecilia Luvoni
Summary: In oocyte cryopreservation programs, vitrification has become the preferred technique due to its feasibility and effectiveness in both veterinary and human medicine. However, vitrification can cause cellular injuries and degeneration of oocytes after warming, leading to low developmental potential. Improvements are needed to enhance the survival and development of vitrified oocytes, including the use of enrichment techniques and regulation of cellular pathways. This review explores the strategies employed so far and discusses future perspectives for cat oocyte vitrification.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Virginia Savy, Paula Stein, Min Shi, Carmen J. Williams
Summary: This study demonstrates that abnormal calcium signaling after fertilization has a long-term impact on offspring growth, which is relevant for environmental conditions, medical conditions, and the design of assisted reproduction.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Mirjam I. Binner, Anna Kogan, Karin Panser, Alexander Schleiffer, Victoria E. Deneke, Andrea Pauli
Summary: Fertilization is a crucial process in sexual reproduction, but the molecular mechanisms behind it are still unclear. A study on zebrafish reveals that Spaca6, a conserved protein, is essential for sperm-egg binding and fusion. The research also uncovers a previously unknown dependence of Dcst2 expression on Spaca6 in sperm.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Japhet Rojas, Fernando Hinostroza, Sebastian Vergara, Ingrid Pinto-Borguero, Felipe Aguilera, Ricardo Fuentes, Ingrid Carvacho
Summary: Fertilization by multiple sperm can lead to chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage, while the cortical reaction plays a role in preventing polyspermy. Cortical granules are important for releasing content to block polyspermy during fertilization.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wolfgang Goymann, Henrik Brumm, Peter M. Kappeler
Summary: Biomedical and social scientists are questioning the traditional understanding of biological sex, arguing that it is a spectrum rather than a binary trait. While efforts for inclusivity should be supported, denying biological sex seems to stem from a lack of understanding of evolution and imposes human concepts on other species.
Review
Plant Sciences
Wei Deng, Yun Ling Xie, Hui Qiao Tian, Xue Yi Zhu
Summary: This article discusses the early changes that occur in the fused egg of higher plants before the fusion of the nuclei of male and female gametes, especially the unknown egg cell proteins responsible for sperm-egg recognition, attachment, and fusion.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN PLANT SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
A. Sarmiento-Garcia, S. A. Gokmen, B. Sevim, O. Olgun
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of calcium pidolate on egg production in aged Japanese quails. The results showed that a concentration of 0.50 g/kg of calcium pidolate resulted in increased egg production, eggshell breaking strength, and eggshell thickness.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Oscar E. Juarez, Lousiana Arreola-Meraz, Edna Sanchez-Castrejon, Omar Hernando Avila-Poveda, Laura L. Lopez-Galindo, Carlos Rosas, Clara E. Galindo-Sanchez
Summary: This study investigates the molecular mechanisms of fertilization and egg-laying in octopuses and how they are affected by elevated temperatures. It reveals the upregulation of specific genes before fertilization, such as those related to spermine and spermidine synthesis, as well as myomodulin neuropeptide. During fertilization, genes encoding receptors for serotonin, dopamine, and progesterone, as well as genes involved in sperm flagellum assembly and motility, gamete interaction, and eggshell mucoprotein synthesis, are found to have higher expression. Additionally, the study finds that elevated temperatures lead to reduced fertilization rates and specific gene expression changes.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Adelita D. Mendoza, Aaron Sue, Olga Antipova, Stefan Vogt, Teresa K. Woodruff, Sarah M. Wignall, Thomas O'Halloran
Summary: The dynamic flux of zinc is essential for meiotic progression in C. elegans embryos and is a conserved feature of germ cell development in a variety of metazoa.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
M. A. Dijkslag, R. P. Kwakkel, E. Martin-Chaves, C. Alfonso-Carrillo, C. Walvoort, A. Navarro-Villa
Summary: In this study, it was found that using CWS and COH for egg-type pullets can improve growth performance, while low dietary Ca-P can decrease bone mineralization. There was no clear cross-over effect on egg production with different feed forms and dietary Ca-P levels.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joseph E. Jakes, Samuel L. Zelinka, Christopher G. Hunt, Peter Ciesielski, Charles R. Frihart, Daniel Yelle, Leandro Passarini, Sophie-Charlotte Gleber, David Vine, Stefan Vogt
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chengli Fang, Steven J. Philips, Xiaoxian Wu, Kui Chen, Jing Shi, Liqiang Shen, Juncao Xu, Yu Feng, Thomas V. O'Halloran, Yu Zhang
Summary: MerR family transcription factors are able to reshape promoter DNA through clamp-like protein-DNA interactions, promoting productive promoter-polymerase association without canonical protein-protein contacts seen in other activator proteins. These structural and biochemical findings strongly support the DNA distortion paradigm for allosteric transcriptional control by MerR TFs.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Yudong Yao, Yi Jiang, Jeffrey Klug, Youssef Nashed, Christian Roehrig, Curt Preissner, Fabricio Marin, Michael Wojcik, Oliver Cossairt, Zhonghou Cai, Stefan Vogt, Barry Lai, Junjing Deng
Summary: Ptychography is a rapidly developing scanning microscopy technique that can view the internal structures of samples with a high resolution, but its spatial resolution is theoretically dose-limited. A multi-wavelength reconstruction algorithm has been developed to handle the broadband nature of the technique, allowing for improvements in reconstruction without the need for accurate information on the incident beam's energy spectrum. Combining multi-wavelength and mixed-state approaches can jointly solve temporal and spatial partial coherence in ptychography for high-efficient and high-resolution imaging.
JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION
(2021)
Article
Oncology
William Liu, Salida Mirzoeva, Ye Yuan, Junjing Deng, Si Chen, Barry Lai, Stefan Vogt, Karna Shah, Rahul Shroff, Reiner Bleher, Qiaoling Jin, Nghia Vo, Remon Bazak, Carissa Ritner, Stanley Gutionov, Sumita Raha, Julia Sedlmair, Carol Hirschmugl, Chris Jacobsen, Tatjana Paunesku, John Kalapurkal, Gayle E. Woloschak
Summary: The study showed that DOPAC-coated Fe3O4@TiO2 nanocomposites had a stronger radiosensitization effect on neuroblastoma cells, leading to cell death and DNA double-strand breaks. While the use of MIBG coated nanocomposites may alter their intracellular distribution. Further studies are needed to explore the mechanistic basis for the enhanced radiosensitization effect.
CANCER NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
Yi Jiang, Junjing Deng, Yudong Yao, Jeffrey A. Klug, Sheikh Mashrafi, Christian Roehrig, Curt Preissner, Fabricio S. Marin, Zhonghou Cai, Barry Lai, Stefan Vogt
Summary: The study demonstrates the use of advanced fly scan ptychography to achieve high-resolution imaging on a large field-of-view at millimeter scale, with significantly reduced imaging time by eliminating stage overheads. The implementation of orthogonal probe relaxation technique helps to overcome illumination variations and local vibrations during the imaging process.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Denana Miodragovic, Wenan Qiang, Zohra Sattar Waxali, Zeljko Vitnik, Vesna Vitnik, Yi Yang, Annie Farrell, Matthew Martin, Justin Ren, Thomas O'Halloran
Summary: Patients with triple negative breast cancers have limited treatment options and drug resistance is a major obstacle. Arsenoplatins represent a novel class of anticancer agents with higher cytotoxicities compared to cisplatin.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
John F. Seeler, Ajay Sharma, Nestor J. Zaluzec, Reiner Bleher, Barry Lai, Emma G. Schultz, Brian M. Hoffman, Carole LaBonne, Teresa K. Woodruff, Thomas O'Halloran
Summary: Mammalian and amphibian oocytes both undergo zinc sparks upon fertilization, accompanied by dynamic calcium waves on the cell surface. Zinc and manganese are sequestered in cortical granules abundant at the animal pole, and their fluxes serve as a physiological block to polyspermy.
Article
Oncology
Si Chen, Ruben Omar Lastra, Tatjana Paunesku, Olga Antipova, Luxi Li, Junjing Deng, Yanqi Luo, Michael Beau Wanzer, Jelena Popovic, Ya Li, Alexander D. Glasco, Chris Jacobsen, Stefan Vogt, Gayle E. Woloschak
Summary: Metal-oxide nanomaterials can enter cells and interact with cellular structures and molecules due to their physical-chemical properties. Imaging techniques like X-ray fluorescence microscopy help study these interactions, leading to the development of safer and more predictable nanoparticle-based therapies.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tatjana Paunesku, Andrew C. Gordon, Sarah White, Kathleen Harris, Olga Antipova, Evan Maxey, Stefan Vogt, Anthony Smith, Luiza Daddario, Daniele Procissi, Andrew Larson, Gayle E. Woloschak
Summary: This study used X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) to evaluate the location of TheraSphere microspheres and radioactive contaminants in animal liver and tumor samples introduced through radioembolization, showing promise in expanding understanding of radioembolization.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Adelita D. Mendoza, Aaron Sue, Olga Antipova, Stefan Vogt, Teresa K. Woodruff, Sarah M. Wignall, Thomas O'Halloran
Summary: The dynamic flux of zinc is essential for meiotic progression in C. elegans embryos and is a conserved feature of germ cell development in a variety of metazoa.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Aaron C. Sue, Sarah M. Wignall, Teresa K. Woodruff, Thomas O'Halloran
Summary: This study investigates the role of zinc transporters in reproductive systems using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model. Phenotypic analysis of mutants reveals that two zinc transporters, ZIPT-2.4 and ZIPT-15, play an important role in reproductive output and gonad development. These findings suggest a complex zinc trafficking network that is crucial for reproductive success.
JOURNAL OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTION AND GENETICS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu-Ying Chen, Thomas V. O'Halloran
Summary: Zinc is crucial for living organisms, and it has been discovered that the ZNG1 family of GTPases function as metallochaperones, directly transferring zinc to and activating methionine aminopeptidases which play essential roles in protein modification during or after translation.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
David Z. Zee, Christopher P. Singer, Thomas V. O'Halloran
Summary: Hg-199 NMR is a tool used for studying coordination chemistry in biochemical and inorganic complexes. It was traditionally associated with the use of a highly toxic chemical, dimethylmercury, as a reference standard. However, after the tragic death of Dr. Karen Wetterhahn, the community has shifted towards using alternative mercury reference standards to avoid exposure.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rebecca A. Rasmussen, Suning Wang, Jeannie M. Camarillo, Victoria Sosnowski, Byoung-Kyu Cho, Young Ah Goo, Julius B. Lucks, Thomas O'Halloran
Summary: This study reveals that the zinc-sensing transcription factor Zur in E. coli can up-regulate the expression of ribosomal protein L31 through a double repression cascade, allowing bacteria to respond to host-induced nutrient limiting conditions.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Optics
Iksung Kang, Ziling Wu, Yi Jiang, Yudong Yao, Junjing Deng, Jeffrey Klug, Stefan Vogt, George Barbastathis
Summary: Noninvasive X-ray imaging of nanoscale objects, such as integrated circuits, requires scanning methods like ptychography and tomography. In this study, Attentional Ptycho-Tomography (APT) is proposed as a machine learning-based approach to reduce scanning time and provide accurate reconstructions. Experimental results demonstrate that APT can significantly reduce data acquisition and computation time from 67.96 hours to 38 minutes while maintaining quality. This physics-assisted and attention-utilizing machine learning framework is expected to find applications in other branches of nanoscale imaging, including materials science and biological imaging.
LIGHT-SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Haolin Li, Xiaomeng Pei, Hao Yu, Wei Wang, Dagan Mao
Summary: This study investigated the effects of APN/AdipoRon on autophagy and apoptosis in goat luteal cells, and found that autophagy and apoptosis play important roles in the structural regression of goat corpus luteum.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Yan-Qiu Wang, He-Xuan Qu, Yan-Wei Dong, Jia-Jia Qi, Hua-Kai Wei, Hao Sun, Hao Jiang, Jia-Bao Zhang, Bo-Xing Sun, Shuang Liang
Summary: This research reveals the crucial role of Ferroptosis Suppressor Protein 1 (FSP1) in regulating the development and quality of porcine early embryos. Inhibition of FSP1 impairs blastocyst formation, induces glutathione-independent ferroptosis, and leads to oxidative stress due to mitochondrial dysfunction.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Xiong Lai, Ruizhuo Liu, Mengyu Li, Yaochun Fan, Hongxia Li, Guotao Han, Ruijie Guo, Hairui Ma, Huimin Su, Wanjin Xing
Summary: This study identifies WDR54 as a protein involved in sperm-oocyte fertilization and shows that it interacts with IZUMO1 and JUNO. The formation of the JWIJ complex on the oocyte surface suggests its importance in sperm-oocyte adhesion and fusion. This discovery provides new insights into the mechanisms of mammalian sperm-oocyte adhesion and fusion.
Article
Reproductive Biology
S. Nandi, B. Sampath Kumar, P. S. P. Gupta, S. Mondal, V. Girish Kumar
Summary: This study examined the effects of plant bioactive compounds on the survival and growth parameters of ovine preantral follicles granulosa cells (GCs) and the expression of key developmental genes. The results showed that KAE, MYR and QUE had dose-dependent responses on the morphological and functional parameters of the cells, with KAE being the most potent in augmenting ovarian functions.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Francisco E. Martin-Cano, Gemma Gaitskell-Phillips, Laura Becerro-Rey, Eva da Silva, Javier Masot, Eloy Redondo, Antonio Silva-Rodriguez, Cristina Ortega-Ferrusola, Maria Cruz Gil, Fernando J. Pena
Summary: The presence of a more efficient glycolysis mechanism depending on pyruvate in stallion spermatozoa can counteract the detrimental effects of higher glucose concentrations. Incubating spermatozoa with 10 mM pyruvate in a modified Tyrode's media with 67 mM glucose showed increased motility and maintained viability. This improvement is attributed to the conversion of lactate to pyruvate and increased NAD(+) enhancing glycolysis efficiency.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Thanida Sananmuang, Denis Puthier, Catherine Nguyen, Kaj Chokeshaiusaha
Summary: Ongoing progress in mRNA-Sequencing technologies has contributed to the refinement of assisted reproductive technologies. This study utilized mRNA-Seq datasets of various mammalian species to analyze differential transcript usage (DTU) and identified ten cross-species DTU genes. Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of these genes in RNA and cell-cycle control mechanisms, suggesting their importance during oocyte maturation. Further exploration of these genes' transcript isoforms may lead to the discovery of novel markers for reproductive technologies.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Chenglei Song, Zhe Zhang, Yilin Wei, Yaqing Dou, Kunlong Qi, Xiuling Li, Feng Yang, Xinjian Li, Kejun Wang, Ruimin Qiao, Xuelei Han
Summary: In this study, the changes in protein levels in boar sperm with different liquid preservation abilities were analyzed. Key proteins related to sperm liquid preservation ability were identified. The findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of boar sperm liquid preservation ability.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Genevieve M. VanWye, Emily G. Smith, Christine Spinka, Michael F. Smith, Matthew C. Lucy, Jordan M. Thomas
Summary: A series of experiments evaluated treatment schedules for controlling the estrous cycle in beef heifers. The results showed that the duration of progestin treatment and the timing of prostaglandin administration had an impact on estrus expression and pregnancy rates.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Hongwei Duan, Shuai Yang, Longfei Xiao, Shanshan Yang, Zhenxing Yan, Fang Wang, Xiaofei Ma, Lihong Zhang, Yong Zhang, Junjie Hu, Xingxu Zhao
Summary: This study first elucidated the mechanism by which melatonin regulates progesterone secretion in the corpus luteum of sheep, namely by promoting progesterone secretion through the regulation of autophagy. This has important implications for further exploring the role of melatonin in regulating sheep ovarian function.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Zhijie Zheng, Yingfang Guo, Yonghui Zheng, Haichong Wu
Summary: This study demonstrates that miR-92b plays a protective role in LTA-induced endometritis by targeting FZD10 and reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus alleviating uterine injury.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Areeg Almubarak, Sanghoon Lee, Il-Jeoung Yu, Yubyeol Jeon
Summary: This study found that Nobiletin (NOB) can promote the cryosurvival and embryo development of porcine sperm after in vitro fertilization (IVF). The addition of NOB improves sperm motility, acrosome integrity, viability, and mitochondrial membrane potential, reduces lipid peroxidation, and increases cleavage and blastocyst formation rates. Furthermore, NOB treatment upregulates the expression of genes related to pluripotency and cell differentiation in the resulting embryos.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Yuan Li, Lishu Li, Wenjie Xiong, Xing Duan, Huaming Xi
Summary: This study investigated the cytotoxicity and toxicological mechanisms of fluorochloridone (FLC) on cultured goat Sertoli cells. The results showed that FLC exposure induced oxidative stress, promoted apoptosis and autophagy, inhibited lysosomal biogenesis, and blocked autophagic flux in goat Sertoli cells. FLC also caused mitochondrial dysfunction and disturbed mitophagy, leading to cell apoptosis. The antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) reduced FLC-induced ROS accumulation and reversed the disorder of autophagy levels.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Gabriela Ramos Leal, Thais de Almeida Oliveira, Mariana Pedrosa de Paula Guimaraes, Lucas Francisco Leodido Correia, Erlandia Marcia Vasconcelos, Joanna Maria Goncalves Souza-Fabjan
Summary: This study investigated the time course of lipid accumulation during IVM and the effects of lipid modulators on cat oocytes. The results showed that adding lipid modulators can reduce lipid content and improve viability after cryopreservation.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Isabella Rio Feltrin, Amanda Guimaraes da Silva, Cecilia Constantino Rocha, Priscila Assis Ferraz, Paola Maria da Silva Rosa, Thiago Martins, Juliano Coelho da Silveira, Milena Lopes Oliveira, Mario Binelli, Guilherme Pugliesi, Claudia Maria Bertan Membrive
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of E2 treatment on Nelore heifers on day 15 of the estrous cycle, finding that E2 promoted an increase in PGFM concentrations and accelerated functional and structural luteolysis by upregulating the expression of PGR and OXTR. This suggests that within 3 hours after E2 stimulus, the expression of these receptors is associated with triggering luteolysis in cattle.
Article
Reproductive Biology
Aline Matos Arrais, Angelo Jose Burla Dias, Claudio Luiz Melo de Souza, Alinne Gloria Curcio, Marco Roberto Bourg de Mello
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of phospholipase C (PLC) on the capacitation of cryopreserved ovine semen. The results showed that the inhibitor U73122 can prevent premature capacitation and acrosome reaction induced by the freezing procedure, without affecting the kinetics and integrity of the sperm membranes.