Article
Cell Biology
Meng Wang, Lixia Zhu, Chang Liu, Hui He, Cheng Wang, Chenxi Xing, Jinming Liu, Liu Yang, Qingsong Xi, Zhou Li, Lei Jin
Summary: The study demonstrates that a new AOA method combining cycloheximide and ionomycin significantly increases fertilization rates for most TFF patients, potentially offering therapeutic benefits for couples experiencing severe fertilization deficiencies even after conventional AOA treatment.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jing Dai, Qi Li, Qinwei Zhou, Shen Zhang, Junru Chen, Yize Wang, Jing Guo, Yifan Gu, Fei Gong, Yueqiu Tan, Guangxiu Lu, Wei Zheng, Ge Lin
Summary: This study used whole-exome sequencing to identify the genetic causes of total fertilization failure (TFF) in male infertility. Homozygous variants in the novel gene IQCN were found in two individuals with abnormal acrosome structures. Knockout mice lacking the Iqcn gene showed similar phenotypes to humans with TFF. The study also revealed the role of IQCN in regulating microtubule nucleation during manchette assembly, and provided a genetic marker and therapeutic option for male TFF.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Jing Ling Ruan, Shan Shan Liang, Jia Ping Pan, Zhi Qin Chen, Xiao Ming Teng
Summary: This retrospective study found that artificial oocyte activation (AOA) with calcium ionophore ionomycin can significantly improve the reproductive outcomes of patients with previous fertilization failure and poor embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). AOA can increase fertilization rate, embryo quality, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate, while decreasing miscarriage rate. The study suggests that AOA is an effective and safe treatment option for some infertility patients.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Junaid Kashir, Durga Ganesh, Celine Jones, Kevin Coward
Summary: Oocyte activation deficiency (OAD) is a major cause of ICSI cycle failure. Assisted oocyte activation (AOA) is a method that artificially increases the levels of intracytoplasmic calcium ions (Ca2+) through mechanical, electrical, and/or chemical stimuli. However, the safety and efficacy of AOA are still controversial. More research is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of AOA techniques.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION OPEN
(2022)
Review
Developmental Biology
Yuhkoh Satouh
Summary: This article reports on the study of oocyte activation induced by PLCZ1 in mice, as well as the generation of PLCZ1-deficient mouse models using genome-editing techniques. The findings show that PLCZ1 deficiency in mice leads to subfertility but can be fully restored by intracytoplasmic sperm injection, indicating a PLCZ1-independent oocyte activation mechanism. These findings raise new questions in the field of sperm biology and have implications for the treatment and phenotypic interpretation of oocyte activation failure in patients.
Article
Cell Biology
Haixia Chen, Peng Li, Xiaoling Du, Yiding Zhao, Lingling Wang, Ye Tian, Xueru Song, Ling Shuai, Xiaohong Bai, Lingyi Chen
Summary: Mutation in the SEPTIN12 gene is associated with male infertility. Male mice with Septin12 knockout are infertile and have abnormal sperm, but fertility can be restored with artificial oocyte activation. Loss of PLC zeta might be the reason for failed fertilization in Septin12-deficient sperm.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Camille Robin, Audrey Uk, Christine Decanter, Helene Behal, Pierre Collinet, Chrystele Rubod, Anne-Laure Barbotin, Geoffroy Robin
Summary: The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between endometriosis and oocyte morphology after controlled ovarian stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on a large oocyte cohort, finding that endometriosis does not have a negative impact on oocytes' morphology in IVF-ICSI.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY AND ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Gerard Campos, Romualdo Sciorio, Sandro C. Esteves
Summary: Total fertilization failure is the failure of all metaphase II oocytes to fertilize in assisted reproduction cycles. Oocyte activation deficiency is the main cause of fertilization failure, attributed to sperm or oocyte issues. Diagnostic testing and artificial oocyte activation treatments are crucial for overcoming fertilization failure.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION UPDATE
(2023)
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Bei Sun, John Yeh
Summary: This paper reviews the effects of calcium oscillatory patterns in oocytes and early embryo development, suggesting that abnormal calcium oscillations may be the primary mechanism for total fertilization failure (TFF). Studies also found strong associations between abnormal calcium oscillatory patterns and suboptimal developmental outcomes. Empirical use of artificial oocyte activation (AOA) methods has shown initial success in helping TFF patients.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Lei Jia, Panyu Chen, Wenlong Su, Shujing He, Yingchun Guo, Lei Zheng, Cong Fang, Xiaoyan Liang
Summary: This retrospective cohort study compared the fertilization rates in ICSI cycles treated with artificial oocyte activation (AOA) using 10 mu mol/l ionomycin or commercial A23187. The results showed that the fertilization rates were significantly higher in the ionomycin group compared to the A23187 group for all subgroups. Therefore, AOA with 10 mu mol/l ionomycin may be more effective in improving oocyte activation, especially in cases of sperm-related defects.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOMEDICINE ONLINE
(2023)
Article
Andrology
Junaid Kashir, Bhavesh Mistry, Maha Adel Gumssani, Muhammad Rajab, Reema Abu-Dawas, Falah AlMohanna, Michail Nomikos, Celine Jones, Raed Abu-Dawud, Nadya Al-Yacoub, Kevin Coward, F. Anthony Lai, Abdullah M. Assiri
Summary: The study shows that with advancing male age, levels and variability of PLC zeta protein and mRNA in sperm decrease. There are also changes in the localization patterns of PLC zeta in sperm from older male mice.
ASIAN JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Andrology
Meng Wang, Juepu Zhou, Rui Long, Huizi Jin, Limin Gao, Lixia Zhu, Lei Jin
Summary: This study investigates the genetic causes of male-related fertilization failure. Mutations in the ACTL7A gene were found to be responsible for fertilization failure and male infertility.
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Eliza C. C. Curnow, Bianca Vannucci, Charles H. H. Muller, Christopher N. N. Herndon
Summary: We report a rare case of successful live birth after assisted oocyte activation of failed fertilized oocytes. A woman with multi-factor infertility underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) of frozen/thawed testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) sample. The oocytes showed failed fertilization, but the cycle was rescued using an assisted oocyte activation (AOA) protocol. One genetically normal embryo resulting from the AOA was transferred and led to a normal pregnancy and live birth.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Takashi Morimoto, Tomohiro Maekawa, Shimpei Mizuta, Hidehiko Matsubayashi, Takumi Takeuchi, Yutaka Hata, Tomomoto Ishikawa
Summary: During the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure, unintentional membrane rupture (UMR) often leads to oocyte degeneration. The study showed that the ICSI Position Detector (IPD) can be helpful in identifying the best puncture location to prevent UMR and improve the success of the procedure.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOMEDICINE ONLINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olga Tepla, Zinovij Topurko, Simona Jirsova, Martina Moosova, Eva Fajmonova, Radek Cabela, Katerina Komrskova, Irena Kratochvilova, Jaromir Masata
Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of using meiotic spindle (MS) visibility and relative position to the polar body (PB) as indicators of oocyte maturation in order to optimize intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) timing. The visualization of MS influenced the pregnancy rate (PR) for patients over 35 years, but did not affect PR for patients under 35 years. Visualization of MS appears to be a useful parameter for assessment of oocyte maturity and ICSI timing for patients older than 35.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Reproductive Biology
Farners Amargant, Montserrat Barragan, Rita Vassena, Isabelle Vernos
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2019)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Paula Vergaro, Gustavo Tiscornia, Montserrat Barragan, Desiree Garcia, Amelia Rodriguez, Josep Santalo, Rita Vassena
REPRODUCTIVE BIOMEDICINE ONLINE
(2019)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
A. Ferrer-Vaquer, M. Barragan, A. Rodriguez, R. Vassena
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2019)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
D. Cornet-Bartolome, A. Rodriguez, D. Garcia, M. Barragan, R. Vassena
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2020)
Article
Developmental Biology
M. Ferrer-Buitrago, L. Tilleman, V Thys, A. Hachem, A. Boel, F. Van Nieuwerburgh, D. Deforce, L. Leybaert, P. De Sutter, J. Parrington, B. Heindryckx
MOLECULAR HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2020)
Review
Biology
Alexandra Almansa-Ordonez, Raquel Bellido, Rita Vassena, Montserrat Barragan, Filippo Zambelli
Article
Cell Biology
Meghan L. Ruebel, Filippo Zambelli, Peter Z. Schall, Montserrat Barragan, Catherine A. VandeVoort, Rita Vassena, Keith E. Latham
Summary: Research identified shared transcriptome abnormalities in rhesus monkey and human failed-to-mature (FTM) oocytes, including effects on mitochondrial function, oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos), lipid metabolism, and other cellular functions. These results suggest fundamental aspects of cellular function are abnormal in FTM oocytes and raise concerns about using them for assisted reproduction technology (ART).
PHYSIOLOGICAL GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Andrology
Marc Torra-Massana, Meritxell Jodar, Montserrat Barragan, Ada Soler-Ventura, David Delgado-Duenas, Amelia Rodriguez, Rafael Oliva, Rita Vassena
Summary: This study conducted the first proteomic analysis of spermatozoa from patients who experienced fertilization failure after ICSI, revealing significant alterations in protein content in the FF group, mainly related to mitochondrial proteins. Novel stable-protein pair analysis indicated that specific mitochondrial proteins lost correlations in specific FF samples, highlighting mitochondrial deregulations in FF patients.
Article
Cell Biology
Silvia Llonch, Montserrat Barragan, Paula Nieto, Anna Mallol, Marc Elosua-Bayes, Patricia Lorden, Sara Ruiz, Filippo Zambelli, Holger Heyn, Rita Vassena, Bernhard Payer
Summary: Female fertility decreases with maternal age due to a decrease in oocyte quality and developmental competence. This study found that the transcriptome is more affected by age in in vitro matured (IVM-MII) oocytes compared to germinal vesicle stage (GV) oocytes. Specifically, genes related to chromosome segregation and RNA splicing showed increased representation with age in IVM-MII oocytes, while genes associated with mitochondrial activity displayed lower representation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David Cornet-Bartolome, Montserrat Barragan, Filippo Zambelli, Anna Ferrer-Vaquer, Gustavo Tiscornia, Susanna Balcells, Amelia Rodriguez, Daniel Grinberg, Rita Vassena
Summary: The transition from a transcriptionally active state to a transcriptionally inactive state in oocytes is crucial for developmental competence. Posttranscriptional mechanisms, such as alternative splicing, play a role in gene expression modulation at the mature MII stage. The study found differences in alternatively spliced isoform profiles in genes related to transcription regulation and mitochondrial translation, contributing to understanding the role of alternative splicing in oocyte development.
MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marc Torra-Massana, Andreu Quintana-Vehi, Montserrat Barragan, Raquel Bellido, Amelia Rodriguez, Rita Vassena
Summary: This study examines the incubation times in sperm processing for IVF/ICSI cycles and their association with reproductive outcomes. The results suggest that different time intervals may have a slight impact on fertilization rates and embryo morphology, but no adverse effects were detected overall.
MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
A. Duval, D. Nogueira, N. Dissler, M. Maskani Filali, F. Delestro Matos, L. Chansel-Debordeaux, M. Ferrer-Buitrago, E. Ferrer, V Antequera, M. Ruiz-Jorro, A. Papaxanthos, H. Ouchchane, B. Keppi, P-y Prima, G. Regnier-Vigouroux, L. Trebesses, C. Geoffroy-Siraudin, S. Zaragoza, E. Scalici, P. Sanguinet, N. Cassagnard, C. Ozanon, A. de la Fuente, E. Gomez, M. Gervoise Boyer, P. Boyer, E. Ricciarelli, X. Pollet-Villard, A. Boussommier-Calleja
Summary: This study aimed to investigate whether artificial intelligence algorithms can better predict clinical pregnancy outcomes by enriching multi-centric clinical data. The results showed that training algorithms on multi-centric clinical data significantly improved the AUC compared to algorithms that only analyzed the time-lapse system videos. This study demonstrated the importance of considering multiple clinical factors in embryo evaluation and highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence in improving predictive performances.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Developmental Biology
Sara Pietroforte, Montserrat Barragan Monasterio, Anna Ferrer-Vaquer, Manuel Irimia, Elena Ibanez, Mina Popovic, Rita Vassena, Filippo Zambelli
Summary: Human meiosis in oocytes involves complex regulation of the transcriptome, with a focus on pre-mRNA processing and translation rates. Through RNA sequencing analysis of 40 human oocytes at different meiotic maturation stages, we observed significant changes in gene expression, splicing, and 3’UTR processing. Interestingly, we found that successful meiosis transit was associated with RNA processing, and specific changes in protein isoforms were observed for genes involved in chromosome organization and spindle assembly.
MOLECULAR HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Montserrat Barragan, David Cornet-Bartolome, Natalia Molina, Rita Vassena
Summary: Cumulus cells (CC) play a crucial role in protecting and regulating the development of oocytes, and their ability to respond to oxidative stress and hypoxia decreases with age. The expression of genes related to hypoxia response, such as NOS2, HMOX1, and VEGFC, can serve as markers for oocyte maturation and fertilization success.
MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
M. Barragan, J. J. Guillen, N. Martin-Palomino, A. Rodriguez, R. Vassena
Summary: The viral RNA for gene N was undetectable in oocytes from two women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, suggesting that there is currently no evidence to support the possibility of virus transmission through oocytes.
HUMAN REPRODUCTION
(2021)