Assisted reproductive technology and imprinting errors: analyzing underlying mechanisms from epigenetic regulation

AbstractWith the increasing maturity and widespread application of assisted reproductive technology (ART), more attention has been paid to the health outcomes of offspring following ART. It is well established that children born from ART treatment are at an increased risk of imprinting errors and imprinting disorders. The disturbances of genetic imprinting are attributed to the overlap of ART procedures and important epigenetic reprogramming events during the development of gametes and early embryos, but the detailed mechanisms are hitherto obscure. In this review, we summarized the DNA methylation-dependent and independent mechanisms that control the dynamic epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes throughout the life cycle of a mammal, including erasure, establishment, and maintenance. In addition, we systematically described the dysregulation of imprinted genes in embryos conceived through ART and discussed the corresponding underlying mechanisms according to findings in animal models. This work is conducive to evaluating and improving the safety of ART.Keywords: ARTimprinting disordersimprinted genesDNA methylationhistone modification Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis work is supported by the [China National Key Research & Development (R&D) Plan] under Grant [2022YFC2703605 and 2021YFC2700603], [National Natural Science Foundation of China] under Grant [82088102, 82171688, 82192873], [CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences] under Grant [2019-I2M-5-064], [Collaborative Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Health Commission] under Grant [2020CXJQ01], [Clinical Research Plan of SHDC] under Grant [SHDC2020CR1008A], [Shanghai Clinical Research Centre for Gynecological Diseases] under Grant [22MC1940200], [Shanghai Urogenital System Diseases Research Centre] under Grant [2022ZZ01012] and [Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Reproduction and Development].