BACKGROUND: Currently there are no markers fully predictive of developmental competence of human IVF embryos. The present study investigated a novel strategy involving blastocyst biopsy and DNA fingerprinting to link developmental competence with gene expression patterns. METHODS: Patient's blastocysts were biopsied to remove 8-20 trophectoderm (TE) cells for molecular analysis prior to transfer. Biopsy samples were amplified and gene expression was evaluated using microarrays. Sibling TE biopsies and cells from resulting offspring were subjected to DNA fingerprinting to identify which blastocyst(s) in the transfer cohort developed to term. RESULTS: Blastocyst biopsy did not appear to impair developmental competence. Comparative microarray analysis of cDNA from pooled 'viable' and 'non-viable' TE samples identified over 7000 transcripts expressed exclusively in 'viable' blastocysts. The most significant of these included transcripts involved in cell adhesion and cell communication, key processes that have been associated with mammalian implantation. DNA fingerprinting of three cohorts of sibling blastocysts identified those blastocyst(s) that produced term pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of blastocyst biopsy, microarray gene expression profiling and DNA fingerprinting is a powerful tool to identify diagnostic markers of competence to develop to term. This strategy may be used to develop a rapid diagnostic assay or for refining existing criteria for the selection of the single most viable blastocyst among a cohort developing in vitro.
BACKGROUND: Currently there are no markers fully predictive of developmental competence of humanIVF embryos. The present study investigated a novel strategy involving blastocyst biopsy and DNA fingerprinting to link developmental competence with gene expression patterns. METHODS:Patient's blastocysts were biopsied to remove 8-20 trophectoderm (TE) cells for molecular analysis prior to transfer. Biopsy samples were amplified and gene expression was evaluated using microarrays. Sibling TE biopsies and cells from resulting offspring were subjected to DNA fingerprinting to identify which blastocyst(s) in the transfer cohort developed to term. RESULTS:Blastocyst biopsy did not appear to impair developmental competence. Comparative microarray analysis of cDNA from pooled 'viable' and 'non-viable' TE samples identified over 7000 transcripts expressed exclusively in 'viable' blastocysts. The most significant of these included transcripts involved in cell adhesion and cell communication, key processes that have been associated with mammalian implantation. DNA fingerprinting of three cohorts of sibling blastocysts identified those blastocyst(s) that produced term pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of blastocyst biopsy, microarray gene expression profiling and DNA fingerprinting is a powerful tool to identify diagnostic markers of competence to develop to term. This strategy may be used to develop a rapid diagnostic assay or for refining existing criteria for the selection of the single most viable blastocyst among a cohort developing in vitro.
Authors: Kirstine Kirkegaard; Johnny Juhl Hindkjaer; Marie Louise Grøndahl; Ulrik Schiøler Kesmodel; Hans Jakob Ingerslev Journal: J Assist Reprod Genet Date: 2012-03-30 Impact factor: 3.412
Authors: Luis Guzman; D Nuñez; R López; N Inoue; J Portella; F Vizcarra; L Noriega-Portella; L Noriega-Hoces; S Munné Journal: J Assist Reprod Genet Date: 2018-10-17 Impact factor: 3.412
Authors: Karen Sermon; Antonio Capalbo; Jacques Cohen; Edith Coonen; Martine De Rycke; Anick De Vos; Joy Delhanty; Francesco Fiorentino; Norbert Gleicher; Georg Griesinger; Jamie Grifo; Alan Handyside; Joyce Harper; Georgia Kokkali; Sebastiaan Mastenbroek; David Meldrum; Marcos Meseguer; Markus Montag; Santiago Munné; Laura Rienzi; Carmen Rubio; Katherine Scott; Richard Scott; Carlos Simon; Jason Swain; Nathan Treff; Filippo Ubaldi; Rita Vassena; Joris Robert Vermeesch; Willem Verpoest; Dagan Wells; Joep Geraedts Journal: Mol Hum Reprod Date: 2016-06-02 Impact factor: 4.025