Analyzing the Effects of Intrauterine Hypoxia on Gene Expression in Oocytes of Rat Offspring by Single Cell Transcriptome Sequencing

Abstract

Intrauterine hypoxia is one of the most frequently occurring complications during pregnancy, and the effects of antenatal hypoxia in offspring are not restricted to the perinatal period. Previous studies have reported on this phenomenon, which is usually described as multigenerational or transgenerational inheritance. However, the exact mechanism of this type of inheritance is still not clear. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the alteration in the gene expression of oocytes, derived from intrauterine hypoxia rats and their offspring, by transcriptome sequencing. Our results showed that 11 differentially expressed genes were inherited from the F1 to F2 generation. Interestingly, these differentially expressed genes were enriched in processes predominantly involved in lipid and insulin metabolism. Overall, our data indicated that alteration in the gene expression of oocytes may be associated with some metabolic diseases and could potentially be the basis of transgenerational or multigenerational inheritance, induced by an adverse perinatal environment.

Whole-Genome Methylation Analysis Revealed ART-Specific DNA Methylation Pattern of Neuro- and Immune-System Pathways in Chinese Human Neonates

“…ART has become well-accepted and popular in recent years ( Liu et al, 2015 ; Simopoulou et al, 2018 ; Gleicher et al, 2019 ). Epidemiological and animal experiments show that the early stage of fetal development is particularly sensitive to changes in the environment and that the environmental abnormalities suffered during this period may lead to problems later in life ( Faulk and Dolinoy, 2011 ; Hanson and Gluckman, 2014 ; Grandjean et al, 2015 ; Heindel et al, 2017 ; Li T. et al, 2019 ). During this sensitive period, adverse environmental stimulation may affect cell proliferation and lineage differentiation by affecting normal epigenetic reprogramming processes, leading to abnormal epigenetic modification levels and permanent changes in gene expression patterns ( Yamazaki et al, 2003 ; Hanson and Gluckman, 2014 ; Nelissen et al, 2014 ; Koot et al, 2016 ).…”