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Poultry Science Jul 2021Alternative poultry production systems continue to expand as markets for organic and naturally produced poultry meat and egg products increase. However, these production... (Review)
Review
Alternative poultry production systems continue to expand as markets for organic and naturally produced poultry meat and egg products increase. However, these production systems represent challenges associated with variable environmental conditions and exposure to foodborne pathogens. Consequently, there is a need to introduce feed additives that can support bird health and performance. There are several candidate feed additives with potential applications in alternative poultry production systems. Prebiotic compounds selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial gastrointestinal microorganisms leading to improved health of the host and limiting the establishment of foodborne pathogens. The shift in the gastrointestinal microbiota and modulation of fermentation can inhibit the establishment of foodborne pathogens such as Campylobacter and Salmonella. Both current and potential applications of prebiotics in alternative poultry production systems will be discussed in this review. Different sources and types of prebiotics that could be developed for alternative poultry production will also be explored.
Topics: Animals; Chickens; Gastrointestinal Tract; Ovum; Poultry; Prebiotics
PubMed: 34102481
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101174 -
Biology of Reproduction Sep 2021More than a decade ago, the ENCODE and NIH Epigenomics Roadmap consortia organized large multilaboratory efforts to profile the epigenomes of >110 different mammalian... (Review)
Review
More than a decade ago, the ENCODE and NIH Epigenomics Roadmap consortia organized large multilaboratory efforts to profile the epigenomes of >110 different mammalian somatic cell types. This generated valuable publicly accessible datasets that are being mined to reveal genome-wide patterns of a variety of different epigenetic parameters. This consortia approach facilitated the powerful and comprehensive multiparametric integrative analysis of the epigenomes in each cell type. However, no germ cell types were included among the cell types characterized by either of these consortia. Thus, comprehensive epigenetic profiling data are not generally available for the most evolutionarily important cells, male and female germ cells. We discuss the need for reproductive biologists to generate similar multiparametric epigenomic profiling datasets for both male and female germ cells at different developmental stages and summarize our recent effort to derive such data for mammalian spermatogonial stem cells and progenitor spermatogonia.
Topics: Adult Germline Stem Cells; Animals; Cell Differentiation; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenome; Epigenomics; Female; Male; Mammals; Ovum; Spermatogonia; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 34250539
DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab135 -
The International Journal of... 2020Sexually reproducing organisms generate male and female haploid gametes, which meet and fuse at fertilization to produce a diploid zygote. The evolutionary process of... (Review)
Review
Sexually reproducing organisms generate male and female haploid gametes, which meet and fuse at fertilization to produce a diploid zygote. The evolutionary process of speciation is achieved and maintained by ensuring that gametes undergo productive fusion only within a species. In animals, hybrids from cross-species fertilization events may develop normally, but are usually sterile (Fitzpatrick, 2004). Metazoan sperm and eggs have several features to ensure that the gametes, which have evolved independently and also in conflict with each other, are competent to undergo fertilization (Firman, 2018). Fertilization is a specific process that is ideally supposed to result in randomized fusion of compatible egg and sperm. Here, I will discuss key processes driven by maternal factors in the egg that dictate earliest stages of gamete recognition, gamete choice and fusion in metazoans.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Female; Germ Cells; Male; Maternal Inheritance; Reproduction; Sperm-Ovum Interactions; Zygote
PubMed: 32659006
DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.190156sn -
Trends in Ecology & Evolution May 2023When biological material is transferred from one individual's body to another, as in ejaculate, eggs, and milk, secondary donor-produced molecules are often transferred... (Review)
Review
When biological material is transferred from one individual's body to another, as in ejaculate, eggs, and milk, secondary donor-produced molecules are often transferred along with the main cargo, and influence the physiology and fitness of the receiver. Both social and solitary animals exhibit such social transfers at certain life stages. The secondary, bioactive, and transfer-supporting components in socially transferred materials have evolved convergently to the point where they are used in applications across taxa and type of transfer. The composition of these materials is typically highly dynamic and context dependent, and their components drive the physiological and behavioral evolution of many taxa. Our establishment of the concept of socially transferred materials unifies this multidisciplinary topic and will benefit both theory and applications.
Topics: Animals; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Milk; Ovum; Semen
PubMed: 36543692
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.11.010 -
Poultry Science Jul 2021Due to consumer demand and changing welfare standards on health, ecology, equity, and safety concepts, poultry production has changed markedly over the past 20 y. One of... (Review)
Review
Due to consumer demand and changing welfare standards on health, ecology, equity, and safety concepts, poultry production has changed markedly over the past 20 y. One of the greatest changes to poultry production standards is now offering poultry limited access to the outdoors in alternative and organic poultry production operations. Although operations allowing access to the outdoors are still only a small portion of commercial poultry production, it may impact the gastrointestinal (GIT) health of the bird in different ways than birds raised under conventional management systems. The present review describes current research results in alternative systems by identifying how different poultry production operations (diet, environmental disruptive factors, diseases) impact the ecology and health of the GIT. Various research efforts will be discussed that illustrate the nutritional value of free-range forages and how forages could be beneficial to animal health and production of both meat and eggs. The review also highlights the need for potential interventions to limit diseases without using antibiotics. These alternatives could enhance both economics and sustainability in organic and free-range poultry production.
Topics: Animal Husbandry; Animals; Chickens; Meat; Ovum; Poultry
PubMed: 34058563
DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101173 -
Cold Spring Harbor Protocols Mar 2021Nearly a century ago, studies by Lancelot Hogben and others demonstrated that ovulation in female can be induced via injection of mammalian gonadotropins into the...
Nearly a century ago, studies by Lancelot Hogben and others demonstrated that ovulation in female can be induced via injection of mammalian gonadotropins into the dorsal lymph sac, allowing for egg production throughout the year independent of the normal reproductive cycles. Hormonally induced females are capable of producing thousands of eggs in a single spawning, which can then be fertilized to generate embryos or used as a substrate for generation of egg extracts. The protocol for induction of ovulation and subsequent egg collection is straightforward and robust, yet some of its details may vary among laboratories based on prior training, availability of necessary reagents, or the experimental objectives. As the goal of this protocol is not to describe every single variation possible for acquiring eggs but to provide a simple and clear description that can be easily applied by researchers with no prior working experience with , we focus on describing the method we use at the National Resource-that is, inducing ovulation in via dorsal lymph sac injection of gonadotropic hormones and the stimulation of egg laying through application of gentle pressure to the females.
Topics: Animals; Female; Gonadotropins; Ovum; Physiology; Xenopus laevis
PubMed: 33272976
DOI: 10.1101/pdb.prot106203 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... May 2023In recent years, cellular biomechanical properties have been investigated as an alternative to morphological assessments for oocyte selection in reproductive science....
In recent years, cellular biomechanical properties have been investigated as an alternative to morphological assessments for oocyte selection in reproductive science. Despite the high relevance of cell viscoelasticity characterization, the reconstruction of spatially distributed viscoelastic parameter images in such materials remains a major challenge. Here, a framework for mapping viscoelasticity at the subcellular scale is proposed and applied to live mouse oocytes. The strategy relies on the principles of optical microelastography for imaging in combination with the overlapping subzone nonlinear inversion technique for complex-valued shear modulus reconstruction. The three-dimensional nature of the viscoelasticity equations was accommodated by applying an oocyte geometry-based 3D mechanical motion model to the measured wave field. Five domains-nucleolus, nucleus, cytoplasm, perivitelline space, and zona pellucida-could be visually differentiated in both oocyte storage and loss modulus maps, and statistically significant differences were observed between most of these domains in either property reconstruction. The method proposed herein presents excellent potential for biomechanical-based monitoring of oocyte health and complex transformations across lifespan. It also shows appreciable latitude for generalization to cells of arbitrary shape using conventional microscopy equipment.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Oocytes; Zona Pellucida; Cytoplasm; Microscopy
PubMed: 37186851
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213836120 -
Cell Death and Differentiation Aug 2022Soon after fertilization, the block mechanisms are developed in the zona pellucida (ZP) and plasma membrane of the egg to prevent any additional sperm from binding,...
Soon after fertilization, the block mechanisms are developed in the zona pellucida (ZP) and plasma membrane of the egg to prevent any additional sperm from binding, penetration, and fusion. However, the molecular basis and underlying mechanism for the post-fertilization block to sperm penetration through ZP has not yet been determined. Here, we find that transglutaminase 2 (Tgm2), an enzyme that catalyzes proteins by the formation of an isopeptide bond within or between polypeptide chains, crosslinks zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (ZP3) to result in the ZP hardening after fertilization and thus prevents polyspermy. Tgm2 abundantly accumulates in the subcortical region of the oocytes and vanishes upon fertilization. Both inhibition of Tgm2 activity in oocytes by the specific inhibitor in vitro and genetic ablation of Tgm2 in vivo cause the presence of additional sperm in the perivitelline space of fertilized eggs, consequently leading to the polyploid embryos. Biochemically, recombinant Tgm2 binds to and crosslinks ZP3 proteins in vitro, and incubation of oocytes with recombinant Tgm2 protein inhibits the polyspermy. Altogether, our data identify Tgm2 as a participant of zona block to the post-fertilization sperm penetration via hardening ZP surrounding fertilized eggs, extending our current understanding about the molecular basis of block to polyspermy.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Mice; Oocytes; Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2; Proteins; Semen; Sperm-Ovum Interactions; Spermatozoa; Zona Pellucida; Zona Pellucida Glycoproteins
PubMed: 35017645
DOI: 10.1038/s41418-022-00933-0 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2021In mammals, integrins are heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins that represent a large group of cell adhesion receptors involved in cell-cell, cell-extracellular... (Review)
Review
In mammals, integrins are heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins that represent a large group of cell adhesion receptors involved in cell-cell, cell-extracellular matrix, and cell-pathogen interactions. Integrin receptors are an important part of signalization pathways and have an ability to transmit signals into and out of cells and participate in cell activation. In addition to somatic cells, integrins have also been detected on germ cells and are known to play a crucial role in complex gamete-specific physiological events, resulting in sperm-oocyte fusion. The main aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on integrins in reproduction and deliver novel perspectives and graphical interpretations presenting integrin subunits localization and their dynamic relocation during sperm maturation in comparison to the oocyte. A significant part of this review is devoted to discussing the existing view of the role of integrins during sperm migration through the female reproductive tract; oviductal reservoir formation; sperm maturation processes ensuing capacitation and the acrosome reaction, and their direct and indirect involvement in gamete membrane adhesion and fusion leading to fertilization.
Topics: Animals; Female; Humans; Integrins; Male; Oocytes; Sperm Capacitation; Sperm-Ovum Interactions; Spermatozoa
PubMed: 34769240
DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111809 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... Dec 2019Changes in the intracellular concentration of calcium ([Ca]) represent a vital signaling mechanism enabling communication between and among cells as well as with the... (Review)
Review
Changes in the intracellular concentration of calcium ([Ca]) represent a vital signaling mechanism enabling communication between and among cells as well as with the environment. Cells have developed a sophisticated set of molecules, "the Ca toolkit," to adapt [Ca] changes to specific cellular functions. Mammalian oocytes and eggs, the subject of this review, are not an exception, and in fact the initiation of embryo devolvement in all species is entirely dependent on distinct [Ca] responses. Here, we review the components of the Ca toolkit present in mammalian oocytes and eggs, the regulatory mechanisms that allow these cells to accumulate Ca in the endoplasmic reticulum, release it, and maintain basal and stable cytoplasmic concentrations. We also discuss electrophysiological and genetic studies that have uncovered Ca influx channels in oocytes and eggs, and we analyze evidence supporting the role of a sperm-specific phospholipase C isoform as the trigger of Ca oscillations during mammalian fertilization including its implication in fertility.
Topics: Animals; Calcium; Calcium Signaling; Cell Membrane; Homeostasis; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors; Ion Channels; Mitochondria; Oocytes; Ovum
PubMed: 31427376
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a035162