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Reproduction involves making quality gametes – egg and sperm – which are essential for species continuity and therefore have huge implications for human health. The quality of the gametes is not only important for successful fertilisation and embryonic development, but also influences the fitness and well-being of the offspring. Thus, the processes of oogenesis and spermatogenesis are carefully monitored by quality control mechanisms, and heavily influenced by factors such as age, metabolic states, DNA integrity, diet, temperature and so on. In addition, seminal fluid proteins (SFPs), transferred alongside sperm to the female reproductive tract during mating, influence sperm function and the female reproductive system.
This Collection welcomes any submissions that push forward our understanding of reproduction and its impact on offspring in both model organisms and human studies. We welcome studies that shed light on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of how stressors (environmental, cellular, metabolic, emotional etc.) affect gamete formation, SFPs and offspring health, and possible interventions that can improve reproductive health. Alongside original research Articles, we will also consider Reviews, Perspectives and Comments covering these topics. All submissions will be subject to the same review process as regular Communications Biology Articles.
This perspective explores the dual role of the tumor suppressor BAP1 in placental development and cancer. By integrating insights from tumor and developmental biology, the study offers new therapeutic targets for pregnancy disorders and cancer.
Full-field optical coherence microscopy enables high-contrast and high-resolution label-free imaging of the intracellular structure and the dynamics of live mouse oocytes and early embryos for non-invasive quality assessment in assisted reproduction.
An organ-on-chip model of the maternal-fetal membrane interface reveals that HLA-G and PGRMC2 produced by chorion trophoblasts modulate inflammation, thus serving as immunological barrier to prevent membrane compromise.
In this study, the authors show that metformin, a drug primarily used for the treatment of diabetes, provides protection against cryoinjuries in porcine oocytes by reducing membrane fluidity and mitochondrial activity.
High levels of placental growth factor can result in a stiffer microenvironment milieu impeding trophoblast invasion of endometrial cells prior to pregnancy, providing insight into the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.
A study on the small model fish medaka suggests the existence of an intra-pituitary pathway involved in seasonal regulation of gonadotrope proliferation and hormone synthesis in vertebrates via pituitary thyrotropes and folliculostellate cells.
Maternal RNA transcription plays an important role in maintaining vasculature in mouse placental development, associated with regulating gene expression, imprinting status and DNA methylation in the Dlk1-Dio3 imprinted domain.
ADAMTS4 is crucial for VCAN cleavage in the amnion at parturition, which participates not only in extracellular matrix remodeling but also in inflammatory reactions of the fetal membranes.
Transcriptomic and genomic studies indicate that disrupted bone morphogenetic protein pathways may be a root cause of flawed endometrial decidualization in individuals with endometriosis. Enhancing these pathways with BMP2 supplementation shows promise in mitigating these defects.
A Mendelian Randomization study with 36,211 mother-child pairs indicates that maternal genetic variants, influencing a child’s birth weight, impact the child’s risk for common diseases through inheritance and not by effects on intrauterine growth.
A study on clinical tissue specimens and a porcine model reveals that S100A8/A9 mediates endometrial stromal cell fibrosis and IUA by activating the RAGE-JAK2-STAT3 pathway. These effects can be ameliorated through MenSCs transplantation.
Under high temperature in zebrafish, the temperature sensitive ion channel Trpv4 is upregulated in Leydig cells, inducing apoptosis. Leydig cell-specific apoptosis decreases steroid hormone synthesis, impairing the motility of sperm with compromised genome integrity.
Analysis of CRISPR mutants of two Y-linked genes, WDY and PRY, suggest they play roles in different aspects of sperm motility, culminating in an inability of sperm to be stored in female Drosophila melanogaster.
The mitochondrial protease PARL is essential for male fertility in mice, and knockout of PARL leads to an arrest in spermatogenesis due to downregulation of respiratory chain complex IV proteins in the testes and a deficit in ATP production there.
Environmental microbes enhance Drosophila oogenesis by increasing the number of germline stem cells, suppressing apoptosis and accelerating ovarian cell division through hormonal pathways.
Delineation of the zone-specific dynamics of hepatocytes during pregnancy in mice demonstrates that midgestational periportal hepatocyte proliferation is critical for maternal glucose homeostasis during late pregnancy.
Figla and Nobox are both important for folliculogenesis in zebrafish. Figla plays an essential role in follicle formation, while Nobox is important for promoting subsequent follicle development.
Caseinolytic protease proteolytic subunit (ClpP) and caseinolytic protease X (ClpX) regulate meiosis and spermatogenesis and loss of ClpP/ClpX leads to overactivation of the mTORC1 pathway.
Infection of Aedes aegypti with wMel Wolbachia affects female fecundity, fertility and re-mating incidence, but only a moderate amount of Wolbachia proteins from infected males are transferred to females as deduced by proteomics.
A scRNA-seq dataset reveals the transcriptomic profile of individual cell types in the male germline of the mosquito and malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae.