Search results for "Embryonic Development"
showing 10 items of 86 documents
Piwi Proteins and piRNAs in Mammalian Oocytes and Early Embryos
2015
SummaryGerm cells of most animals critically depend on piRNAs and Piwi proteins. Surprisingly, piRNAs in mouse oocytes are relatively rare and dispensable. We present compelling evidence for strong Piwi and piRNA expression in oocytes of other mammals. Human fetal oocytes express PIWIL2 and transposon-enriched piRNAs. Oocytes in adult human ovary express PIWIL1 and PIWIL2, whereas those in bovine ovary only express PIWIL1. In human, macaque, and bovine ovaries, we find piRNAs that resemble testis-borne pachytene piRNAs. Isolated bovine follicular oocytes were shown to contain abundant, relatively short piRNAs that preferentially target transposable elements. Using label-free quantitative pr…
Sperm DNA fragmentation levels in testicular sperm samples from azoospermic males as assessed by the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test.
2009
Objective To analyze sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in testicular sperm samples from patients with azoospermia either from spermatogenic failure or from duct obstruction. Several technologies can be applied in the evaluation of SDF, but given the ease and low costs, the sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCD) has emerged as a promising standard. Design Prospective blind observational cohort study. Setting University-affiliated private IVF setting. Patient(s) Azoospermic patients from couples undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Intervention(s) Testicular sperm extraction (TESE). Main Outcome Measurement(s) We determined testicular SDF, and a basic comparison between nonobstructi…
Metallothionein Gene Family in the Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus: Gene Structure, Differential Expression and Phylogenetic Analysis
2017
Metallothioneins (MT) are small and cysteine-rich proteins that bind metal ions such as zinc, copper, cadmium, and nickel. In order to shed some light on MT gene structure and evolution, we cloned seven Paracentrotus lividus MT genes, comparing them to Echinodermata and Chordata genes. Moreover, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of 32 MTs from different classes of echinoderms and 13 MTs from the most ancient chordates, highlighting the relationships between them. Since MTs have multiple roles in the cells, we performed RT-qPCR and in situ hybridization experiments to understand better MT functions in sea urchin embryos. Results showed that the expression of MTs is regulated throughout de…
Effects of cadmium exposure on sea urchin development assessed by SSH and RT-qPCR: metallothionein genes and their differential induction
2012
In order to study the defense strategies activated by Paracentrotus lividus embryos in response to sub-lethal doses of CdCl2, we compared the induced transcripts to that of control embryos by suppression subtractive hybridization technique. We isolated five metallothionein (MT) cDNAs and other genes related to detoxification, to signaling pathway components, to oxidative, reductive and conjugative biotransformation, to RNA maturation and protein synthesis. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that two of the five P. lividus MT (PlMT7 and PlMT8) genes appeared to be constitutively expressed and upregulated following cadmium treatment, whereas the other three genes (PlMT4, PlMT5, PlMT6) are specifically…
Homeostasis of Microglia in the Adult Brain: Review of Novel Microglia Depletion Systems.
2015
Microglia are brain macrophages that emerge from early erythro-myeloid precursors in the embryonic yolk sac and migrate to the brain mesenchyme before the blood brain barrier is formed. They seed the brain, and proliferate until they have formed a grid-like distribution in the central nervous system that is maintained throughout lifespan. The mechanisms through which these embryonic-derived cells contribute to microglia homoeostasis at steady state and upon inflammation are still not entirely clear. Here we review recent studies that provided insight into the contribution of embryonically-derived microglia and of adult 'microglia-like' cells derived from monocytes during inflammation. We ex…
Human brain organoids assemble functionally integrated bilateral optic vesicles
2021
During embryogenesis, optic vesicles develop from the diencephalon via a multistep process of organogenesis. Using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human brain organoids, we attempted to simplify the complexities and demonstrate formation of forebrain-associated bilateral optic vesicles, cellular diversity, and functionality. Around day 30, brain organoids attempt to assemble optic vesicles, which develop progressively as visible structures within 60 days. These optic vesicle-containing brain organoids (OVB-organoids) constitute a developing optic vesicle's cellular components, including primitive corneal epithelial and lens-like cells, retinal pigment epithelia, retinal progeni…
Body-axis organization in tetrapods: a model-system to disentangle the developmental origins of convergent evolution in deep time
2022
Convergent evolution is a central concept in evolutionary theory but the underlying mechanism has been largely debated since On the Origin of Species . Previous hypotheses predict that developmental constraints make some morphologies more likely to arise than others and natural selection discards those of the lowest fitness. However, the quantification of the role and strength of natural selection and developmental constraint in shaping convergent phenotypes on macroevolutionary timescales is challenging because the information regarding performance and development is not directly available. Accordingly, current knowledge of how embryonic development and natural selection drive phenotypic …
Influence of Culture Conditions on In Vitro Asymbiotic Germination of Anacamptis longicornu and Ophrys panormitana (Orchidaceae)
2021
This study is the first approach to in vitro asymbiotic germination of two species of Sicilian threatened terrestrial orchids, Anacamptis longicornu and Ophrys panormitana. Seeds were collected in the wild and cultured in two different media—Orchimax medium (OM) and Murashige and Skoog (MS)—and exposed to different photoperiods and temperatures to evaluate the best conditions for the specific stages of development. The germination of A. longicornu was very high on OM (95.5%) and lower on MS medium (21.4%), whereas O. panormitana germinated only on OM medium, with significantly lower percentages (12.0%), compared with A. longicornu. This difference is caused by variation in quality and quant…
Evaluation of Epigenetic and Radiomodifying Effects during Radiotherapy Treatments in Zebrafish
2021
Radiotherapy is still a long way from personalizing cancer treatment plans, and its effectiveness depends on the radiosensitivity of tumor cells. Indeed, therapies that are efficient and successful for some patients may be relatively ineffective for others. Based on this, radiobiological research is focusing on the ability of some reagents to make cancer cells more responsive to ionizing radiation, as well as to protect the surrounding healthy tissues from possible side effects. In this scenario, zebrafish emerged as an effective model system to test for radiation modifiers that can potentially be used for radiotherapeutic purposes in humans. The adoption of this experimental organism is fu…
Reelin and CXCL12 regulate distinct migratory behaviors during the development of the dopaminergic system.
2014
The proper functioning of the dopaminergic system requires the coordinated formation of projections extending from dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and retrorubral field to a wide array of forebrain targets including the striatum, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. The mechanisms controlling the assembly of these distinct dopaminergic cell clusters are not well understood. Here, we have investigated in detail the migratory behavior of dopaminergic neurons giving rise to either the SN or the medial VTA using genetic inducible fate mapping, ultramicroscopy, time-lapse imaging, slice culture and analysis of mouse mutants. We demonstrate that…