Research Laboratories

Research Team EA 4308



Gametogenesis and gamete quality


Head


Pr Nathalie Rives


Contact


EA 4308 Gamétogenèse et Qualité du Gamète (GQG)
Bâtiment Recherche – 2ème étage Porte 2A
22 Boulevard Gambetta | UFR Santé
76183 Rouen Cedex 1

Phone: +33 232 88 8225 or +33 2 35 14 82 94
nathalie.rives@chu-rouen.fr

GQG


Research Topics


  • Biological quality of male gamete
  • Prepubertal testicular tissue cryopreservation procedures (i.e., slow freezing and vitrification)
  • In vitro spermatogenesis
  • In vitro embryo culture
  • DNA methylation evaluation of spermatozoa and embryo
  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • In vivo spermatogenesis after grafting (human and mice)
  • Cell and tissue fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on RNA & DNA
  • Predictive factor of human male gamete quality within the context of severe spermatogenesis impairment
  • Endometriosis and ovarian functions

Composition


  • 15 teacher-researchers, researchers, engineers, technicians
  • 4 graduate students, 3 undergraduate students

Facilities


  • Micromanipulation station coupled with a PiezoXpert® (Eppendorf)
  • Programmable system that automates the denaturation and hybridization steps in slide-based (F)ISH procedures – Thermo Brite (Leica Biosystems)
  • Single cell gel electrophoresis – COMET Assay IV (Perspective Instruments)
  • Fluorescence imaging station (BX61 – Olympus)
  • High resolution and real-time imaging system for human spermatozoa and oocytes (EmbryoScope®)
  • Human cell and tissue cryobiology station (Freezal – Air Liquide)
  • Cell and organ culture

Activity


The research team EA4308 is a team in network between Lille 2 University and Rouen University. This team, led by Professor Nathalie Rives (PU-PH, Rouen), was created ex nihilo in 2008. This research unit brings medical doctors and pharmacists together with teacher-researchers, involved in the theme “Reproduction”. Research has been focused on “spermatogenesis and male gamete quality”. The team reached its goal of developing a research on the quality of spermatogenesis, which was conducted in two main areas, firstly in the research field of “biological and technological quality of male gamete” and on the other hand, the research on “predictive factors of the presence and quality of male gamete within the context of severe spermatogenesis impairment”, the so called “Hypospermatogenesis”. Two main themes are representative of the team and make up its national and international repute: (i) immature testicular tissue preservation, placing the unit in the position of a national leader in this research topic and a very good place at the international level, (ii) innovative treatment of endometriosis. Concerning the first area, the team tries to evaluate the ability to freeze human immature testicular tissue, to be able to propose an innovative procedure for fertility preservation of prepubertal boys exposed to high gonadotoxic cancer treatment. In this purpose, a model of mice immature testicular freezing was developed with the aim of obtaining a complete, in vitro or after interspecies grafting, spermatogenesis. The different studies are performed within the context of a local collaboration with Urology Department (Pr. Louis Sibert). At the national level, the team is the only one to possess the expertise of immature testicular tissue freezing and also is one of the rare international teams involved in this field.


Main Contributions


  • Evaluation of human spermatozoa quality (nucleus and acrosome)
  • Model of immature testicular tissue freezing (mice and rat)
  • Human immature testicular tissue freezing procedure
  • In vitro spermatogenesis in mice, rat and humans
  • In vivo spermatogenesis: immature testicular tissue xenografting

Main Publications


2018

  • Rives N, Rives A, Rondanino C, Castanet M, Cuny A and Sibert L. Fertility Preservation in Klinefelter Syndrome Patients during the Transition Period. Endocr Dev 2018, 33: 149-157.
    29886483

2017

  • Dumont L, Chalmel F, Oblette A, Berby B, Rives A, Duchesne V, Rondanino C and Rives N. Evaluation of apoptotic- and autophagic-related protein expressions before and after IVM of fresh, slow-frozen and vitrified pre-pubertal mouse testicular tissue. Mol Hum Reprod 2017, 23: 738-754.
    29040674
  • Oblette A, Rives N, Dumont L, Rives A, Verhaeghe F, Jumeau F and Rondanino C. Assessment of sperm nuclear quality after in vitro maturation of fresh or frozen/thawed mouse pre-pubertal testes. Mol Hum Reprod 2017, 23: 674-684.
    28962037
  • Rondanino C, Maouche A, Dumont L, Oblette A and Rives N. Establishment, maintenance and functional integrity of the blood-testis barrier in organotypic cultures of fresh and frozen/thawed prepubertal mouse testes. Mol Hum Reprod 2017, 23: 304-320.
    28333312

2016

  • Arkoun B, Dumont L, Milazzo JP, Rondanino C, Bironneau A, Wils J and Rives N. Does soaking temperature during controlled slow freezing of pre-pubertal mouse testes influence course of in vitro spermatogenesis. Cell Tissue Res 2016, 364: 661-74.
    26714728
  • Dumont L, Oblette A, Rondanino C, Jumeau F, Bironneau A, Liot D, Duchesne V, Wils J and Rives N. Vitamin A prevents round spermatid nuclear damage and promotes the production of motile sperm during in vitro maturation of vitrified pre-pubertal mouse testicular tissue. Mol Hum Reprod 2016, 22: 819-832.
    27671755
  • Mircea O, Puscasiu L, Resch B, Lucas J, Collinet P, von Theobald P, Merviel P and Roman H. Fertility Outcomes After Ablation Using Plasma Energy Versus Cystectomy in Infertile Women With Ovarian Endometrioma: A Multicentric Comparative Study. J Minim Invasive Gynecol 2016, 23: 1138-1145.
    27553184

2015

  • Arkoun B, Dumont L, Milazzo JP, Way A, Bironneau A, Wils J, Macé B and Rives N. Retinol improves in vitro differentiation of pre-pubertal mouse spermatogonial stem cells into sperm during the first wave of spermatogenesis. PLoS One 2015, 10: e0116660.
    25714609
  • Dumont L, , Arkoun B, , Jumeau F, Milazzo JP, Bironneau A, Liot D, Wils J, Rondanino C and Rives N. Assessment of the optimal vitrification protocol for pre-pubertal mice testes leading to successful in vitro production of flagellated spermatozoa. Andrology 2015, 3: 611-25.
    26013105