Browsing by Author "Godakumara, Kasun"

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Extracellular vesicle mediated embryo-maternal communication – a tool for evaluating functional competency of pre-implantation embryos
(2022-05-06) Godakumara, Kasun; Fazeli, Alireza, juhendaja; Jaakma, Ülle, juhendaja; Salumets, Andres, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Meditsiiniteaduste valdkond
Viljatus on ülemaailmne probleem, mis vaevab hinnanguliselt 15% paaridest. Viljatuse raviks kasutatakse kunstliku viljastamist, mis aitab mitmetel paaridel rasestuda. Abistatud reprodiuktiivtehnoloogia metoodikate valik on mitmekesine, kuid kõige kasutatavam on in vitro viljastamine (IVF). Alates 1970-ndatest on abistatud reproduktsioonitehnoloogia märgatavalt arenenud ja aidanud ilmale tuua miljoneid lapsi. Sellest hoolimata on IVF-i edukus alla 40%. Edutu implantatsioon on ebaõnnestunud embrüo siirdamise peamine põhjus 2/3 juhtudest. Nidatsioon on inimese paljunemise üks olulisemaid etappe, kus embrüo kinnitub endomeetriumi. Selleks peab aga endomeetriumis toimuma mitmed muutused. Üheks endomeetriumi muutuste vallandajaks peetakse embrüo ja endomeetriumi vahelist suhtlust. Mitmete rakkudevaheliste suhtluste meetodite hulgas on rakuvälised ehk ekstratsellulaarsed vesiikulid (EV) üks olulisim transportmehhanism. EV on nanoosakesed, mis sisaldavad mitmeid bioloogiliselt aktiivseid molekule. Neid molekule viivad EV ühest rakust teise. Doktoritöös uuriti inimese ja veise embrüonaalse RNA, peamiselt mittekodeeriva RNA, ülekandumist endomeetriumi rakkudelt eralduvatest EV-dest. Embrüo RNA märgistamisega kinnitati, et embrüonaalne RNA kandub endomeetriumi rakkudesse. Selline rakkudevaheline suhtlus muutis endomeetriumi rakkude vastuvõtlikkust embrüo implantatsiooniks, millega tõestati et embrüo EV võivad märkimisväärselt muuta endomeetriumi rakkude talitlust nii inimesel kui ka veisel. Kunstlikus viljastamises on üha populaarsem siirata vaid üks parima kvaliteediga embrüo, kuid hindamismeetodid embrüo valimiseks on puudulikud. Antud doktoritöös leiti, et endomeetriumi rakkudes (eriti endomeetriumi transkriptoomis) toimunud muutused olid seoses embrüo kvaliteediga. Seda tulemust embrüo-emaka suhtluses saab teoreetiliselt kvantifitseerida ja kasutada mitteinvasiivse meetodina hindamaks embrüo kvaliteedi, mis parendaks viljatuse ravi edukust ja vähendaks patsientide kannatusi.
Individually cultured bovine embryos produce extracellular vesicles that have the potential to be used as non-invasive embryo quality markers
(2020-06) Dissanayake, Keerthie; Nõmm, Monika; Lättekivi, Freddy; Ressaissi, Yosra; Godakumara, Kasun; Lavrits, Arina; Midekessa, Getnet; Viil, Janeli; Bæk, Rikke; Møller Jørgensen, Malene; Bhattacharjee, Sourav; Aneta, Andronowska; Salumets, Andres; Jaakma, Ülle; Fazeli, Alireza
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound biological nanoparticles (NPs) and have gained wide attention as potential biomarkers. We aimed to isolate and characterize EVs from media conditioned by individually cultured preimplantation bovine embryos and to assess their relationship with embryo quality. Presumptive zygotes were cultured individually in 60 μl droplets of culture media, and 50 μl of media were collected from the droplets either on day 2, 5 or 8 post-fertilization. After sampling, the embryo cultures were continued in the remaining media until day 8, and the embryo development was evaluated at day 2 (cleavage), day 5 (morula stage) and day 8 (blastocyst stage). EVs were isolated using qEVsingle® columns and characterized. Based on EV Array, EVs isolated from embryo conditioned media were strongly positive for EV-markers CD9 and CD81 and weakly positive for CD63 and Alix among others. They had a cup-like shape typical to EVs as analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and spherical shape in scanning electron microscopy, and hence regarded as EVs. However, the NPs isolated from control media were negative for EV markers. Based on nanoparticle tracking analysis, at day 2, the mean concentration of EVs isolated from media conditioned by embryos that degenerated after cleaving (8.25 × 108/ml) was higher compared to that of embryos that prospectively developed to blastocysts (5.86 × 108/ml, p < 0.05). Moreover, at day 8, the concentration of EVs isolated from media conditioned by degenerating embryos (7.17 × 108/ml) was higher compared to that of blastocysts (5.68 × 108/ml, p < 0.05). Furthermore, at day 8, the mean diameter of EVs isolated from media conditioned by degenerating embryos (153.7 nm) was smaller than EVs from media conditioned by blastocysts (163.5 nm, p < 0.05). In conclusion, individually cultured preimplantation bovine embryos secrete EVs in the culture media and their concentration and size are influenced by embryo quality and may indicate their prospective development potential.
Specific trophoblast transcripts transferred by extracellular vesicles affect gene expression in endometrial epithelial cells and may have a role in embryo-maternal crosstalk
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2019-11-14) Es-Haghi, Masoumeh; Godakumara, Kasun; Häling, Annika; Lättekivi, Freddy; Lavrits, Arina; Viil, Janeli; Andronowska, Aneta; Nafee, Tamer; James, Victoria; Jaakma, Ülle; Salumets, Andres; Fazeli, Alireza
Background. Successful establishment of pregnancy hinges on appropriate communication between the embryo and the uterus prior to implantation, but the nature of this communication remains poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the endometrium is receptive to embryo-derived signals in the form of RNA. Methods. We have utilized a non-contact co culture system to simulate the conditions of pre implantation environment of the uterus. We bioorthogonally tagged embryonic RNA and tracked the transferred transcripts to endometrium. Transferred transcripts were separated from endometrial transcripts and sequenced. Changes in endometrial transcripts were quantified using quantitative PCR. Results. We show that three specific transcripts are transferred to endometrial cells. We subsequently demonstrate a role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in this process, as EVs obtained from cultured trophoblast spheroids incubated with endometrial cells induced down-regulation of all the three identified transcripts in endometrial cells. Finally, we show that EVs/nanoparticles captured from conditioned culture media of viable embryos as opposed to degenerating embryos induce ZNF81 down-regulation in endometrial cells, hinting at the functional importance of this intercellular communication. Conclusion. Ultimately, our findings demonstrate the existence of an RNA-based communication which may be of critical importance for the establishment of pregnancy.
Spermatozoa induce transcriptomic alterations in bovine oviductal epithelial cells prior to initial contact
(2020-09-03) Qurat Ul Ain, Qurat; Viil, Janeli; Ord, James; Lättekivi, Freddy; Godakumara, Kasun; Hasan, Mohammad Mehedi; Nõmm, Monika; Jääger, Kersti; Velthut-Meikas, Agne; Jaakma, Ülle; Salumets, Andres; Fazeli, Alireza
The capability of spermatozoa to directly influence maternal gene expression is already established. Indeed, some of the changes induced by spermatozoa may have a direct functional importance in the pre-conceptional period. Although the mechanisms underlying these sperm-maternal interactions are not well characterized, it is possible that they could involve ligands that are released from the spermatozoa. This study therefore aimed to test whether physical contact between bovine spermatozoa and bovine oviductal epithelial cells (BOECs) is a prerequisite for spermatozoa-induced gene expression changes. We used two co-culture models: a contact co-culture model in which spermatozoa interact directly with BOECs, and a non-contact co-culture model in which an insert with the pore size of 0.4 μm was placed between spermatozoa and BOECs. Messenger RNA sequencing analysis of BOECs by RNA-seq revealed ten differentially expressed genes in contact system and 108 differentially expressed genes in the non-contact system after 10 h of co-culture. Retinol metabolism pathway and ovarian steroidogenesis pathway were significantly enriched in the non-contact co-culture system. Q-PCR analysis revealed that transcriptional responses can be rapid, with increased expression of four genes (DHRS3, CYP1B1, PTGS2, and ATF3) detectable within just 90 min of co-incubation, but with expression levels highly dependent on the type of co-culture system. The findings from our study demonstrate that direct contact with spermatozoa is not necessary to induce changes in gene expression of oviductal epithelial cells, suggesting that spermatozoa may be able to signal to maternal tissues in advance of their arrival.
Zeta Potential of Extracellular Vesicles: Toward Understanding the Attributes that Determine Colloidal Stability
(ACS Publications, 2020-06-30) Midekessa, Getnet; Godakumara, Kasun; Ord, James; Viil, Janeli; Lättekivi, Freddy; Dissanayake, Keerthie; Kopanchuk, Sergei; Rinken, Ago; Aneta, Andronowska; Bhattacharjee, Sourav; Rinken, Toonika; Fazeli, Alireza
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes and microvesicles (<200 nm), play a vital role in intercellular communication and carry a net negative surface charge under physiological conditions. Zeta potential (ZP) is a popular method to measure the surface potential of EVs, while used as an indicator of surface charge, and colloidal stability influenced by surface chemistry, bioconjugation, and the theoretical model applied. Here, we investigated the effects of such factors on ZP of well-characterized EVs derived from the human choriocarcinoma JAr cells. The EVs were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) of various phosphate ionic concentrations (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mM), with or without detergent (Tween-20), or in the presence (10 mM) of different salts (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, and AlCl3) and at different pH values (4, 7, and 10) while the ZP was measured. The ZP changed inversely with the buffer concentration, while Tween-20 caused a significant (p < 0.05) lowering of the ZP. Moreover, the ZP was significantly (p < 0.05) less negative in the presence of ions with higher valency (Al3+/Ca2+) than in the presence of monovalent ones (Na+/K+). Besides, the ZP of EVs became less negative at acidic pH, and vice versa. The integrated data underpins the crucial role of physicochemical attributes that influence the colloidal stability of EVs.