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Biomedicines
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Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0
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Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 5544

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ning Qu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
Interests: reproductive immunology; spermatogenesis; oriental medicine; anti-cancer treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reproductive medicine and biology are very important for maintaining and preserving successful pregnancy in both men and women, and interactions between the reproductive and immune systems enable the normal preservation of reproductive functions. Malfunctioning of the immune/reproductive interaction at any of these stages may result in a predisposition to infertility. There is a desire to improve the medical treatment and prognosis for infertility available to patients and physicians. The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a global overview of reproduction with biomedical data generated from individuals, biological experiments, and environmental factors, to introduce new opportunities, and to pose challenges in clinical activities.

This Special Issue of Biomedicines invites colleagues to submit original research articles and up-to-date reviews in human and animal reproductive medicine, with special attention paid to cellular and molecular mechanism research, with the aim to provide new perspectives.

Prof. Dr. Ning Qu
Guest Editor

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. Biomedicines 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

  • reproduction
  • infertility
  • spermatogenesis
  • oogenesis
  • animal reproduction
  • cellular and molecular structure
  • immunity

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1485 KiB  
Article
Luteinizing Hormone Surge-Induced Krüppel-like Factor 4 Inhibits Cyp17A1 Expression in Preovulatory Granulosa Cells
by Yuri Choi, Okto Lee, Kiyoung Ryu and Jaesook Roh
Biomedicines 2024, 12(1), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12010071 - 27 Dec 2023
Viewed by 827
Abstract
Previous in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated a dramatic up-regulation of Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) in rat preovulatory granulosa cells (GCs) after LH/hCG treatment and its role in regulating Cyp19A1 expression during the luteal shift in steroidogenesis. In this [...] Read more.
Previous in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated a dramatic up-regulation of Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) in rat preovulatory granulosa cells (GCs) after LH/hCG treatment and its role in regulating Cyp19A1 expression during the luteal shift in steroidogenesis. In this study, we examined whether Klf4 also mediates the LH-induced repression of Cyp17A1 expression in primary rat preovulatory GCs. In response to LH treatment of GCs in vitro, Cyp17A1 expression declined to less than half of its initial value by 1 h, remaining low for 24 h of culture. Overexpression of Klf4 decreased basal and Sf1-induced Cyp17A1 expressions and increased progesterone secretion. Reduction of endogenous Klf4 by siRNA elevated basal Cyp17A1 expression but did not affect LH-stimulated progesterone production. Overexpression of Klf4 also significantly attenuated Sf1-induced Cyp17A1 promoter activity. On the other hand, mutation of the conserved Sp1/Klf binding motif in the promoter revealed that this motif is not required for Klf4-mediated repression. Taken together, these data indicate that the Cyp17A1 gene may be one of the downstream targets of Klf4, which is induced by LH in preovulatory GCs. This information may help in identifying potential targets for preventing the molecular changes occurring in hyperandrogenic disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0)
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16 pages, 1124 KiB  
Article
Age-Dependent Alterations in Semen Parameters and Human Sperm MicroRNA Profile
by Joana Santiago, Joana V. Silva, Manuel A. S. Santos and Margarida Fardilha
Biomedicines 2023, 11(11), 2923; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11112923 - 28 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1147
Abstract
The trend to delay parenthood is increasing, impacting fertility and reproductive outcomes. Advanced paternal age (APA), defined as men’s age above 40 years at conception, has been linked with testicular impairment, abnormal semen parameters, and poor reproductive and birth outcomes. Recently, the significance [...] Read more.
The trend to delay parenthood is increasing, impacting fertility and reproductive outcomes. Advanced paternal age (APA), defined as men’s age above 40 years at conception, has been linked with testicular impairment, abnormal semen parameters, and poor reproductive and birth outcomes. Recently, the significance of sperm microRNA for fertilization and embryonic development has emerged. This work aimed to investigate the effects of men’s age on semen parameters and sperm microRNA profiles. The ejaculates of 333 Portuguese men were collected between 2018 and 2022, analyzed according to WHO guidelines, and a density gradient sperm selection was performed. For microRNA expression analysis, 16 normozoospermic human sperm samples were selected and divided into four age groups: ≤30, 31–35, 36–40, and >40 years. microRNA target genes were retrieved from the miRDB and TargetScan databases and Gene Ontology analysis was performed using the DAVID tool. No significant correlation was found between male age and conventional semen parameters, except for volume. Fifteen differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) between groups were identified. Enrichment analysis suggested the involvement of DEMs in the sperm of men with advanced age in critical biological processes like embryonic development, morphogenesis, and male gonad development. Targets of DEMs were involved in signaling pathways previously associated with the ageing process, including cellular senescence, autophagy, insulin, and mTOR pathways. These results suggest that although conventional semen parameters were not affected by men’s age, alterations in microRNA regulation may occur and be responsible for poor fertility and reproductive outcomes associated with APA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0)
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11 pages, 1159 KiB  
Article
IZUMO1 Receptor Localization during Hyaluronic Acid Selection in Human Spermatozoa
by María José Gómez-Torres, Miranda Hernández-Falcó, Andrea López-Botella, Natalia Huerta-Retamal and Paula Sáez-Espinosa
Biomedicines 2023, 11(11), 2872; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11112872 - 24 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1087
Abstract
IZUMO1 is an acrosome transmembrane protein implicated in the adhesion and fusion of gametes. This study aims to describe the distribution of IZUMO1 in human sperm under different physiological conditions: before capacitation (NCS), at one-hour capacitation (CS1), after a hyaluronic acid (HA) selection [...] Read more.
IZUMO1 is an acrosome transmembrane protein implicated in the adhesion and fusion of gametes. This study aims to describe the distribution of IZUMO1 in human sperm under different physiological conditions: before capacitation (NCS), at one-hour capacitation (CS1), after a hyaluronic acid (HA) selection test (mature, MS1 and immature, IS1), and induced acrosome reaction from one-hour-capacitated sperm (ARS1). The data obtained in NCS, CS1, and MS1 significantly highlight dotted fluorescence in the acrosomal region (P1) as the major staining pattern (~70%). Moreover, we describe a new distribution pattern (P2) with a dotted acrosomal region and a labelled equatorial region that significantly increases in HA-bound spermatozoa, suggesting the onset of the migration of IZUMO1. In contrast, unbound spermatozoa presented an increase in P3 (equatorial region labelled) and P4 (not labelled). Finally, costaining to observe IZUMO1 distribution and acrosome status was performed in ARS1. Interestingly, we reported a variety of combinations between the IZUMO1 staining patterns and the acrosomal stages. In conclusion, these data show as a novelty the diffusion of the IZUMO1 protein during different physiological conditions that could contribute to the improvement in sperm selection techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0)
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13 pages, 2126 KiB  
Article
Microbiological and Cytokine Profiling of Menstrual Blood for the Assessment of Endometrial Receptivity: A Pilot Study
by Mark Jain, Elena Mladova, Anna Shichanina, Karina Kirillova, Anna Povarova, Liya Scherbakova, Larisa Samokhodskaya and Olga Panina
Biomedicines 2023, 11(5), 1284; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11051284 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1308
Abstract
Endometrial receptivity (ER) is a key factor required for the successful implantation of the embryo. However, the evaluation of ER is challenging, as a nondisruptive sampling of endometrial biomaterial by conventional methods is only possible outside of the embryo transfer (ET) cycle. We [...] Read more.
Endometrial receptivity (ER) is a key factor required for the successful implantation of the embryo. However, the evaluation of ER is challenging, as a nondisruptive sampling of endometrial biomaterial by conventional methods is only possible outside of the embryo transfer (ET) cycle. We propose a novel approach for the assessment of ER—microbiological and cytokine profiling of menstrual blood aspirated directly from the uterine cavity at the beginning of the cryo-ET cycle. The aim of the pilot study was to evaluate its prognostic potential regarding the outcome of the in vitro fertilization procedure. Samples collected from a cohort of 42 patients undergoing cryo-ET were analyzed by a multiplex immunoassay (48 various cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors) and a real-time PCR assay (28 relevant microbial taxa and 3 members of the Herpesviridae family). Significant differences between groups of patients who achieved and did not achieve pregnancy were observed for G-CSF, GRO-α, IL-6, IL-9, MCP-1, M-CSF, SDF-1α, TNF-β, TRAIL, SCF, IP-10, and MIG (p < 0.05), whereas microbial profiles were not associated with the outcome of cryo-ET. It appeared that levels of IP-10 and SCGF-β were significantly lower (p < 0.05), in patients with endometriosis. Menstrual blood may provide great opportunities to noninvasively investigate various parameters of the endometrium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0)
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Review

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17 pages, 1360 KiB  
Review
Oncogenic BRCA1,2 Mutations in the Human Lineage—A By-Product of Sexual Selection?
by Tatyana V. Korneenko and Nikolay B. Pestov
Biomedicines 2024, 12(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12010022 (registering DOI) - 21 Dec 2023
Viewed by 772
Abstract
In this review, we discuss the long-known problem of tissue-specific carcinogenesis in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: while the genes are expressed ubiquitously, increased cancer risk is observed mostly in the breast and ovaries, and to a much lesser extent, in some other [...] Read more.
In this review, we discuss the long-known problem of tissue-specific carcinogenesis in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: while the genes are expressed ubiquitously, increased cancer risk is observed mostly in the breast and ovaries, and to a much lesser extent, in some other tissues such as the prostate or pancreas. We reevaluate hypotheses on the evolutionary origin of these mutations in humans. Also, we align together the reports that at least some great apes have much lower risks of epithelial cancers in general and breast cancer in particular with the fact that humans have more voluminous breast tissue as compared to their closest extant relatives, particularly chimpanzees and bonobos. We conjecture that this disparity may be a consequence of sexual selection, augmented via selection for enhanced lactation. Further, we argue that there is an organ-specific enigma similar to the Peto paradox: breast cancer risk in humans is only minimally correlated with breast size. These considerations lead to the hypothesis that, along with the evolutionary development of larger breasts in humans, additional changes have played a balancing role in suppressing breast cancer. These yet-to-be-discovered mechanisms, while purely speculative, may be valuable to understanding human breast cancer, though they may not be exclusive to the mammary gland epithelial cells. Combining these themes, we review some anti-carcinogenesis preventive strategies and prospects of new interventions against breast cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reproductive Medicine: Focus on Cell and Molecule 2.0)
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