Maternal benzo[a]pyrene exposure is correlated with the meiotic arrest and quality deterioration of offspring oocytes in mice

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in particulate matter that has a diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5). Studies have demonstrated that BaP exposure causes oocyte meiotic arrest in mice. However, whether BaP exposure also affects oocyte maturation in offspring remains unclear. To test this, female mice were administered BaP before pregnancy to generate BaP-exposed offspring. Our findings showed that BaP exposure reduced the in vitro maturation and increased the abnormalities of meiotic apparatus in offspring oocytes. In addition, BaP exposure reduced the mitochondrial content and intracellular ATP generation, induced early apoptosis, increased reactive oxidative species accumulation and the genomic DNA 5-methylcytosine (5mc) level in offspring oocytes. Along with the abovementioned defective parameters, maternal BaP exposure further compromised the embryo developmental competence of offspring oocytes. In summary, our study demonstrated that maternal BaP exposure compromised offspring oocyte maturation and quality.     

Role of granulosa cell mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/1 in gonadotropin-mediated meiotic resumption from diplotene arrest of mammalian oocytes

In mammals, preovulatory oocytes are encircled by several layers of granulosa cells (GCs) in follicular microenvironment. These follicular oocytes are arrested at diplotene arrest due to high level of cyclic nucleotides from encircling GCs. Pituitary gonadotropin acts at the level of encircling GCs and increases adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) and activates mitogen-activated protein kinase 3/1 (MAPK3/1) signaling pathway. The MAPK3/1 disrupts the gap junctions between encircling GCs and oocyte. The disruption of gap junctions interrupts the transfer of cyclic nucleotides to the oocyte that results a drop in intraoocyte cAMP level. A transient decrease in oocyte cAMP level triggers maturation promoting factor (MPF) destabilization. The destabilized MPF finally triggers meiotic resumption from diplotene arrest in follicular oocyte. Thus, MAPK3/1 from GCs origin plays important role in gonadotropin-mediated meiotic resumption from diplotene arrest in follicular oocyte of mammals.     

多能干细胞核心调控基因Nanog介导生殖母细胞减数分裂的作用研究

目的 探讨多能干细胞核心调控基因Nanog在原始生殖纽胞(PGCs)向生殖母细胞方向分化过程中的作用.方法 取11.0d胎鼠PGCs,按胚胎干细胞(ES)培养标准进行体外胚胎生殖细胞(EG细胞)培养.采用脂质体方法将Nanog靶向特异性小干扰RNA(siRNA)转染人EG细胞.RT-PCR、免疫荧光法检测siRNA的沉默效率;在倒置相差显微镜下进行体外克隆计数,检测EG细胞增殖未分化状态;TUNEL法和透射电镜检测EG细胞凋亡情况;半定量RT-PCR检测与生殖母细胞减数分裂相关的标志基因(Mvh、Stra8、Sycp3)的mRNA表达.结果 转染siRNA后48h EG细胞Nanog mRNA和蛋白表达明显受抑,典型未分化EG细胞克隆数量显著下降,呈现分化现象,悬浮细胞增多.TUNEL法、透射电镜检测悬浮EG细胞呈现凋亡征象.伴随Nanog表达下调,Mvh、Stra8、Sycp基因mRNA表达上调.结论 到达生殖腺后,多能性PGCs发生生殖母细胞化,开始减数分裂,该过程可能与多能干细胞核心调控基因Nanog的表达下调有关.     

Differentiation of murine male germ cells to spermatozoa in a soft agar culture system

Establishment of an in vitro system that allows the development of testicular germ cells to sperm will be valuable for studies of spermatogenesis and future treatments for male infertility. In the present study, we developed in vitro culture conditions using three-dimensional agar culture system (SACS), which has the capacity to induce testicular germ cells to reach the final stages of spermatogenesis, including spermatozoa generation. Seminiferous tubules from testes of 7-day-old mice were enzymatically dissociated, and intratubular cells were cultured in the upper layer of the SACS in RPMI medium supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS). The lower layer of the SACS contained only RPMI medium supplemented with FCS. Colonies in the upper layer were isolated after 14 and 28 days of culture and were classified according to their size. Immunofluorescence and real-time PCR were used to analyse specific markers expressed in undifferentiated and differentiated spermatogonia (Vasa, Dazl, OCT-4, C-Kit, GFR-α-1, CD9 and α-6-integrin), meiotic cells (LDH, Crem-1 and Boule) and post-meiotic cells (Protamine-1, Acrosin and SP-10). Our results reveal that it is possible to induce mouse testicular pre-meiotic germ cell expansion and induce their differentiation to spermatozoa in SACS. The spermatozoa showed normal morphology and contained acrosomes. Thus, our results demonstrate that SACS could be used as a novel in vitro system for the maturation of pre-meiotic mouse germ cells to post-meiotic stages and morphologically-normal spermatozoa.     

A novel strategy for targeted killing of tumor cells: Induction of multipolar acentrosomal mitotic spindles with a quinazolinone derivative mdivi‐1

Traditional antimitotic drugs for cancer chemotherapy often have undesired toxicities to healthy tissues, limiting their clinical application. Developing novel agents that specifically target tumor cell mitosis is needed to minimize the toxicity and improve the efficacy of this class of anticancer drugs. We discovered that mdivi‐1 (mitochondrial division inhibitor‐1), which was originally reported as an inhibitor of mitochondrial fission protein Drp1, specifically disrupts M phase cell cycle progression only in human tumor cells, but not in non‐transformed fibroblasts or epithelial cells. The antimitotic effect of mdivi‐1 is Drp1 independent, as mdivi‐1 induces M phase abnormalities in both Drp1 wild‐type and Drp1 knockout SV40‐immortalized/transformed MEF cells. We also identified that the tumor transformation process required for the antimitotic effect of mdivi‐1 is downstream of SV40 large T and small t antigens, but not hTERT‐mediated immortalization. Mdivi‐1 induces multipolar mitotic spindles in tumor cells regardless of their centrosome numbers. Acentrosomal spindle poles, which do not contain the bona‐fide centrosome components γ‐tubulin and centrin‐2, were found to contribute to the spindle multipolarity induced by mdivi‐1. Gene expression profiling revealed that the genes involved in oocyte meiosis and assembly of acentrosomal microtubules are highly expressed in tumor cells. We further identified that tumor cells have enhanced activity in the nucleation and assembly of acentrosomal kinetochore‐attaching microtubules. Mdivi‐1 inhibited the integration of acentrosomal microtubule‐organizing centers into centrosomal asters, resulting in the development of acentrosomal mitotic spindles preferentially in tumor cells. The formation of multipolar acentrosomal spindles leads to gross genome instability and Bax/Bak‐dependent apoptosis. Taken together, our studies indicate that inducing multipolar spindles composing of acentrosomal poles in mitosis could achieve tumor‐specific antimitotic effect, and mdivi‐1 thus represents a novel class of compounds as acentrosomal spindle inducers (ASI).     

周期型马来丝虫染色体的研究

采用空气干燥法对周期型马来丝虫染色体进行了研究,结果显示卵原细胞分裂中期相有4对小型的常染色体和1对大型的性染色体,精原细胞分裂中期相有4对小型的常染色体和1个大型的与1个中型的性染色体,终变期的卵母细胞有5个二价的染色体,次级精母细胞有5个单价染色体.以及受精卵分裂中期相有10个染色体。表明该虫染色体数为2n=10,性别决定机制为XY-XX型。     

Control of Emi2 activity and stability through Mos-mediated recruitment of PP2A

Before fertilization, vertebrate eggs are arrested in meiosis II by cytostatic factor (CSF), which holds the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) in an inactive state. It was recently reported that Mos, an integral component of CSF, acts in part by promoting the Rsk-mediated phosphorylation of the APC inhibitor Emi2/Erp1. We report here that Rsk phosphorylation of Emi2 promotes its interaction with the protein phosphatase PP2A. Emi2 residues adjacent to the Rsk phosphorylation site were important for PP2A binding. An Emi2 mutant that retained Rsk phosphorylation but lacked PP2A binding could not be modulated by Mos. PP2A bound to Emi2 acted on two distinct clusters of sites phosphorylated by Cdc2, one responsible for modulating its stability during CSF arrest and one that controls binding to the APC. These findings provide a molecular mechanism for Mos action in promoting CSF arrest and also define an unusual mechanism, whereby protein phosphorylation recruits a phosphatase for dephosphorylation of distinct sites phosphorylated by another kinase.     

Contrasting mechanisms of de novo copy number mutagenesis suggest the existence of different classes of environmental copy number mutagens

While gene copy number variations (CNVs) are abundant in the human genome, and often are associated with disease consequences, the mutagenic pathways and environmental exposures that cause these large structural mutations are understudied relative to conventional nucleotide substitutions in DNA. The members of the environmental mutagenesis community are currently seeking to remedy this deficiency, and there is a renewed interest in the development of mutagenicity assays to identify and characterize compounds that may induce de novo CNVs in humans. To achieve this goal, it is critically important to acknowledge that CNVs exist in two very distinct classes: nonrecurrent and recurrent CNVs. The goal of this commentary is to emphasize the deep contrasts that exist between the proposed pathways that lead to these two mutation classes. Nonrecurrent de novo CNVs originate primarily in mitotic cells through replication‐dependent DNA repair pathways that involve microhomologies (<10 bp), and are detected at higher frequency in children of older fathers. In contrast, recurrent de novo CNVs are most often formed in meiotic cells through homologous recombination between nonallelic large low‐copy repeats (>10,000 bp), without an associated paternal age effect. Given the biological differences between the two CNV classes, it is our belief that nonrecurrent and recurrent CN mutagens will probably differ substantially in their modes of action. Therefore, each CNV class may require their own uniquely designed assays, so that we as a field may succeed in uncovering the broadest possible spectrum of environmental CN mutagens. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 57:3–9, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Transgene-mediated cosuppression and RNA interference enhance germ-line apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Introduction of multiple copies of a germ-line-expressed gene elicits silencing of the corresponding endogenous gene during Caenorhabditis elegans oogenesis; this process is referred to as germ-line cosuppression. Transformed plasmids assemble into extrachromosomal arrays resembling extra minichromosomes with repetitive structures. Loss of the transgene extrachromosomal array leads to reversion of the silencing phenomenon. Cosuppression and RNAi depend upon some of the same genes. In the C. elegans germ line, about half the cells undergo a physiological programmed cell death that shares most genetic requirements with somatic apoptosis. In addition, apoptosis is stimulated by DNA damage and synaptic failure mediated through different apoptotic checkpoints. We found that both germ-line cosuppression and RNAi of germ-line-expressed genes enhance apoptosis during C. elegans oogenesis. In contrast, apoptosis is not enhanced by extrachromosomal arrays carrying genes not driven by germ-line-specific promoters that thus do not elicit transgene-mediated cosuppression/silencing. Similarly, introduction of doubled-stranded RNA that shares no homology with endogenous genes has no effect on apoptosis. "Silencing-induced apoptosis" is dependent upon sir-2.1 and cep-1 (the worm p53 ortholog), and is accompanied by a rise in RAD-51 foci, a marker for ongoing DNA repair, indicating induction of DNA double-strand breaks. This finding suggests that the DNA damage-response pathway is involved. RNAi and cosuppression have been postulated as defense mechanisms against genomic intruders. We speculate that the mechanism here described may trigger the elimination of germ cells that have undergone viral infection or transposon activation.