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[Parental imprinting related to Assisted Reproductive Technologies]
P Fauque1, P Jouannet, H Jammes
1Laboratoire de Biologie de la Reproduction, Hôpital Cochin, Université Paris Descartes, 75014 Paris, France. patricia.fauque@cch.aphp.fr
Gynecologie, Obstetrique & Fertilite
|October 17, 2008
Summary
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) may impact child health by altering imprinting, a crucial epigenetic process. Research in animal models helps understand and mitigate these risks for improved ART outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Epigenetics
- Reproductive Medicine
Context:
- Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) have raised concerns regarding potential impacts on children's health.
- The epigenetic-risk notion links ART procedures to imprinting alterations.
- Imprinting disorders such as Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), Angelman syndrome (AS), and Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) have been associated with ART.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the impact of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) on children's health.
- To investigate the link between ART and imprinting alterations.
- To understand the vulnerability of the epigenetic life cycle of imprinting to ART procedures.
Summary:
- The epigenetic 'life cycle' of imprinting, involving germline erasure, establishment, and somatic maintenance, is vulnerable during gametogenesis, fertilization, and early embryo development.
- ART procedures like superovulation, in vitro fertilization, embryo culture, and embryo transfer can perturb this epigenetic process.
- Studies in model animals provide insights into ART-induced imprinting alterations.
Impact:
- Understanding ART-induced imprinting alterations is crucial for assessing risks to children's health.
- Findings from animal models offer clinically useful information for improving ART safety and efficacy.
- This research contributes to the safe application of reproductive technologies.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Imprinting
Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period. Once imprinting occurs, the bond established between the parents and their offspring is usually long-lasting.
02:30Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
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The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
00:55Parental Care
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
01:24In Vitro Fertilization
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a form of assisted reproductive technology where an egg is fertilized with sperm in a controlled laboratory environment before transferring the resulting embryo into the uterus. This process is designed to help individuals and couples experiencing difficulties conceiving.
The IVF process begins with ovarian stimulation, during which reproductive endocrinologists prescribe hormonal medications to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs instead of the single...
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01:23Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
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