The present review summarises current knowledge on the biodiversity of the microbiota of the reproductive tract, possible changes in terms of dysbiosis and its relationships with adequate reproductive health and functioning in both females and males.

Our findings indicate that knockdown of SMARCB1 dramatically reduces embryo developmental potential, with few embryos developing beyond the pronuclear stage. The knockdown of BRD7 had a less severe impact on developmental potential. Our findings also demonstrate that knockdown of SMARCB1 alters the expression of NANOG and POU5F1.

The understanding of the mechanisms controlling the process of sperm production in the testis is still one of the main research challenges. Herein, we revealed a link between the action of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and direct ‘dialogue’ between the cells of seminiferous epithelium, which is mediated by the Notch pathway, in pubertal rats and seasonally breading bank voles. Our findings indicate for a common mechanism of FSH action on Notch pathway activity during onset and recrudescence of spermatogenesis in rodents.

The use of single blastomeres for embryonic stem cells (ESC) generation is an alternative to the use of whole embryos, but it yields lower efficiencies. This work aimed to define the requirements for ESC derivation from mouse blastomeres, resulting in a simplified and efficient procedure. This will contribute to improving the potential of this approach, providing a tool to investigate the developmental potential of blastomeres from different embryonic stages and to reduce the number of embryos needed for ESC derivation.