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Advanced Research on Comparative Reproductive Physiology

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2026 | Viewed by 1117

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-58185 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: andrology; reproductive biotechnologies; gamete interactions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The homeostasis of reproduction warrants life, through a series of highly dynamic and integrated events occurring in the reproductive system of males and females. Current developments have focused—with great success—on omics at all levels, but often restricted to in vitro and ex vivo procedures and even on single cells, deviating somewhat our holistic view of reproductive physiology in processes that underpin health through the lifespan from pregnancy to birth, and beyond, towards adulthood. Comparative studies are not to be forgotten, since reproductive biology shares mechanisms and presents interesting differences among species and classes, that widen our knowledge and understanding, including those influences by aging and the environment as such.

The aim of this Special Issue is to cover topics—in a comparative approach- including the development, structure, and function of the reproductive organs of animals, domestic or wild, how interactions at molecular, cellular, and tissue levels are regulated through neuroendocrine, endo- and paracrine or environment control. Modulation of function implies all reproductive events, from fertilization to birth and beyond, covering experimental studies at cell-tissue or organism levels.

Prof. Dr. Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez
Dr. Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • andrology
  • sperm
  • oocyte
  • gamete interactions
  • reproductive morphology
  • reproductive endocrinology
  • omics
  • epigenetics
  • pregnancy
  • all animal species

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 1171 KB  
Article
Developmental Morphokinetics and the Transcriptomic Profile of Bovine First-Cleaved Embryos: Normal vs. Abnormal Divisions
by Ariel Michaelov, Dorit Kalo, Moran Gershoni and Zvi Roth
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(11), 4885; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27114885 - 28 May 2026
Viewed by 333
Abstract
While early embryonic loss affects the conception rate in lactating cows, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we examined whether the developmental morphokinetics and transcriptomic profiles of cleaved embryos are associated with developmental competence. Developing bovine embryos were produced in vitro, and their [...] Read more.
While early embryonic loss affects the conception rate in lactating cows, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we examined whether the developmental morphokinetics and transcriptomic profiles of cleaved embryos are associated with developmental competence. Developing bovine embryos were produced in vitro, and their morphokinetics were monitored through 190 h using a time-lapse system. The proportion of embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage was lower following abnormal cleavage, i.e., reverse, direct, or unequal, relative to normally cleaved embryos (p < 0.05). In a second set of experiments, exploratory RNA-seq analysis was performed on first-cleaved embryos, which were individually collected immediately after the first division; embryos were defined by the time-lapse system as normally, directly, or unequally cleaved (n = 6 per group), or reverse-cleaved (n = 5). Analysis revealed 672 genes that were differentially expressed between normally and abnormally cleaved embryos (adjusted p < 0.05). Abnormally cleaved embryos differed in pathways associated with energy production and metabolism. The most profound difference in gene expression (n = 632) was between unequally and normally cleaved embryos, mainly in genes affiliated with the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. These findings support the concept that the morphokinetic pattern of early embryonic cleavage is associated with developmental competence. We therefore suggest that the observed differential expression profiles in abnormally cleaved embryos might be involved in the mechanism underlying early embryonic loss. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Comparative Reproductive Physiology)
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