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Gene activity and cleavage arrest in human pre-embryos
J K Artley1, P R Braude, M H Johnson
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, United Medical School of Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
Human Reproduction (Oxford, England)
|August 1, 1992
Summary
Spontaneous cleavage arrest in human embryos is common. However, gene activation can still occur, indicating it
Area of Science:
- Human embryology
- Developmental biology
- Gene expression
Background:
- Spontaneous cleavage arrest occurs frequently in early human development (4-8 cell stage).
- This arrest coincides with embryonic genome activation (EGA), suggesting a potential link.
- Gene expression in human pre-embryos involves alpha-amanitin-sensitive protein synthesis changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of gene expression in spontaneous cleavage arrest of human pre-embryos.
- To determine if cleavage arrest is always associated with a failure of embryonic genome activation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of protein synthetic patterns in human pre-embryos exhibiting cleavage arrest in vitro.
- Assessment of alpha-amanitin sensitivity of synthesized proteins to indicate gene expression.
Main Results:
- Out of 54 cleavage-arrested embryos, 27 showed synthesis of alpha-amanitin-sensitive proteins.
- This suggests that embryonic genome activation can proceed despite cleavage arrest.
- Gene expression activation is not solely dependent on cell number or time in culture.
Conclusions:
- Cleavage arrest in human embryos is not invariably linked to a failure of gene activation.
- Embryonic genome activation may be related to ongoing karyokinesis rather than cell count or culture duration.