In vitro maturation of oocytes is not associated with altered deoxyribonucleic acid methylation patterns in children from in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To study the possible transmission, to the next generation, of epigenetic defects associated with in vitro maturation (IVM) of human oocytes.

DESIGN:

Case-control study using epigenetic data.

SETTING:

Two collaborating university departments.

PATIENT(S):

Eleven IVM newborns and 19 controls, conceived by conventional assisted reproduction.

INTERVENTION(S):

Chorionic villus and cord-blood sampling.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):

Using bisulfite pyrosequencing, we have measured average methylation levels of 6 imprinted (LIT1, MEG, MEST, NESPas, PEG3, and SNRPN), 5 tumor-suppressor (APC, ATM, BRCA1, RAD51C, and TP53), 2 pluripotency (NANOG and OCT4), and 2 metabolic (LEP and NR3C1) genes, as well as 2 repetitive elements (ALU and LINE1) in 2 tissues of IVM and control neonates. Using deep bisulfite sequencing, we have determined methylation patterns of many individual DNA molecules to detect rare RAD51C epimutations (allele methylation errors).

RESULT(S):

No statistically significant impact was found of IVM on chorionic villus and cord-blood DNA methylation at the studied developmentally important genes and interspersed repeats. The RAD51C epimutation rate was low (0.5% ± 0.1%) in all analyzed samples.

CONCLUSION(S):

IVM-induced epigenetic changes in offspring, if any, are relatively small in magnitude and/or infrequent.

• Authors: Galyna Pliushch, Eberhard Schneider, Tamara Schneider, Nady El Hajj, Sabine Rösner, Thomas Strowitzki, Thomas Haaf
• Journal: Fertility and sterility (Fertil Steril) Vol. 103 Issue 3 Pg. 720-7.e1 (Mar 2015) ISSN: 1556-5653 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25572872 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• Case-Control Studies
• DNA Methylation
• Epigenesis, Genetic
• Female
• Fertilization in Vitro (adverse effects)
• Fetal Blood (metabolism)
• Genomic Imprinting
• Humans
• In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques (statistics & numerical data)
• Infant, Newborn
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Pregnancy
• Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic (adverse effects)