Search results for "Embryonic Structure"
showing 10 items of 624 documents
Induction of skeletal abnormalities and autophagy in Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos exposed to gadolinium.
2017
Abstract Gadolinium (Gd) concentration is constantly increasing in the aquatic environment, becoming an emergent environmental pollutant. We investigated the effects of Gd on Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos, focusing on skeletogenesis and autophagy. We observed a delay of biomineral deposition at 24 hours post fertilization (hpf), and a strong impairment of skeleton growth at 48 hpf, frequently displayed by an asymmetrical pattern. Skeleton growth was found partially resumed in recovery experiments. The mesodermal cells designated to biomineralization were found correctly migrated at 24 hpf, but not at 48 hpf. Western blot analysis showed an increase of the LC3-II autophagic marker…
Gene expression changes after parental exposure to metals in the sea urchin affect timing of genetic programme of embryo development
2021
Simple Summary Intergenerational and transgenerational effects, in which exposure to stressors in a parental generation affects the phenotype of the offspring have been connected to anthropic impacts on biological systems. Therefore, environmental stress experienced inside a generation, particularly during gametogenesis, may lead to erroneous patterns in their offspring just emerging at early developmental stages. In this scenario, the sea urchin embryo represents a suitable model for integrating analyses of gene expression through embryogenesis with developmental alteration induced by environmental stressors. Herein we provide pieces of evidence for the alteration of the gene regulatory ne…
Identification of the Tetraspanin CD9 as an Interaction Partner of Organic Cation Transporters 1 and 2
2019
Organic cation transporters (OCTs) are membrane proteins with relevant physiological (because they accept neurotransmitters as substrate) and pharmacological (because of their interaction with drugs) roles. The human OCTs hOCT1 (SLC22A1/hOCT1) and hOCT2 (SLC22A2/hOCT2) are highly expressed in hepatic (hOCT1) and in renal and neuronal tissue (hOCT2), suggesting a possible role in modulating neurotransmitter activity in the liver, kidney, and brain, and their clearance from the blood. Even though there are several data demonstrating that OCTs are regulated under various patho-physiological conditions, it remains largely unknown which proteins directly interact with OCTs and thereby influence …
Tony DeCasper, the man who changed contemporary views on human fetal cognitive abilities
2017
Tony DeCasper, the man who changed contemporary views on human fetal cognitive abilities
The use of morphokinetic as a predictor of implantation.
2017
In recent years the increased efforts intended for improving future outcomes in the laboratory have focused mostly on the search of additional markers of embryo quality to add up present embryo selection criteria. Time-lapse system involves an alternative tool in assisted reproduction techniques, being able to improve the embryo selection from a dynamic and interactive approach while standard embryo assessment implies a subjective and static morphology evaluation and consequently reducing the information gained for embryo selection, time-lapse technology adds several morphokinetic parameters, providing additional input for embryo evaluation. This further information represents a challenge f…
Wnt1 Promotes Cementum and Alveolar Bone Growth in a Time-Dependent Manner
2021
The WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a central role in the biology of the periodontium, yet the function of specific extracellular WNT ligands remains poorly understood. By using a Wnt1-inducible transgenic mouse model targeting Col1a1-expressing alveolar osteoblasts, odontoblasts, and cementoblasts, we demonstrate that the WNT ligand WNT1 is a strong promoter of cementum and alveolar bone formation in vivo. We induced Wnt1 expression for 1, 3, or 9 wk in Wnt1Tg mice and analyzed them at the age of 6 wk and 12 wk. Micro–computed tomography (CT) analyses of the mandibles revealed a 1.8-fold increased bone volume after 1 and 3 wk of Wnt1 expression and a 3-fold increased bone volume aft…
Wnt1 is an Lrp5-independent bone-anabolic Wnt ligand.
2018
Wnt signaling is important for proper embryonic development, shaping cell fate and migration, stem cell renewal, and organ and tissue formation. Here, Luther et al. investigated the role of Wnt1 in osteoporosis. Patients with early-onset osteoporosis and with WNT1 mutations had low bone turnover and high fracture rates, and loss of Wnt1 activity caused fracture and osteoporosis in mice. Inducing Wnt1 in bone-forming cells increased bone mass in aged mice, and this process did not require Lrp5, a co-receptor involved in Wnt signaling. This study identifies Wnt1 as an anabolic (bone building) factor and suggests that it might be a therapeutic target for osteoporosis.WNT1 mutations in humans a…
Embryo multinucleation at the two-cell stage is an independent predictor of intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes.
2016
Objective To determine the prognostic impact of the nuclear status at the two-cell stage on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. Design Retrospective study. Setting Hospital. Patient(s) Only ICSI cycles with time-lapse monitoring of transferred embryos with known implantation/delivery data from November 2012 to December 2014 were included. A total of 2,449 embryos were assessed for multinucleation rates at the two- and four-cell stage, and 608 transferred embryos were studied for ICSI outcomes. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Implantation rate (IR) and live birth rate (LBR) according to the number of multinucleated blastomeres at the two-cell stage: none (Without-…
Effect of oocyte vitrification on embryo quality: time-lapse analysis and morphokinetic evaluation.
2017
To analyze whether oocyte vitrification may affect subsequent embryo development from a morphokinetic standpoint by means of time-lapse imaging.Observational cohort study.University-affiliated private IVF center.Ovum donation cycles conducted with the use of vitrified (n = 631 cycles; n = 3,794 embryos) or fresh oocytes (n = 1,359 cycles; n = 9,935 embryos) over 2 years.None.Embryo development was analyzed in a time-lapse imaging incubator. The studied variables included time to 2 cells (t2), 3 cells (t3), 4 cells (t4), 5 cells (t5), morula (tM), and cavitated, early, and hatching blastocyst (tB, tEB, tHB) as well as 2nd cell cycle duration (cc2 = t3 - t2). All of the embryos were classifie…
Analysis of the morphological dynamics of blastocysts after vitrification/warming: defining new predictive variables of implantation
2017
Objective To describe the morphological dynamics of vitrified/warmed blastocysts and to identify quantitative morphological variables related to implantation. Subsequently, by using the most predictive parameters, to develop a hierarchical model by subdividing vitrified/warmed blastocysts into categories with different implantation potentials. Design Observational, retrospective, cohort study. Setting University-affiliated private IVF center. Patient(s) The study included 429 vitrified/warmed blastocysts with known implantation data, which were evaluated by time-lapse imaging. Blastocysts were routinely placed in EmbryoScope (Vitrolife) immediately after warming until transfer. Intervention…