Cover Caption: The cover image is based on the Research Article Thymoquinone reduces intracytoplasmic oxidative stress and improves epigenetic modification in polycystic ovary syndrome mice oocytes, during in-vitro maturation by Fatemeh Eini et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23222.

Credit: Cover image © Dr. Fatemeh Eini Images.

We examined the feasibility of injection of elongates spermatids from prepubertal male marmosets for early production of the offspring. One female infant was born after transfer of two embryos derived from elongated spermatid injection. She is growing normally without any morphological and physiological abnormalities.

Through single cell, mRNA-seq (drop-seq) approaches we find specificity and distinct effects of the Wnt and Delta/Notch pathways in differential cell lineages. The results illuminate how these conserved pathways selectively regulate cell fates at a single cell level. Overall, we conclude that single cell RNA-seq analysis in this embryo is revealing of the cell types present during development, of the changes in the gene regulatory network resulting from inhibition of various signaling pathways and of the selectivity of these pathways, in influencing developmental trajectories.

Recent gene disruption approaches in mice have revealed that many of the factors previously described as important for fertilization are largely dispensable in gene-knockout (KO) animals, and some previously unknown factors are emerging. As a result, the molecular mechanisms of fertilization, especially sperm migration from the uterus into the oviduct, have recently been revised by the emergence of genetically modified animals. In this review, we only focus on and update the essential genes for sperm migration through the uterotubal junction and describe recent advances in our knowledge of the basis of mammalian sperm migration.

We identified genetic pathways putatively involved in the seasonal testicular cycle. Differentially expressed genes that enriched the calcium ion binding and cell junction pathways were highly expressed in testicular maturation states. More specifically, quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed significant seasonal differences in testicular expression of genes (HOOK1, RGS2, PRDX4, BCL6, CYFIP2, PDCD4, P2RX4, and GABRA1) involved in the gametogenesis and associated pathways. Overall, these results show significant transcriptional differences between the testicular phenotypes and provide insights into molecular mechanisms involved in the annual reproductive life-history of a photoperiodic seasonal species.

The polymorphisms of MTHFR, AMHR2, and LCGHR genes could promote the risk in susceptibility to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which highlight the impact of these genes and their polymorphisms on OHSS and could potentially provide a genetic profile, which may help to adjust an optimized protocol for ovarian stimulation before the in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure in different individuals, especially in patients who are genetically predisposed to high responses to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) or developed OHSS.

Porcine oocyte have a distinct pathway for the generation of meiotic spindles.

Palmitoyl protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) expression in Sertoli cells is essential for cell viability, lysosome function, and cholesterol metabolism. Its involvement in these processes is critical for Sertoli cells ability to sustain spermatogenesis and that specific knockout of Ppt1 in Sertoli cells causes male subfertility associated with poor sperm quality and a high ratio of sperm deformity.

Proteins differentially abundant between the high and low fertlity bulls among the high and low density spermatozoa.

Treatment with the optimal condition of zebularine (5 nM; 24 hr) during IVC could promote porcine subsequent embryo development. 2. Zebularine treatment could positively regulate the methylation levels on various stages of porcine SCNT preimplantation embryos. 3. The expression of development-, reprogramming-related genes of blastocyst could be positively regulated by the zebularine treatment.

Our results provide an insight into the mechanistic roles of lncRNA Gm2044 for 17β-estradiol synthesis by acting as competing-endogenous RNAs to modulate the function of mpGCs. Studying the potential lncRNAs, which regulate estradiol release, will be beneficial for the diagnosis and treatment of steroid hormone-related disease.

This longitudinal study examines telomere length (TL) dynamics in somatic tissue and gametes during an entire lifespan in an outbred mouse population. While with aging, a clear reduction in TL was produced in somatic cells and oocytes, telomeres in sperm cells significantly lengthened. Finally, we found evidence indicating that telomere elongation in sperm during aging may be dependent on different mechanisms, such as the survival of spermatogonia with longer telomeres and the alternative lengthening of telomeres mechanism in meiotic and postmeiotic spermatogenic cells.

Metabolomics may be useful as a noninvasive adjunct tool for the selection of patients who must undergo laparoscopy for definitive endometriosis diagnosis.

Although in-vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes has been presented as an alternative treatment to traditional stimulated in-vitro fertilization, the culture condition could be improved by natural antioxidants. Thus, we investigated the protective effect of thymoquinone (TQ) during IVM in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) mice model. Our results suggested that TQ may enhance the developmental competence of PCOS oocytes via modulation of oxidative stress and epigenetic alterations.

This study provides knowledge about the role of oxygen tension modulating extracellular vesicles and its miRNAs contents in the bovine embryo culture medium.