Identification of early markers of developmental epigenetic anomalies in bovine production

Bovine production uses a combination of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs) to improve yield and reduce generation time. In bovine production and in clinical settings, ARTs are associated with elevated rates of developmental disorders in offspring, leading to animal distress, high costs and delayed results. These include Large Offspring Syndrome (LOS) and musculoskeletal anomalies, reported to have a higher prevalence in ART, and are thought to be in part the result of defects in genomic imprinting or other epigenetic disorders. At Boviteq, in vitro produced (IVP) blastocysts undergo a series of morphological and genetic screens to select for embryos with the highest potential. Despite these precautions, < 2% of calves are born with perinatal anomalies. Here, we propose to use a combination of high throughput sequencing approaches in normal and abnormal perinatal samples and in blastocysts to identify epigenetic loci that could be indicative of adverse outcomes. In addition, we will use combined transcriptomic and epigenomic approaches in single blastocysts to generate a transcriptional signature associated with normal or abnormal epigenetic marking at these loci. Through the identification of proxy markers associated with a suboptimal epigenome in the blastocyst, we hope to improve the selection of high-quality IVP embryos

Faculty Supervisor:

Julie Brind’Amour

Student:

Partner:

L'Alliance Boviteq Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: