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Genetic and Genomic Advances in Gamete and Embryo Preservation

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A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 September 2021) | Viewed by 10851

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Leyland Fraser

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Guest Editor

Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia & Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: semen cryopreservation; cryobiochemistry; freezability markers; sperm assessment; semen proteomics

Dr. Paweł Brym

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Guest Editor

Department of Animal Genetics, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering University of Warmia & Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowski Street 5, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: DNA polymorphism; gene expression; SNP markers; production traits

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Storage and deep freezing of gametes and embryos play an important role in the introduction and preservation of genetic resources from individuals with high breeding values and have contributed to an increase in assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). Due to reduced viability of gametes and embryos by storage-induced injuries (compromised membrane integrity, apoptosis, and DNA fragmentation), various modifications of preservation protocols have been employed. Evidence has shown that there is a genetic basis for the extent of storage-dependent damage observed in reproductive tract cells, particularly following cryopreservation. However, rapid advances in genetic and genomic tools, such as high throughput RNA-Seq and microarrays, have led to the development of new strategies to improve the preservation technology of gametes and embryos at different temperatures (liquid storage, cryopreservation, and vitrification) and to provide valuable information about the functional relevance of numerous genes associated with storage-dependent processes. For example, the identification of differentially expressed genes and their expression levels in spermatozoa or embryos following freezing–thawing has been shown to contribute to differences in the biological processes related to metabolism and immune response. In animal breeding, identification of relevant biomarkers for optimal viability of gametes and embryos following preservation remains a major challenge in ART programs. This issue will provide a better understanding and further clarifications of the genetic and genomic strategies that are employed to minimize the storage-dependent injuries to gametes or embryos during preservation

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the recent development in transcriptome analysis (gene expression), the role of long noncoding RNAs and gene polymorphism in gametes and embryos of farm animals subjected to liquid storage, cooling, and deep freezing (cryopreservation). Proteomics-related topics based on semen preservation (liquid storage, cryopreservation), or oocyte and embryo cryopreservation are also appreciated.

Prof. Dr. Leyland Fraser
Dr. Paweł Brym
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Spermatozoa
Oocyte
Embryos
Liquid storage
Cryopreservation
Transcriptome
Long noncoding RNAs
Proteomics

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 5772 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fractionated Seminal Plasma of Boar Ejaculates Analyzed by LC–MS/MS: Its Effects on Post-Thaw Semen Quality

by Leyland Fraser, Karolina Wasilewska-Sakowska, Łukasz Zasiadczyk, Elżbieta Piątkowska and Krzysztof Karpiesiuk

Genes 2021, 12(10), 1574; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/genes12101574 - 02 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2498

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the protein composition of fractionated seminal plasma (SP) by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis and investigate its effects on survival of frozen-thaw (FT) boar spermatozoa following storage. Seminal plasma (SP) was fractionated by gel filtration chromatography to give two fractions, SP1 with more than 40 kDa (>40 kDa) and SP2 with less than 40 kDa (<40 kDa). SP1 and SP2 were subjected to LC–MS/MS and bioinformatics analysis. Following cryopreservation, FT boar semen (n = 7) was thawed in Beltsville Thawing Solution (BTS), BTS + SP1 or BTS + SP2, stored at different periods and subjected to post-thaw (PT) quality assessment. A total of 52 and 22 abundant proteins were detected in SP1 and SP2, respectively. FN1, ANGPTL1, and KIF15 proteins were more abundance in SP1, whereas a high abundance of spermadhesins (PSP-I and PSP-II) was detected in SP2. Proteins of the fractionated SP were involved in various biological processes, such as cell motility and signal transduction. The dominant pathway of SP1 proteins was the apelin signaling pathway (GNA13, MEF2D, SPHK2, and MEF2C), whereas a pathway related to lysosome (CTSH, CTSB, and NPC2) was mainly represented by SP2 proteins. In most of the boars, significantly higher motility characteristics, membrane integrity, and viability were observed in FT spermatozoa exposed to SP1 or SP2 compared with BTS. The results of our study confirm that a combination of several proteins from the fractionated SP exerted beneficial effects on the sperm membrane, resulting in improved quality characteristics following PT storage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic and Genomic Advances in Gamete and Embryo Preservation)

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9 pages, 947 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel QTL and a Candidate Gene Are Associated with the Progressive Motility of Franches-Montagnes Stallion Spermatozoa after Thaw

by Annik Imogen Gmel, Dominik Burger and Markus Neuditschko

Genes 2021, 12(10), 1501; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/genes12101501 - 25 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1659

Abstract

The use of frozen-thawed semen is an important reproduction tool to preserve the biodiversity of small, native horse breeds such as the Franches-Montagnes (FM). However, not all stallions produce cryotolerant semen with a progressive motility after thaw ≥ 35%. To improve our understanding of the genetic background of male fertility traits in both fresh and frozen-thawed semen, we performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on gel-free volume, sperm cell concentration, total sperm count, and progressive motility in fresh and frozen-thawed semen from 109 FM stallions using 335,494 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We identified one significant (p < 1.69 × 10⁻⁷) quantitative trait locus (QTL) on ECA6 within the SCN8A gene for progressive motility after thaw, which was previously associated with progressive motility in boars. Homozygous stallions showed a substantial drop in progressive motility after thaw. This QTL could be used to identify cryointolerant stallions, avoiding the costly cryopreservation process. Further studies are needed to confirm whether this QTL is also present in other horse breeds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic and Genomic Advances in Gamete and Embryo Preservation)

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Review

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14 pages, 662 KiB

Open AccessReview

Genomic Consideration in Chemotherapy-Induced Ovarian Damage and Fertility Preservation

by Seongmin Kim, Sanghoon Lee, Hyun-Tae Park, Jae-Yun Song and Tak Kim

Genes 2021, 12(10), 1525; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/genes12101525 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2067

Abstract

Chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage and fertility preservation in young patients with cancer are emerging disciplines. The mechanism of treatment-related gonadal damage provides important information for targeting prevention methods. The genomic aspects of ovarian damage after chemotherapy are not fully understood. Several studies have demonstrated that gene alterations related to follicular apoptosis or accelerated follicle activation are related to ovarian insufficiency and susceptibility to ovarian damage following chemotherapy. This may accelerate follicular apoptosis and follicle reservoir utilization and damage the ovarian stroma via multiple molecular reactions after chemotherapy. This review highlights the importance of genomic considerations in chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage and multidisciplinary oncofertility strategies for providing high-quality care to young female cancer patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic and Genomic Advances in Gamete and Embryo Preservation)

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20 pages, 1383 KiB

Open AccessReview

Odorant and Taste Receptors in Sperm Chemotaxis and Cryopreservation: Roles and Implications in Sperm Capacitation, Motility and Fertility

by Malik Ahsan Ali, Yihan Wang, Ziyue Qin, Xiang Yuan, Yan Zhang and Changjun Zeng

Genes 2021, 12(4), 488; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/genes12040488 - 27 Mar 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3310

Abstract

Sperm chemotaxis, which guide sperm toward oocyte, is tightly associated with sperm capacitation, motility, and fertility. However, the molecular mechanism of sperm chemotaxis is not known. Reproductive odorant and taste receptors, belong to G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) super-family, cause an increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration which is pre-requisite for sperm capacitation and acrosomal reaction, and result in sperm hyperpolarization and increase motility through activation of Ca²⁺-dependent Cl^¯ channels. Recently, odorant receptors (ORs) in olfactory transduction pathway were thought to be associated with post-thaw sperm motility, freeze tolerance or freezability and cryo-capacitation-like change during cryopreservation. Investigation of the roles of odorant and taste receptors (TRs) is important for our understanding of the freeze tolerance or freezability mechanism and improve the motility and fertility of post-thaw sperm. Here, we reviewed the roles, mode of action, impact of odorant and taste receptors on sperm chemotaxis and post-thaw sperm quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic and Genomic Advances in Gamete and Embryo Preservation)

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