Two studies conducted by the American Rutgers University have made remarkable advances in female fertility research, bringing to the world essential information about the success and failure of eggs to form embryos that lead to pregnancy and birth.
Researchers investigating the problems of miscarriages aimed to identify a way to predict whether an egg will successfully transform into an embryo and continue development, or if there is a telltale sign of failure.
Rutgers found strong clues in two separate studies, using human data and mouse models, answering both questions in the affirmative.
In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, the team found that mouse eggs that develop an unusual cap-like structure before being fertilized are more likely to be viable, attach to the uterus, and continue development compared to ovules without this structure.
Karen Schindler, a professor in the Department of Genetics at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and lead author of the paper, emphasized the importance of the discovery in a context where in vitro fertilization has low success rates.
Understanding the fundamental mechanisms that determine egg and embryo quality is crucial to improving success rates in the clinic, she added.
In the other study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the Rutgers team identified a mutated gene that leads to an abnormal number of chromosomes in mouse eggs. This is a major cause of early miscarriage and failure in in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“We are focused on understanding the genetic basis of female infertility,” said Jinchuan Xing, a professor in Rutgers’ Department of Genetics and lead author of this study.
The team believes that the method developed to identify genetic risk can be used by researchers in the field for further investigations.
Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive after a year or more of unprotected sex, is a common problem. In the U.S., about 1 in 5 women ages 15-49 with no previous births fail to get pregnant after a year of trying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The two research teams set out to understand how some women produce high-quality eggs and why the process of egg formation is so prone to error.
In the first study, the team focused on one of the final steps in egg formation, drawing inspiration from the work of a fellow geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, Ahna Skop, who discovered that the region formed between dividing cells contains essential materials such as be RNAs and proteins.
Using high-resolution imaging of living cells, the team discovered that eggs have a region between dividing cells enriched in essential materials. This analysis led to the discovery of a new cap-like structure that appears between cells.
In the second study, the team analyzed data collected by IVF clinics using a DNA sequencing method. These data led to the identification of a common genetic mutation leading to oocyte failure.
These findings and the methods used have far-reaching implications, being relevant both to clinicians and patients investigating the causes of IVF failures, and to researchers, offering a new way to conduct genetic studies.
More news on republikanews.ro.
You can find us on the RepublikaNews Facebook page.
2023-12-07 20:31:41
#Miscarriage #female #infertility #researchers #discovered #republikaNEWS
