Aberrant Expression of Mir-29A/29B and Methylation Level of Mouse Embryos After in Vitro Fertilization and Vitrification at Two-Cell Stage Publisher Pubmed



Movahed E¹ ; Soleimani M^{1, 2} ; Hosseini S³ ; Akbari Sene A⁴ ; Salehi M^{3, 5} Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Cellular Physiology Published:2019

Abstract

Proper epigenetic modifications during preimplantation embryo development are important for a successful pregnancy. We aim to investigate the putative influence of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and vitrification on DNA methylation in mouse preimplantation embryos. The study groups consisted of blastocyst-derived vitrified two-cell embryos, nonvitrified embryos, and a control group of in vivo derived blastocysts. We assessed developmental competence, global DNA methylation, relative expression levels of miR-29a/29b, and their target genes, Dnmt3a/3b. Vitrified embryos had a lower developmental rate as compared with nonvitrified embryos. There was no significant decrease in blastocyst cell numbers among studied groups, whereas there was a steady decline in DNA methylation after IVF and vitrification. The levels of miR-29a/29b upregulated in the experimental groups as compared with the control group. IVF and vitrification caused Dnmt3a/3b downregulations in blastocysts. The results of this study have suggested that a relationship exists between IVF and embryo vitrification with methylation interruptions in the blastocysts. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.