title: Abnormal gene expression in regular and aggregated somatic cell nuclear transfer placentas.
abstract: Placental defects in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) are a major cause of complications during pregnancy. One of the most critical factors for the success of SCNT is the successful epigenetic reprogramming of donor cells. Recently, it was reported that the placental weight in mice cloned with the aggregated SCNT method was significantly reduced. Here, we examine the profile of abnormal gene expression using microarray technology in both regular SCNT and aggregated SCNT placentas as well as in vivo fertilization placentas. One SCNT embryo was aggregated with two 2 to 4 -cell stage tetraploid embryos from B6D2F1 mice (C57BL/6 × DBA/2).
  
  
  
  In SCNT placentas, 206 (1.6%) of the 12,816 genes probed were either up-regulated or down-regulated by more than two-fold. However, 52 genes (0.4%) showed differential expression in aggregated SCNT placentas compared to that in controls. In comparison of both types of SCNT placentas with the controls, 33 (92%) out of 36 genes were found to be up-regulated (>2-fold) in SCNT placentas. Among 36 genes, 13 (36%) genes were up-regulated in the aggregated SCNT placentas. Eighty-five genes were down-regulated in SCNT placentas compared with the controls. However, only 9 (about 10.5%) genes were down-regulated in the aggregated SCNT placentas. Of the 34 genes known as imprinted genes, expression was lower in SCNT placentas than that in the controls. Thus, these genes may be the cause of placentomegaly in mice produced post SCNT.
  
  
  
  These results suggest that placentomegaly in the SCNT placentas was probably caused by abnormal expression of multiple genes. Taken together, these results suggest that abnormal gene expression in cloned placentas was reduced in a genome-wide manner using the aggregation method with tetraploid embryos.
authors.affiliation: Animal Biotechnology, Graduate School of Future Convergence Technology, Institute of Genetic Engineering, Hankyong National University, Ansung, 17579, Korea.|National Primate Research Center & Futuristic Animal Resource & Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Ochang, 28116, Korea.
authors.forename: Bo-Woong
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.affiliation: Animal Biotechnology, Graduate School of Future Convergence Technology, Institute of Genetic Engineering, Hankyong National University, Ansung, 17579, Korea.
authors.forename: Chae-Won
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutrition, Hoseo University, Asan, 31499, Korea.
authors.forename: Myung-Hwa
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Animal Biotechnology, Graduate School of Future Convergence Technology, Institute of Genetic Engineering, Hankyong National University, Ansung, 17579, Korea. ksmin@hknu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kwan-Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Min
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006822:Hybrid Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome
keywords: Abnormal gene expression; Aggregated SCNT; Placenta