Cryosurvival and pregnancy rates: One‐step protocol for freezing–thawing Shangri‐la Yak (Bos grunniens) Embryos |
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| Authors: | Yinhai Jia Xiurong Yang Chengfu Zhang Shangzhi Yang Ming Li Wenwen Xu Qiumei Ji Hesheng Jiang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China;2. Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Science, Lhasa, China;3. Shangri‐la Zanglong Biological Development Co., Ltd., Di qing, China;4. Guangxi Autonomous Region Livestock Breed Improvement Station, Nanning, China |
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| Abstract: | The yak is one of the most important and economically useful animals for highlanders. The decline in the yak population requires effective measures for the conservation and multiplication of elite germplasm. A standardized protocol will simplify the freezing and warming of yak embryos in straw and facilitate embryo transfer. In this work, we investigated a one‐step protocol that uses a stable basal medium, which comprised a warming medium (1.08 M sucrose) and a freezing medium (EFS40). We also assessed the effects of the new transfer method on embryo survival. A total of 145 yak frozen embryos were thawed in a standard medium system. The one‐step protocol led to a high recovery percentage (84.93) of yak embryos that survived vitrification and warming. The in vitro survival rates of these embryos significantly different from those of embryos frozen–thawed via the conventional method. The 95 embryos frozen–thawed via our one‐step protocol were then implanted in selected recipients. Thirty‐six singleton pregnancies were established. In conclusion, the proposed one‐step method is a simple, safe, and standardized freezing–thawing protocol that ensures embryo survival and quality under field conditions. This study establishes new possibilities for the widespread use of embryo transfer in yaks. |
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| Keywords: | cryosurvival freezing– thawing one‐step protocol Shangri‐la yak |
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