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Life
Special Issues
Biological and Clinical Research of Germ Cells
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Biological and Clinical Research of Germ Cells

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 459

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Liana Bosco

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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D), Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
Interests: clinical, biological and molecular research on sperm and oocytes quality; infertility; reproduction; apoptosis; DNA fragmentation; chromatin integrity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological and clinical research of germ cells encompasses the study of reproductive cells responsible for transmitting genetic information from one generation to the next. Germ cells play a pivotal role in human reproduction and heredity, making them a crucial investigation area. Biological research delves into the development, function and regulation of germ cells, shedding light on the processes of gametogenesis and meiosis. Clinical research focuses on disorders and conditions affecting germ cells, such as infertility, genetic mutations and various reproductive health issues. Understanding germ cells is essential for advancements in assisted reproductive technologies, genetic counseling and the treatment of reproductive disorders. Furthermore, clinical, biological and molecular research regarding infection (for example, sexually transmitted infections such as HPV) consequences on male and female germ cells has aroused a lot of interest for their role in infertility. For this reason, further studies on this topic would be very useful for the scientific community. The number of couples requiring assisted reproductive technology is constantly increasing. Nowadays, available medical therapies are based on hormone administration and the prescription of antioxidants and supplements. The aim of this Special Issue is to collect studies that report innovative approaches to understand the causes and solve couples’ infertility. For these reasons, we are pleased to invite you and your colleagues to contribute original research articles and reviews to this Special Issue.

Dr. Liana Bosco
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. Life 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

  • germ cells
  • spermatozoa
  • oocytes
  • cumulus oocyte complex
  • sexually transmitted infections
  • ICSI
  • IVF
  • infertility
  • reproduction

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 570 KiB  
Article
AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 in Mural Granulosa Cells Are Not Correlated to Different Ovarian Stimulation Protocols in Patients Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Treatment
by Giovanni Ruvolo, Domenica Matranga, Maria Magdalena Barreca and Liana Bosco
Life 2024, 14(5), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14050554 (registering DOI) - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 264
Abstract
(1) Background: In this paper we aim to study the relationship between the expression levels of molecules involved in apoptotic/survival pathways, considered as molecular markers of oocyte competence (i.e., AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2) in mural granulosa cells (MGCs) and the administration of [...] Read more.
(1) Background: In this paper we aim to study the relationship between the expression levels of molecules involved in apoptotic/survival pathways, considered as molecular markers of oocyte competence (i.e., AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2) in mural granulosa cells (MGCs) and the administration of r-FSH alone or combined with exogenous r-LH, in ovarian stimulation protocol. Moreover, we aim to evaluate oocyte competence by comparing normally cleaved embryos that were transferred in the uterus, with embryos that were arrested during in vitro culture. (2) Methods: The study included 34 normo-responder women undergoing ICSI procedures. All subjects were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 18 women stimulated with r-FSH and used as a control group; Group B consisted of 14 women stimulated with r-FSH combined with r-LH. The MGCs were obtained from individual follicles. Immunoblot analyses were carried out to analyze the AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 levels in MGCs and to correlate them with the ovarian stimulation protocol. Furthermore, the oocyte competence was evaluated, for each follicle, according to the development of the embryo during in vitro culture and the pregnancy outcome. (3) Results: We found no significant difference in the levels of molecules in isolated MGCs between groups A and B. These results, in light of our previous research, suggest for the first time, to our knowledge, that cumulus cells and mural granulosa cells in the same follicle show different expression levels of molecules involved in the apoptotic mechanism. (4) Conclusions: Our results could clarify some controversial data in the literature where cumulative cell pools of cumulus and granulosa were analyzed, described as ovarian follicle cells, and used as markers of oocyte competence. In this paper, we found evidence that cumulus and granulosa cells need to be analyzed separately. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Clinical Research of Germ Cells)
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