title: Genome-wide microarray evidence that 8-cell human blastomeres over-express cell cycle drivers and under-express checkpoints.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand cell cycle controls in the 8-Cell human blastomere.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from whole human genome (43,377 elements) microarray analyses of RNAs from normal 8-Cell human embryos were compiled with published microarrays of RNAs from human fibroblasts, before and after induced pluripotency, and embryonic stem cells. A sub database of 3,803 genes identified by high throughput RNA knock-down studies, plus genes that oscillate in human cells, was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five genes over-detected at least 7-fold specifically on the 8-Cell arrays were enriched for cell cycle drivers and for proteins that stabilize chromosome cohesion and spindle attachment and limit DNA and centrosome replication to once per cycle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that 8-cell human blastomere cleavage is guided by cyclic over-expression of key proteins, rather than canonical checkpoints, leading to rapidly increasing gene copy number and a susceptibility to chromosome and cytokinesis mishaps, well-noted characteristics of preimplantation human embryos.
authors.affiliation: Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation, 206 Elm St, Suite 106, Somerville, MA 02144, USA. kiessling@bedfordresearch.org
authors.forename: Ann A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kiessling
authors.forename: Ritsa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bletsa
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Desmarais
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mara
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallianidis
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loutradis
mesh_terms: D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015723:Gene Library; D015894:Genome, Human; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins