title: Evaluation of blastomere biopsy using a mouse model indicates the potential high risk of neurodegenerative disorders in the offspring.
abstract: Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), used in clinical practice, is offered to couples that may suffer from a monogenetic disorder, chromosome aneuploidy, or X-linked disease. However, blastomere biopsy, as an indispensable manipulation during the PGD procedure has not been assessed for its long term health implications. Using a mouse model, we investigated the effect of blastomere biopsy of in vitro cultured four-cell embryos on preimplantation development efficiency, postnatal growth, and physiological and behavioral activity compared with control, non-biopsied embryos. The mice generated after blastomere biopsy showed weight increase and some memory decline compared with the control group. Further protein expression profiles in adult brains were analyzed by a proteomics approach. A total of 36 proteins were identified with significant differences between the biopsied and control groups, and the alterations in expression of most of these proteins have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore hypomyelination of the nerve fibers was observed in the brains of mice in the biopsied group. This study suggested that the nervous system may be sensitive to blastomere biopsy procedures and indicated an increased relative risk of neurodegenerative disorders in the offspring generated following blastomere biopsy. Thus, more studies should be performed to address the possible adverse effects of blastomere biopsy on the development of offspring, and the overall safety of PGD technology should be more rigorously assessed.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jindao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Xuejiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fuqiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jiayin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zuomin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jiahao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010641:Phenotype; D011247:Pregnancy; D019836:Preimplantation Diagnosis / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors