Safety profiles of offspring born from early-follicular long-acting GnRH agonist protocol and daily mid-luteal GnRH agonist protocol: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH-a) have been widely used for controlled ovarian stimulation in assisted reproductive technology (ART). The early-follicular long-acting GnRH-a long protocol (EFL) and the luteal phase short-acting GnRH-a long protocol (LPS) are commonly used GnRH agonist protocols. We conducted a retrospective analysis to assess and compare the rates of congenital abnormalities and safety profiles in offspring born from the EFL and LPS protocols. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to analyze and compare neonatal data from patients who using EFL or LPS protocols at our center between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2017. The study ultimately included 1810 neonates from 1401 cycles using the EFL protocol and 2700 neonates from 2129 cycles using the LPS protocol.The main outcome measures are gestational age at delivery, birth weight, and congenital anomaly rate.To assess the influence of various factors on congenital abnormalities, a random-effects logistic regression model was employed. RESULTS: The EFL and LPS protocols led to similar congenital anomaly rates (1.64% vs. 2.35%, P = 0.149). No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding birth weight and its categories, newborn gender and congenital anomaly rate. The results of the multivariate logistic regression model indicated no association between congenital anomaly and BMI, duration of infertility, treatment protocol, fertilization method, or embryo transfer stage. Compared with singleton pregnancies, the probability of congenital defects in multiple pregnancies was 2.64 times higher (OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.72-4.05, P < 0.0001). Newborns with congenital defects were born with a lower gestational age compared with full-term pregnancies. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the EFL protocol is considered a safe option for ensuring offspring safety, comparable with the LPS protocol; however, multiple pregnancies represent an independent risk factor for congenital abnormalities. This approach can be widely adopted; however, prioritizing single embryo transfers is strongly recommended to minimize the potential risks associated with multiple pregnancies in offspring.

The Resistance of Soybean Variety Heinong 84 to Apple Latent Spherical Virus Is Controlled by Two Genetic Loci.

Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) is widely used as a virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) vector for function genome study. However, the application of ALSV to soybeans is limited by the resistance of many varieties. In this study, the genetic locus linked to the resistance of a resistant soybean variety Heinong 84 was mapped by high-throughput sequencing-based bulk segregation analysis (HTS-BSA) using a hybrid population crossed from Heinong 84 and a susceptible variety, Zhonghuang 13. The results showed that the resistance of Heinong 84 to ALSV is controlled by two genetic loci located on chromosomes 2 and 11, respectively. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers were developed for identification and genotyping. Inheritance and biochemical analyses suggest that the resistance locus on chromosome 2 plays a dominant dose-dependent role, while the other locus contributes a secondary role in resisting ALSV. The resistance locus on chromosome 2 might encode a protein that can directly inhibit viral proliferation, while the secondary resistance locus on chromosome 11 may encode a host factor required for viral proliferation. Together, these data reveal novel insights on the resistance mechanism of Heinong 84 to ALSV, which will benefit the application of ALSV as a VIGS vector.

Isolation of dsRNA from Plants by Cellulose Chromatography.

As the constitutive molecules of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus genomes and replicative intermediates of single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses, the high-molecular-weight dsRNAs are commonly found in RNA virus-infected plants. Therefore, the dsRNA is recognized as a hallmark of RNA virus infection and the profile of dsRNA has been applied as an efficient tool for diagnoses or characterization of unreported RNA viruses. Cellulose chromatography is one of the most useful procedures for the isolation of viral dsRNAs from total nucleic acids. Here, we describe rapid cellulose-based methods for purification of dsRNAs from plant tissue.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of Fagus hayatae Palib. (Fagaceae).

Complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) sequence of Fagus hayatae Palib. is yet to be reported, and the phylogenetic position of this species is still under debate. In this study, the complete cpDNA sequence of F. hayatae was determined from Illumina NovaSeq pair-end sequencing data. Results revealed that it has a sequence length of 158,360 bp and contains 131 annotated genes, which consist of 83 protein-coding genes, 40 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis of the complete cpDNA sequence indicates that Fagus represents a monophyletic clade within Fagaceae. The species relatedness between F. hayatae and F. engleriana is relatively close.

miR-23a-3p increases endometrial receptivity via CUL3 during embryo implantation.

A receptive endometrium is required in a successful embryo implantation. The ubiquitination-induced ß-catenin degradation is related to the implantation failure.This study aimed to elucidate whether miR-23a-3p regulates endometrial receptivity via the modulation of ß-catenin ubiquitination.The expressions of miR-23a-3p and CUL3 were detected in endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) isolated from pregnant mice and in hormone-induced EEC-like Ishikawa cells. The ubiquitination experiment was performed to explore the effect of CUL3 and miR-23a-3p on ß-catenin ubiquitination level. The trophoblast attachment was detected by co-culturing JAR (choriocarcinoma cell line) spheroids with Ishikawa cell monolayers. miR-23a-3p was upregulated while CUL3 was downregulated in EECs at day 4 after pregnancy compared with day 1, as well as in hormone-induced Ishikawa cells. miR-23a-3p positively regulated the protein level of ß-catenin without affecting the mRNA level. The ubiquitination and degradation of ß-catenin was suppressed by miR-23a-3p, while it was promoted by CUL3. Immunoprecipitation confirmed the binding between CUL3 and ß-catenin. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed the target relationship between miR-23a-3p and CUL3. The ubiquitination of ß-catenin was modulated by the miR-23a-3p/CUL3 pathway. The overexpression of miR-23a-3p promoted JAR spheroid attachments in Ishikawa cells. miR-23a-3p is beneficial for the endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation, whose mechanism is partly through the modulation of CUL3/ß-catenin.