LncRNAs in haploid bovine early embryo development and embryonic stem cells: a model for parental contributions during development

• Grant number: 21/11912-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: March 21, 2022
• End date: March 20, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Flávio Vieira Meirelles
• Grantee: Ricardo Perecin Nociti
• Supervisor: Lawrence Charles Smith
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université de Montréal à Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/04738-0 - LncRNAs in bovine early embryo development and during SCNT reprograming, BP.PD

Abstract

A fully differentiated cell does not, naturally, return to cellular pluripotency. Although, somatic nuclear transfer, cloning, and other methodologies based on exogenous expression, shows cellular reversibility through nuclear reprogramming. Embryonic development and cell differentiation originate complex tissues and structures through differential gene expression. Furthermore, these processes are regulated by a series of complex genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, including, among others, the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA). LncRNAs are a relatively new class of noncoding RNAs with increasing scientific interest, due to their key roles in embryonic development and gene regulation. However, little is known about the roles played by lncRNAs in each of the parental genomes. For the present project, we hypothesize that nuclear reprogramming and early bovine embryonic development are also regulated by lncRNA present in gametes and inherited by the zygote at fertilization. Using transcriptomics, bioinformatics, and reverse engineering techniques, we aim to identify and characterize lncRNAs expressed in androgenetic and parthenogenetic haploid and diploid early embryos to determine their role during bovine embryonic development and nuclear reprogramming. (AU)