Methylation Status of Imprinted Genes and Repetitive Elements in Sperm DNA from Infertile Males

Stochastic, environmentally and/or genetically induced disturbances in the genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming processes during male germ-cell development may contribute to male infertility. To test this hypothesis, we have studied the methylation levels of 2 paternally (H19 and GTL2) and 5 maternally methylated (LIT1, MEST, NESPAS, PEG3, and SNRPN) imprinted genes, as well as of ALU and LINE1 repetitive elements in 141 sperm samples, which were used for assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including 106 couples with strictly male-factor or combined male and female infertility and 28 couples with strictly female-factor infertility. Aberrant methylation imprints showed a significant association with abnormal semen parameters, but did not seem to influence ART outcome. Repeat methylation also differed significantly between sperm samples from infertile and presumably fertile males. However, in contrast to imprinted genes, ALU methylation had a significant impact on pregnancy and live-birth rate in couples with male-factor or combined infertility. ALU methylation was significantly high-er in sperm samples leading to pregnancy and live-birth than in those that did not. Sperm samples leading to abortions showed significantly lower ALU methylation levels than those leading to the birth of a baby. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

The Ursinus Weekly, December 10, 1956

Christmas parties for children given by three groups • Holy Communion to be held Dec. 13 • Class of 1959 sponsors Dogpatch drag Dec. 8 • Morning watch to be held by SWC • Weekly staffs have Christmas dinner, Dec. 4 • APO offers share-the-ride plan to students • Nineteenth annual Messiah presented Thursday, Dec. 6 • MSGA council issues warnings on speeding, parking • Y groups hear two speakers Wed. • SRC presents Coffee klatch on Fridays • Graduation programs on sale during this week • Annual Christmas ball to take place Wednesday night • UC Help Hungary drive ends Friday • Resumes for interviews due on Friday, Dec. 14 • Lantern appears tomorrow • Editorial: It\u27s an idiom; Our morality and the foreign policy • Letters to the editor • Christmas song • Old dog, new tricks • Modern Christmas carol • Intramurals move into full swing; Derr, Curtis III are teams to beat • Cubs top Pharm; Could go unbeaten • Court belles top alumni, 56-36, Sat. • Famous, Donnelly receive Eastern grid honors • Bears seek win Tues. night after dropping four straight • Grapplers to open on Jan. 12; Heavy divisions very weak • Althouse - Haverstick engagement • Inquirer releases Phila. best-selling book list • McClures to give party for Jr. and Sr. women • Ursinus Circle has Christmas music program • Twelve students to appear in 1957 college Who\u27s who • Pre-med, chem societies to have joint meeting • Schrull - Engel engagement • Curtain Club group sees Measure for measure • Class rules are published by two student councilshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1418/thumbnail.jp

The Ursinus Weekly, February 18, 1957

Visiting group to complete U.C. evaluation this week • Twenty students enter at mid-year • Men\u27s council hears suggestions • Curtain Club to present The Valiant on Feb. 26 • W.F. Speilman, member of UC maintenance staff, dies • Chest drive dates released • Y association to hear refugees • Senate decides on WSGA revisions • Frosh women\u27s representatives chosen; To be installed on Color Day, Thursday • St. John Terrell addresses Forum on drama history • Peirce - Pauli engagement • Dave Burger made king of annual Lorelei, Fri., Feb. 15 • Selective Service rules published by administration • Snyder receives Ph.D. degree Feb. 9 • S.R.C. discusses mental health • Two UC women attend confab on religious work • Chess Club plays F&M • Editorial: Word of welcome and some comments on evaluation • May Day • Brotherhood Week and the work of the National Conference of Christians and Jews • IRC to hear talk tonight on U.S. and Phillipines • Age of service • Cagers lose to Fords in overtime; Lose to Garnet five Saturday, 84-64 • Ursinus mermaids defeat Drexel Wed. • Belles register two net shutouts • William Yost resigns from court post • Padula stopped as matmen score win over E\u27town, Sat. • Chi Alpha hears Baker, sponsors weekly talks • Newman Club to hear discussion on J.H. Newman • Y heads discuss activities, plans at retreat, Sat. • Pre-med society hears Mercurio; Plans dinner • Fourteen go on mid-year trip to Washington, D.C. • Reed and Barton contest to run through Feb., Mar.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1421/thumbnail.jp

Spatial, temporal and interindividual epigenetic variation of functionally important DNA methylation patterns

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that plays an important role in gene regulation. It can be influenced by stochastic events, environmental factors and developmental programs. However, little is known about the natural variation of gene-specific methylation patterns. In this study, we performed quantitative methylation analyses of six differentially methylated imprinted genes (H19, MEG3, LIT1, NESP55, PEG3 and SNRPN), one hypermethylated pluripotency gene (OCT4) and one hypomethylated tumor suppressor gene (APC) in chorionic villus, fetal and adult cortex, and adult blood samples. Both average methylation level and range of methylation variation depended on the gene locus, tissue type and/or developmental stage. We found considerable variability of functionally important methylation patterns among unrelated healthy individuals and a trend toward more similar methylation levels in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic twins. Imprinted genes showed relatively little methylation changes associated with aging in individuals who are >25 years. The relative differences in methylation among neighboring CpGs in the generally hypomethylated APC promoter may not only reflect stochastic fluctuations but also depend on the tissue type. Our results are consistent with the view that most methylation variation may arise after fertilization, leading to epigenetic mosaicism

Sensitivity analysis and reduction of a dynamic model of a bioproduction of fructo-oligosaccharides

Starting from a relatively detailed model of a bioprocess producing fructo-oligosaccharides, a set of experimental data collected in batch and fed-batch experiments is exploited to estimate the unknown model parameters. The original model includes the growth of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans which produces the enzymes responsible for the hydrolysis and transfructosylation reactions, and as such contains 25 kinetic parameters and 16 pseudo-stoichiometric coefficients, which are not uniquely identifiable with the data at hand. The aim of this study is, therefore, to show how sensitivity analysis and quantitative indicators based on the Fisher information matrix can be used to reduce the detailed model to a practically identifiable model. Parametric sensitivity analysis can indeed be used to progressively simplify the model to a representation involving 15 kinetic parameters and 8 pseudo-stoichiometric coefficients. The reduced model provides satisfactory prediction and can be convincingly cross validated.The authors thank the financial support from the F.R.S.-FNRS, the Belgium National Fund for the Scientific Research (Research Project 24643.08). C. Nobre thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469 /2013 unit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Genome-Scale DNA Repair RNAi Screen Identifies SPG48 as a Novel Gene Associated with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia

We have identified a novel gene in a genome-wide, double-strand break DNA repair RNAi screen and show that is involved in the neurological disease hereditary spastic paraplegia

Plant Networks for Processing Recyclable Materials

10.1287/msom.2013.0437Manufacturing and Service Operations Management154670-688MSOM

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

In 2012, genetically engineered (GE) crops were grown by 17.3 million farmers on over 170 million hectares. Over 70% of harvested GE biomass is fed to food producing animals, making them the major consumers of GE crops for the past 15 plus years. Prior to commercialization, GE crops go through an extensive regulatory evaluation. Over one hundred regulatory submissions have shown compositional equivalence, and comparable levels of safety, between GE crops and their conventional counterparts. One component of regulatory compliance is whole GE food/feed animal feeding studies. Both regulatory studies and independent peer-reviewed studies have shown that GE crops can be safely used in animal feed, and rDNA fragments have never been detected in products (e.g. milk, meat, eggs) derived from animals that consumed GE feed. Despite the fact that the scientific weight of evidence from these hundreds of studies have not revealed unique risks associated with GE feed, some groups are calling for more animal feeding studies, including long-term rodent studies and studies in target livestock species for the approval of GE crops. It is an opportune time to review the results of such studies as have been done to date to evaluate the value of the additional information obtained. Requiring long-term and target animal feeding studies would sharply increase regulatory compliance costs and prolong the regulatory process associated with the commercialization of GE crops. Such costs may impede the development of feed crops with enhanced nutritional characteristics and durability, particularly in the local varieties in small and poor developing countries. More generally it is time for regulatory evaluations to more explicitly consider both the reasonable and unique risks and benefits associated with the use of both GE plants and animals in agricultural systems, and weigh them against those associated with existing systems, and those of regulatory inaction. This would represent a shift away from a GE evaluation process that currently focuses only on risk assessment and identifying ever diminishing marginal hazards, to a regulatory approach that more objectively evaluates and communicates the likely impact of approving a new GE plant or animal on agricultural production systems