Patricia Fauque

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) are increasingly used in humans; however, their impact is now questioned. At blastocyst stage, the trophectoderm is directly in contact with an artificial medium environment, which can impact placental development. This study was designed to carry out an in-depth analysis of the placental transcriptome after ART in mice. Blastocysts were transferred either (1) after in vivo fertilization and development (control group) or (2) after in vitro fertilization and embryo culture. Placentas were then analyzed at E10.5. Six percent of transcripts were altered at the two-fold threshold in placentas of manipulated embryos, 2/3 of transcripts being down-regulated. Strikingly, the X-chromosome harbors 11% of altered genes, 2/3 being induced. Imprinted genes were modified similarly to the X. Promoter composition analysis indicates that FOXA transcription factors may be involved in the transcriptional deregulations. For the first time, our study shows that in vitro fertilization associated with embryo culture strongly modify the placental expression profile, long after embryo manipulations, meaning that the stress of artificial environment is memorized after implantation. Expression of X and imprinted genes is also greatly modulated probably to adapt to adverse conditions. Our results highlight the importance of studying human placentas from ART.

Genomic imprinting regulates the expression of a group of genes monoallelically expressed in a parent-of-origin specific manner. Allele-specific DNA methylation occurs at differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of these genes. We have previously shown that in vitro fertilization and embryo culture result in methylation defects at the imprinted H19–Igf2 locus at the blastocyst stage. The current study was designed to evaluate the consequences of these manipulations on genomic imprinting after implantation in the mouse. Blastocysts were produced following three experimental conditions: (i) embryos maintained in culture medium after in vivo fertilization or (ii) in vitro fertilization and (iii) a control group with embryos obtained after in vivo fertilization and timed mating. Blastocysts were all transplanted into pseudopregnant females. Embryos and placentas were collected on day 10.5 of development. DNA methylation patterns of the H19, Igf2, Igf2r and Dlk1–Dio3 DMRs were analyzed by quantitative pyrosequencing. In contrast to blastocyst stage, methylation profiles were normal both in embryonic and placental tissues after in vitro fertilization and culture. Expression of a selected set of imprinting genes from the recently described imprinted gene network (IGN) (including Igf2 and H19) was analyzed in placental tissues by quantitative RT–PCR. Placentas obtained after in vitro fertilization and embryo culture displayed significantly disturbed levels of H19 and Igf2 mRNA, as well as of most other genes from the IGN. As embryos were phenotypically normal, we hypothesize that the modulation of a coordinated network of imprinted genes results in a compensatory process capable of correcting potential dysfunction of placenta.

Children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) now account for a noteworthy proportion (-2.4%) of births in France. Considerable attention is being paid to the outcome of ART pregnancies. The vast majority of these children are apparently normal. However, they are at an increased risk of minor birth defects, low birth weight, and rare imprinting disorders such as Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), Angelman syndrome (AS) and Silver Russel syndrome (SRS). Animal models are important for investigating the possible role of each step of ART (ovarian stimulation, gamete manipulation, in vitro fertilization, embryo culture and embryo transfer) in epigenetic reprogramming This review discusses these issues in the context of epigenetic and developmental abnormalities observed in animals following ART More research is needed on ART-induced errors, focusing not only on genomic imprinting but also on non-imprinted loci, which may help explain some of the more subtle longer-term health effects emerging from studies with animal models.