Integrative multi-omics analysis of mitochondrial epigenome, transcriptome, and metabolome in embryos co-cultured with oviductal spheroids

• Grant number: 25/14927-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: January 15, 2026
• End date: June 29, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Marcella Pecora Milazzotto
• Grantee: Ana Beatriz dos Reis Bartoli
• Supervisor: Maria Belen Rabaglino
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Utrecht University (UU), Netherlands
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/16287-1 - Assessment of the Metabolic Profile of Bovine Embryo Co-culture with Oviductal Cell Spheroids in DNA Methylation Dynamics, BP.MS

Abstract

The early stages of embryonic development are highly sensitive to environmental conditions, particularly those related to metabolic and epigenetic regulation. In vivo, the oviduct provides a finely tuned microenvironment that supports embryo development through continuous maternal-embryo communication. However, embryos produced in vitro often exhibit impaired developmental competence, altered gene expression, and disrupted epigenetic reprogramming, limitations that highlight the need for culture systems that more closely replicate physiological conditions. To address this, the present project uses a three-dimensional co-culture model based on bovine oviductal spheroids, designed to better mimic the native oviductal environment. Embryos will be co-cultured with these spheroids and analyzed at multiple molecular levels. Culture media will be evaluated through mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy to define metabolic profiles, while embryos will undergo transcriptomic (RNA-Seq) and mitochondrial epigenomic (EM-Seq) analyses. Furthermore, transcriptomic and mtDNA methylation data from in vivo-derived embryos, obtained through collaboration, will be included to strengthen comparative analyses. By integrating metabolomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic data through a multi-omics approach, this project aims to uncover functional relationships between maternal signals, metabolic states, and gene regulation during early development. The results are expected to provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of maternal-embryo communication and support the development of more physiologically relevant in vitro embryo production systems.