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News: Egg cells remain dormant for decades by putting mitochondria to sleep

Eleanor Gallegos 03 August 2022

Early human oocytes remodel their metabolic activity, which enables them to remain dormant and reproductively viable for decades.

Humans form oocytes during fetal development. These oocytes then undergo cellular arrest and remain dormant in the ovaries for up to 50 years. During dormancy the oocytes maintain mitochondrial activity to generate energy for essential cell processes. This energy generation produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) as by-products. ROS are highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules which are harmful in high concentrations and can damage oocytes causing cell death. A paper published in Nature has revealed that oocytes can alter their metabolic pathways to limit the production of ROS.

'Humans are born with all the supply of egg cells they have in life. As humans are also the longest-lived terrestrial mammal, egg cells have to maintain pristine conditions while avoiding decades of wear-and-tear.' said Dr Aida Rodriguez, postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, Spain, and first author of the study. 'We show this problem is solved by skipping a fundamental metabolic reaction that is also the main source of damage to the cell. As a long-term maintenance strategy, it's like putting batteries on standby mode. This represents a brand new paradigm never before seen in animal cells,'.

The researchers studied Xenopus (African clawed frog) and human oocytes in early- and late-stages of development. Live imaging showed that early human and Xenopus oocytes do not generate any detectable ROS signal.

Mitochondria contain five complexes, I-V, which perform the chemical reactions needed to generate energy in a cell. The researchers inhibited each of these complexes in Xenopus oocytes and found that while early- and late-stage oocytes died upon inhibition of complexes II-V, 78 percent of early-stage oocytes survived if complex I was inhibited, suggesting this complex is not used at this stage of development.

The researchers then examined whether the subunits which make up complex I are depleted in early human oocytes and found that they were either absent or at very low levels. When studying ROS levels and complex I assembly, they found that ROS start to build up as complex I is formed.

These results show that complex I is absent in early human oocytes which limits ROS production and the related cell damage. This metabolic remodelling helps maintain the reproductive capacity of early oocytes for the years in which they remain dormant.

The researchers have proposed that the absence of complex I in early human oocytes could be exploited for other purposes such as cancer treatment.

'Complex I inhibitors have previously been proposed as a cancer treatment. If these inhibitors show promise in future studies, they could potentially target cancerous cells while sparing oocytes,' explained senior author Dr Elvan Böke, group leader in the Cell and Developmental Biology programme at the CRG.

These results could have life-changing effects on the quality of life of young women post cancer treatment by avoiding infertility which can result from chemotherapy.

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News: DNA duplication errors implicated in embryo aneuploidy

David Gerard O'Rourke 03 August 2022

Mechanisms leading to aneuploidy in embryos can start right from the first DNA duplication, a new study has shown.

Scientists had thought aneuploidy arose in some embryos due to problems with the activity of microtubule spindles, the cell apparatus that pulls the two sets of chromosomes apart during mitosis. Now a study of human and mouse embryos and oocytes published in Cell shows most of these mistakes are not primarily due to the spindles, but spontaneous errors in DNA duplication occurring during the earliest stages of mitosis in the one-cell stage. These errors cause the spindles to malfunction and place the wrong number of chromosomes in each daughter cell, leading to aneuploidy.

'This has largely been overlooked in previous studies – because why would the embryo allow the integrity of the genome to be compromised when this is such a critical requirement for normal development?' said Dr Dieter Egli, assistant professor at Columbia University, New York and the study's lead author.

During IVF, only around 30 percent of human embryos make it to the blastocyst stage and most embryos stop growing within a few days of fertilisation. Identifying why this is could help researchers identify targets for predicting or even improving IVF success rates. A recent study looked at the reasons why some IVF embryos stop dividing, and found some go into a senescent-like state. While PGT-A is used to identify aneuploid embryos before transfer, whether or not this screening can improve the likelihood of a live birth for women under the age of 35 is the subject of some controversy.

In this latest study researchers found spontaneous DNA errors which caused asymmetric progression of the replication fork could lead to weaknesses and breaks in the DNA. This incomplete and inaccurate duplication of DNA led to breaks in the chromosomes which in turn caused dysregulation of the spindles and aneuploidy.

DNA methylation could be the cause of the slow progression of the replication fork, the authors hypothesised, along with inherited DNA damage. The areas of the chromosomes that were most likely to be affected by DNA strand breaks were mostly in non-protein coding regions of the genome.

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News: Microscopic structures in semen could affect implantation

Joseph Hawkins 03 August 2022

Microscopic sacs, known as exosomes, present in semen may shed light on previously unexplained cases of male infertility.

Unexplained male infertility refers to a diagnosis of males who have undergone routine semen analysis which had not identified any abnormalities. In the UK, around 25 percent of cases of male infertility are unexplained.

At the recent annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Hadis Gholipour, a PhD student at the Iran University of Medical Sciences involved in the work, told the conference 'They're a challenging group to treat', New Scientist reported.  

Exosomes are formed within a cell and typically contain cellular protein, DNA and RNA, which can be transferred to other cells as a form of cellular communication. Importantly, exosomes are present within seminal fluid and are known to bind to sperm and promote maturation. It has previously been shown that exosomes present in the semen of males with fertility problems differ from those found in the semen of males without fertility issues.

The new research presented at ESHRE as an abstract which was published in the Journal of Human Reproduction, has shown that exosomes in the semen of infertile males may negatively influence the receptivity of the uterus lining to embryo implantation.

The research team isolated exosomes from semen samples of ten males undergoing infertility treatment and ten sperm donor males without fertility problems. Cells from the uterus lining, known as the endometrium, were collected from six women during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, also known as the proliferative phase as the endometrium thickens during this timeThese endometrial epithelial cells were cultured and incubated with the exosomes for six or 24 hours before the team analysed gene expression patterns.

'The incubated exosomes bind to the endometrial cells and can be found inside the cells. Once inside the cells, the exosomes can deliver diverse signals,' said Gholipour.

Genes known to promote uterus receptivity were found to be significantly downregulated following incubation with the exosomes of males diagnosed with unexplained infertility. The research team have speculated that the exosomes of infertile males can reduce uterus receptivity by altering gene expression patterns and may be a cause of their infertility.

The results presented at ESHRE represent only preliminary findings and further evaluation of a larger sample size will be undertaken soon. Moreover, the research team intend to assess the exosomal composition of fertile and infertile males to build upon their understanding of the role of exosomes in conception.

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News: Light shed on sperm DNA packing process

Clíona Farrell 03 August 2022

Crucial role of sperm DNA-packaging protein has been identified in mice, which causes infertility when truncated.

During sperm production in humans, 23 DNA chromatin strands must be tightly wound into the head of the sperm. Because sperm cells are significantly smaller than typical human cells, sperm-specific proteins called protamines are required to tightly package and protect DNA during this process. Now, researchers from Germany have identified a previously unknown mechanism by which protamine 2 (PRM2) is required for fertility in mice.

'Most mammals seem to produce only one type of protamine, PRM1. In humans, but also rodents like mice, it's different – they have a second type, PRM2', said first-author of the study, Dr Lena Arevalo, University of Bonn, Germany.

DNA is normally packaged more loosely around histone proteins, however, during sperm generation, histones are replaced by protamines. The N-terminal domain of PRM2 is normally cleaved during sperm DNA packaging. In this study, published in PLOS Genetics, the authors generated a mouse model in which the PRM2 N-terminal domain was absent, leaving only a truncated protein behind. This led to inefficient transfer of DNA from histones to protamines, and ineffective DNA packaging into sperm.

Importantly, when mutant male mice which have only the truncated form of PRM2 were mated with healthy female mice, no offspring were produced. The mice were infertile.

'Proper PRM2 cleaving, therefore, seems to be crucial for successful reproduction, yet, the function of the [PRM2 N-terminal] domain and PRM2 processing are unknown to date' the authors explained in their paper.

Further biochemical analysis showed that the sperm of these mice had impaired motility, abnormal shape and their DNA was fragmented, highlighting the importance of an intact N-terminal domain of PRM2.

Unlike other species, having this second protamine is specific to mice and primates. As this DNA packaging process is thought to occur using similar mechanisms in humans, the researchers hypothesise that having a faulty PRM2 protein may cause infertility in men.

'We were able to provide a first glimpse into the function of cleaved PRM2 and PRM2 processing, that opens up multiple avenues for further investigation', concluded the authors.

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News: ART Guidelines: Notifications, Consent

Dr. Prof (Col) Pankaj Talwar VSM 27 July 2022
ART Guidelines: Notifications, Consent

Join Special Curtain Raiser Class 28

𝙏𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘: ART Guidelines: Notifications, Consent

𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚: Friday 29th July. 2022

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚: 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 8:00 PM - 9:00PM (IST)

𝙎𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣 Friday!

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥:-𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝘼𝙥𝙥 'ART' 𝙤𝙣 https://wa.me/918287883005

Team i-Ceat

i-ceat.com

#embryology #embryotransfer #artcoursesonline #ivfcourses #onlinetraining #ivf #embryologycourse #healthcarecareers #embryologycourses #ARTCourses #reproductivetechnology


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Announcement: HOW TO WIN IVF PATIENTS & INFLUENCE DOCTORS

Shivani Scientific 18 July 2022
HOW TO WIN IVF PATIENTS & INFLUENCE DOCTORS

Do you want to be known as one of the most trusted names in the IVF fraternity? 

Do you want to influence doctors to recommend you to their patients? 

Do you want to win IVF patients by impressing them even before they meet you?

Do you want to know the IVF landscape in India in the coming years?

If your answer to any of the above questions is YES, then kindly attend our upcoming Mindset to Success webinar series on "How to win IVF Patients and Influence Doctors".

It is being held on July 24, 2022, at 10.00 am, and leading experts from diverse domains shall share their in-depth experience & future insights related to IVF business and its branding.

So book your calendar for July 24, 2022, morning with us as this is an event you can't afford to miss.

Kindly register for this event by clicking on the registration link:
Registration Link - https://lnkd.in/dEnhHUTn

You can also mail us at marketing@shivaniscientific.com or call us @ +91-9960-880-880 for registration inquiries.

#shivaniivf #mindsetforsuccess #ShivaniScientific #cocreatingivfsuccess #ivfbranding #IVFwebinar #IVFEvent #Embryologist#WorldFertility #EmbryologistDay


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Announcement: 𝙏𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘: Ovulation Induction in ART

Dr. Prof (Col) Pankaj Talwar VSM 16 July 2022
𝙏𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘: Ovulation Induction in ART

Join Special Curtain Raiser Class 27

𝙏𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙘: Ovulation Induction in ART

𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙚: Friday 22nd July. 2022

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚: 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM (IST)

𝙎𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣 Friday! 😊🙏🏻

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥:-𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝘼𝙥𝙥 'ART' 𝙤𝙣 https://wa.me/918287883005

Team i-Ceat😊🙏🏻

i-ceat.com

 

#embryology #embryotransfer #artcoursesonline #ivfcourses #onlinetraining #ivf #embryologycourse #healthcarecareers #embryologycourses #ARTCourses #reproductivetechnology


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News: IVF Clinical and Lab Essentials: A Comprehensive Course

Dr. Sarabpreet Singh 15 July 2022
IVF Clinical and Lab Essentials: A Comprehensive Course

The Fertilis Academy in association with Sadbhavna IVF School is offering "IVF Clinical and Lab Essentials: A Comprehensive Course".

Gynecologists, Embryologists, Andrologists, and IVF professionals planning to enhance their skills can join this program.

Dates -
27th July - 20th August 2022

Highlights
➤Live Online Classes
➤Question & answer session everyday
➤Evaluation at the end of course

Apply through the given link below-

https://www.thefertilisacademy.com/ivf-clinical-lab-essentials/

Any query appreciated, please

Call us: +91-9899009497
Whatsapp us - https://wa.link/facvm6

Explore more about us at www.thefertilisacademy.com

**Certificate will be awarded at the end of the course.


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Announcement: Course 03- Ovulation Induction, IVF, OPU-ET, Reproductive Ultrasound, and QA/QC

Dr. Prof (Col) Pankaj Talwar VSM 15 July 2022
Course 03- Ovulation Induction, IVF, OPU-ET, Reproductive Ultrasound, and QA/QC

𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙥. 2022 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝!!

𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙢 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙨. 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮!

Course 03-

Ovulation Induction, IVF, OPU-ET, Reproductive Ultrasound, and QA/QC

Course Highlights:-

45+ 𝙝𝙧𝙨 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 LIVE Classes + Recorded Video Links.

Extensive Reading Material.

Certification at the end of the Course.

18+ 𝙝𝙧𝙨 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙊𝙣 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙑𝙁 𝙇𝘼𝘽 & 𝙊𝙏

Complete Hand Holding

𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤, 𝙥𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙊𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥 𝙖 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙨𝘼𝙥𝙥 𝙤𝙣 :- https://wa.me/918287883005

Team i-Ceat

#embryology #embryotransfer #artcoursesonline #ivfcourses #onlinetraining #ivf #embryologycourse #healthcarecareers #embryologycourses #ARTCourses #reproductivetechnology


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Webinar: PRISON AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

International IVF Initiative 14 July 2022
PRISON AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

19th July, 2022, 3pm EST/ 8pm UK/ 9pm CET

Moderators:
Colleen Quinn and Lyndon Miles with James Lawford Davies and Dr. Dawn Kelk

Presenters:

Lyndon Miles: "Cell mate: Incarceration, planned pregnancy and welfare of child- the extended possibilities with ART"

Will Claiborne “Realities of prison healthcare”  

Ruth Claiborne “Autonomy in procreation, parentage, and the child’s best interest”

Discussion: The right to procreate, civil rights and healthcare realities in criminal justice systems and beyond!

MORE TO COME ON CIVIL RIGHTS SOON!

VIEW HERE


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