Xiaoqiang, S. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2023

Insight into perfluorooctanoic acid-induced impaired mouse embryo implantation via single cell RNA-seq

PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is a difficult-to-degrade chemical that poses significant risks to human health and the environment. Studies have shown that PFOA affect female reproduction, but effect and mechanism of low doses PFOA expose on endometrial receptivity are unclear. In this study, we found that exposure to low doses of PFOA damaged endometrial receptivity in mice, resulting in decreased embryo implantation rates in mice. Furthermore, using single-cell sequencing technology, we systematically analyzed the specific mechanisms by which PFOA damages endometrial epithelial cell function and the ANGTL signaling pathway between endometrial stromal cells and epithelial cells, leading to embryo implantation failure. The elucidation of this mechanism provides new targets for the treatment of infertility about exposed to PFOA.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2022

Temporal and spatial dynamics mapping reveals follicle development regulated by different stromal cell populations

Follicle development is a complex dynamic process. The follicles are encapsulated in the stroma, and once the follicle develops, the follicle moves from the cortex to the medulla and finally to the cortex to ovulate in the process of continuous growth. Many of these processes cannot be explained with the follicle alone. Through single-cell and spatial transcriptome sequencing at key time points of follicular development in mice after birth, we found that ovarian stromal cells are not only one of the main cell groups that make up the ovary but that their cell population and spatial location are also closely related to follicular development. Through analysis of cell communication, it was found that ovarian stromal cells were the main transmitters of intercellular communication, and many of the signals they sent were received by granulosa cells and oocytes to participate in follicle development. Ovarian stromal cells are not a homogeneous cell population. We combined single cell types with their spatial location information to divide ovarian stromal cells into four types, namely, structural stromal cells, perifollicular stromal cells, stromal progenitor cells, and steroidogenic stromal cells, each of which plays a different function in follicle development. Indepth studies of the different spatial locations and different types of stromal cells will expand our understanding of follicle development dynamics, leading to new targets and novel approaches for the treatment of ovarian-related diseases.

developmental biology↗