Efficiency of Two Enucleation Methods Connected to Handmade Cloning to Produce Transgenic Porcine Embryos

The purpose of our work was to establish an efficient-oriented enucleation method to produce transgenic embryos with handmade cloning (HMC). After 41–42 h oocytes maturation, the oocytes were further cultured with or without 0.4 μg/ml demecolcine for 45 min [chemically assisted handmade enucleation (CAHE) group vs polar body (PB) oriented handmade enucleation (OHE) group respectively]. After removal of the cumulus cells and partial digestion of the zona pellucida, oocytes with visible extrusion cones and/or polar bodies attached to the surface were subjected to oriented bisection. Putative cytoplasts without extrusion cones or PB were selected as recipients. Two cytoplasts were electrofused with one transgenic fibroblasts expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), while non-transgenic fibroblasts were used as controls. Reconstructed embryos were cultured in Well of Wells (WOWs) with porcine zygote medium 3 (PZM-3) after activation. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were registered on day 2 and day 7 of in vitro culture respectively. Meanwhile, the total blastocyst cell number was counted on day 7. We found that the difference was only observed between blastocyst rates (38.6 ± 2% vs 48.1 ± 3%) of cloned embryos with GFP transgenic fibroblast cells after CAHE vs OHE. With adjusted time-lapse for zonae-free cloned embryos cultured in WOWs with PZM-3, it was obvious that in vitro developmental competence after CAHE was compromised when compared with the OHE method. OHE enucleation method seems to be a potential superior alternative method used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) with transgenic fibroblast cells.     

猪卵母细胞化学辅助手工去核及手工核移植胚胎发育能力因素的研究

本研究在筛选猪化学辅助手工去核最佳脱羰秋水酰碱(Demecolcine,DC)浓度的基础上,探讨了各种因素对手工重构胚发育的影响,以期建立高效的猪手工体细胞核移植技术体系.观察不同成熟时间卵母细胞在不同DC浓度下的去核效率,并进一步比较了化学辅助手工去核法和荧光染色去核法、不同类型的供体细胞(颗粒细胞、新生巴马肌肉成纤维细胞和胎儿成纤维细胞)和供体细胞的不同处理方法(70％～80％汇合、血清饥饿法和100％接触抑制法)对重构胚发育能力的影响.结果表明:(1)利用DC诱导去核,对体外成熟培养44 h的卵母细胞以浓度0.4 μg· mL-1作用0.5～1 h为宜.(2)用DC化学辅助手工去核与用荧光染色去核的重构胚囊胚发育率差异不显著(13.11％ vs 9.25％,P＞0.05).(3)以胎儿成纤维细胞、颗粒细胞和新生巴马小型猪肌肉成纤维细胞为供体构建的重构胚的融合率、卵裂率及囊胚率均差异不显著(P＞0.05).(4)用70％～80％汇合(对照组)组、接触抑制组和血清饥饿组的细胞作供体构建的重构胚,在融合率上,接触抑制组显著高于对照组(P＜0.05);在分裂率与囊胚率上,各组之间均无显著差异(P＞0.05).研究结果表明,化学辅助手工去核法在实际生产中可以替代荧光染色去核法,能省去去核过程中荧光染色及紫外光照射去核等步骤,从而简化了猪手工体细胞核移植程序,提高了猪手工体细胞核移植效率,能为高效的猪手工体细胞核移植技术体系的建立提供参考.     

The Construction of Cloned Sika Deer Embryos (Cervus nippon hortulorum) by Demecolcine Auxiliary Enucleation

The objective of our study was to establish the feasibility of experimental protocols for cloning sika deer. We performed auxiliary enucleation to improve the efficiency of nuclear transfer operation by optimizing the demecolcine concentration to induce cytoplasmic protrusions in the sika deer oocytes. In the present study,we had studied the impact of different demecolcine concentrations on cytoplasmic protrusions and enucleation rates. We determined that 95.9% of the sika deer oocytes formed cytoplasmic protrusions when treated for 1 h with 0.8 μg/ml demecolcine. The lowest observed rate of protrusion was 19.3% after overnight treatment with demecolcine. When the oocytes aged or had a poor cumulus expansion, they exhibited a significant decrease in the ability to form cytoplasmic protrusions. The rates of enucleation (94.9% vs 85.8%, p < 0.05), cell fusion (84.6% vs 70.1%, p < 0.05) and blastocyst formation (15.4% vs 10.9%, p < 0.05) using demecolcine auxiliary enucleation were significantly higher than those after blind enucleation. These results demonstrated that sika deer oocytes could be enucleated quickly and effectively using demecolcine auxiliary enucleation, which could enhance the enucleation rate, cell fusion rate and blastocyst rate of cloned embryos in vitro.     

水牛徒手克隆的初步研究

徒手克隆是近年发展起来的一种手工化的核移植技术。本试验探讨了不同的去核方法、融合方法和供体细胞类型对水牛HMC效率的影响。试验结果表明,CB处理法去核与荧光染色法去核相比,去核效率及之后的重组胚发育能力均无显著差异(P＞0.05);一步法的融合率极显著高于两步法(P＜0.01),而两种方法构建的重组胚发育能力则无显著差异(P＞0.05);利用卵丘细胞所构建的HMC胚胎的融合率极显著高于耳皮肤成纤维细胞(P＜0.01),但重组胚的发育效果差异不显著(P＞0.05)。说明利用卵丘细胞作为HMC的供体细胞,采用CB处理法去核和一步融合的方法进行徒手克隆,其生产核移植胚胎效果较好。     

小鼠卵母细胞化学去核及手工构建核移植胚胎

为优化脱羰秋水仙碱（DC）诱导去核程序,研究以DC去核卵母细胞为核受体的、无透明带体细胞核移植方法在小鼠体细胞核移植中的应用,试验比较了乙醇、SrCl2两种激活方法及脱羰秋水仙碱处理开始时间对小鼠MⅡ期卵母细胞去核效率的影响;将DC诱导去核成功的卵母细胞去除透明带,与胎儿成纤维细胞粘合、电融合和SrCl2激活后,体外培养重构胚。结果显示,7%乙醇激活后0 min起始DC处理可得到最高的诱导去核率（66.4%）;而在8 mmol/L SrCl2中激活15 min后用DC处理可得到最高的诱导去核率（64.3%）;目前重构胚可以体外发育到8-细胞。试验结果首次证明了SrCl2在小鼠卵母细胞DC诱导去核中的作用效果与乙醇相当,初步证明了将DC诱导去核技术与无透明带技术相结合手工克隆生产小鼠重构胚的可能性,它的成功将大大简化核移植程序。     

Effects of demecolcine and sucrose on the incidence of cytoplasmic protrusions containing chromosomes in pig oocytes matured in vitro

The present study was carried out to examine whether demecolcine and sucrose affect the formation of a cytoplasmic protrusion containing chromosomes in pig oocytes independently or in combination. In the presence of 20 mM sucrose, the rates of oocytes with a cytoplasmic protrusion after culture for 60 min with 0.2-1.0 microg/ml demecolcine were significantly higher than those with 0.01-0.05 microg/ml demecolcine. When oocytes were cultured for 15 min in the presence of 0.2 microg/ml demecolcine and 20 mM sucrose, 35.1% of them extruded a cytoplasmic protrusion; this rate was significantly lower than those of oocytes cultured for 30-90 min. In the presence of 0.2 microg/ml demecolcine, significantly fewer oocytes extruded a cytoplasmic protrusion after culture for 30 min with 160 mM sucrose than with 0-80 mM sucrose. Significantly more oocytes extruded a cytoplasmic protrusion after culture for 30 min with 0.2 microg/ml demecolcine than without it, regardless of the presence or absence of 20 mM sucrose. In 88.9-100% of the oocytes, the cytoplasmic protrusions contained chromosomes with no significant differences among the different concentrations of demecolcine and sucrose and among the different treatment times. The results of the present study show that the cytoplasmic protrusion containing chromosomes in the pig oocyte is attributable to demecolcine, but sucrose does not affect its formation.     

Nuclear transfer in cattle : effect of linoleic acid-albumin on freezing sensitivity of enucleated oocytes

The effect of linoleic acid-albumin (LAA) supplementation to the media for IVM, enucleation, and activation on the developmental potential of bovine embryos produced by nuclear transfer (NT) into frozen-thawed cytoplasts was investigated. Blastomeres derived from morulae was placed in the perivitelline space of frozen-thawed cytoplasts, which were then fused by a DC pulse. The proportion of fused embryos was similar between groups with and without LAA (87 vs. 90%). The proportion of development to blastocysts of NT embryos derived from the media with LAA (14%) was higher than that without LAA (4%), indicating that LAA treatment of bovine oocytes during IVM, enucleation and activation can improve the ability of such cytoplasts after freezing and thawing to develop into blastocysts after NT.     

秋水仙碱化学去核对山羊卵丘细胞核移植胚胎体外发育的影响

研究旨在探讨秋水仙碱化学去核在山羊卵母细胞去核中的应用及其对卵丘细胞核移植胚胎体外发育的影响。结果表明:用秋水仙碱处理山羊体外成熟19h的卵母细胞,可使其核区形成胞质突起,以此为指示进行显微操作去核率可达100%,且用0.8μg/mL秋水仙碱处理30min的山羊卵母细胞突起率可达91.27%,显著高于对照组及0.4μg/mL处理组(P<0.05),与1.6μg/mL处理组的突起率差异不显著(P>0.05)。通过比较盲吸去核法与秋水仙碱化学去核法构建的山羊卵丘细胞核移植胚胎的体外发育能力发现,秋水仙碱化学去核法构建的重构胚体外发育能力较高,桑椹胚发育率显著高于盲吸去核法(P<0.05)。     

徒手克隆工具自制及改进

徒手克隆技术(handmade somatic cell cloning,HMC)解决了由于昂贵设备对核移植技术应用的制约问题。通过徒手克隆刀的自制,不但进一步节省了成本,且更能符合使用者的习惯,提高总的切割效率。试验结果表明,利用自制克隆刀进行半卵法去核,可以达到每小时切割496枚卵母细胞的切割速度和88.14%的存活率;自制聚集针具有制作简单,可以打磨、效果好等特点,可以进一步简化和降低徒手克隆技术的成本,提高克隆效率。     

Development of goat embryos reconstituted with somatic cells: the effect of cell-cycle coordination between transferred nucleus and recipient oocytes

The developmental ability and the nucleus and microtubule dynamics of nuclear transplanted goat embryos derived from in vitro matured oocytes were studied while controlling cell-cycle coordination of donor embryonic nuclei and recipient cytoplasts. Three groups of transfers were studied: G0/G1 (after the fibroblast cells grew to 100% confluence) and G2/M (nocodazole treated) phase fibroblasts transferred to MII cytoplasts (G0/G1-->MII and G2/M-->MII group, respectively), and G0/G1 phase fibroblasts transferred to preactivated cytoplasts, mostly at S-phase, (G0/G1-->Pre group) by electrical fusion. The results showed that fusion and developmental ability did not differ between G0/G1-->MII and G0/G1-->Pre groups. However the developmental rate of embryos in the G0/G1-->MII group was significantly higher than that of the G2/M-->MII group. Most fibroblast nuclei (G0/G1 and G2/M) transferred into MII oocytes underwent premature chromosome condensation (PCC). Normal spindle were only detected in the G0/G1-->MII group. In contract, fibroblast nuclei in pre-activated oocytes rarely underwent PCC, but formed a swollen nuclear structure. The data suggest that in vitro matured goat oocytes can support the development of somatic fibroblasts after nuclear transfer, G0/G1 -->MII and G0/G1-->S nuclear transfer might be effective ways for improving the developmental competence of the reconstituted embryos, and that G2/M-->MII nuclear transfer by electrical fusion (even in Ca2+-free fusion medium) induces abnormal chromosome ploidy.     

In vitro developmental potential of nuclear transfer embryos cloned with enucleation methods using pre-denuded bovine oocytes

Enucleation of a recipient oocyte is an important essential process in the procedure of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The present study investigated a method for the improvement of enucleation efficiency. Oocytes were denuded of cumulus cells before the completion of nuclear maturation (pre-denuded) after 12 h of culture at MI stage and subsequently cultured for additional 6 h until the completion of nuclear maturation and extrusion of the first polar body (PB1). The extrusion rate of PB1 was not significantly different in the pre-denuded oocyte group, compared with control oocyte group matured for 18 h. However, the number of oocytes showing the metaphase II (MII) located just underneath the PB1 was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the pre-denuded oocyte group than those in control oocyte group. To test the effect of pre-denuding on the enucleation rate and developmental potential of embryos to blastocyst stage, subsequent somatic cell nuclear transfer comparisons were made with three different methods of enucleation at MII stage using vital dyes (demicoline and Hoescht) or the PB1 (blind enucleation) to localize the chromosome plate. Enucleation rate of the oocytes with demicoline, Hoechst and pre-denuding enucleation groups were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of blind enucleation groups. However, cleavage rate to two-cell stage and, developmental rate to blastocyst and hatched blastocyst stage, the mean numbers of total and ICM cells in the SCNT embryos with Hoechst enucleation groups were significantly decreased (p<0.05), compared to those of blind, demicoline and pre-denuding enucleation groups. Moreover, the level of telomerase activity was also significantly (p<0.05) decreased in SCNT blastocysts of Hoechst enucleation group, compared to those of blind, demicoline and pre-denuding enucleation groups. Taken together, pre-denuding enucleation group using pre-denuded oocytes was a useful and simple enucleation method for bovine SCNT embryos.     

Ascorbic Acid Improves the Developmental Competence of Porcine Oocytes After Parthenogenetic Activation and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transplantation

In this study, a dose-response assessment was performed to understand the relation between supplementation of media with L-ascorbic acid or vitamin C and porcine oocyte maturation and the in vitro development of parthenotes (PA) and handmade cloned (HMC) embryos. Various concentrations (0, 25, 50 and 100 µg/ml) of vitamin C supplemented in in vitro maturation (IVM) and culture (IVC) media were tested. None of these vitamin C additions affected nuclear maturation of oocytes, yet supplementation at 50 µg/ml led to significantly increased intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS). When cultured in IVM- and/or IVC-supplemented media, the group supplemented with 50 µg/ml of vitamin C showed improved cleavage rates, blastocyst rates and total cell numbers per blastocyst (P<0.05) compared with other groups (control, 25 µg/ml and 100 µg/ml). In contrast, supplementation with 50 µg/ml vitamin C decreased (P<0.05) the apoptosis index as compared with the groups supplemented with 100 µg/ml. In addition, even with a lower blastocyst rate to start with (37.6 vs. 50.3%, P<0.05), supplementation of HMC embryos with vitamin C ameliorated their blastocyst quality to the extent of PA embryos as indicated by their total cell numbers (61.2 vs. 59.1). Taken together, an optimized concentration of vitamin C supplementation in the medium not only improves blastocyst rates and total cell numbers but also reduces apoptotic indices, whereas overdosages compromise various aspects of the development of parthenotes and cloned porcine embryos.     

Developmental Kinetics of Pig Embryos by Parthenogenetic Activation or by Handmade Cloning

The developmental kinetics of pig embryos produced by parthenogenetic activation without (PAZF) or with (PAZI) zona pellucida or by handmade cloning (HMC) was compared by time‐lapse videography. After cumulus cell removal, the matured oocytes were either left zona intact (PAZI) or were made zona free by pronase digestion (PAZF) before they were activated (PA). Other matured oocytes were used for HMC based on foetal fibroblast cells. On Day 0 (day of PA or reconstruction), the embryos were cultured for 7 days in vitro in our time‐lapse system. Pictures were taken every 30 min, and afterwards, each cell cycle was identified for each embryo to be analysed. Results showed that the PA embryos (both PAZF and PAZI) had shorter first cell cycle compared with HMC (17.4. 17.8 vs 23.6 h), but had a longer time length from four cell to morula stages (57.9, 53.8 vs 44.9 h). However, at the second cell cycle, PAZF embryos needed shorter time, while PAZI embryos had similar time length as HMC embryos, and both were longer than PAZF (23.4, 24.8 vs 14.6 h). Both PAZF and PAZI embryos used similar time to reach the blastocyst stage, and this was later than HMC embryos. In addition, when all of these embryos were grouped into viable (developed to blastocysts) and non‐viable (not developed to blastocysts), the only difference in the time length was observed on the first cell cycle (18.6 vs 24.5 h), but not on the later cell cycles. In conclusion, our results not only give detailed information regarding the time schedule of in vitro‐handled pig embryos, but also indicate that the first cell cycle could be used as a selecting marker for embryo viability. However, to evaluate the effect of the produced techniques, the whole time schedule of the pre‐implantation developmental kinetics should be observed.     

Nuclear Replacement of In Vitro‐Matured Porcine Oocytes by a Serial Centrifugation and Fusion Method

The objective of the present study was to establish a method for nuclear replacement in metaphase‐II (M‐II) stage porcine oocytes. Karyoplasts containing M‐II chromosomes (K) and cytoplasts without chromosomes (C) were produced from in vitro‐matured oocytes by a serial centrifugation method. The oocytes were then reconstructed by fusion of one karyoplast with 1, 2, 3 or 4 cytoplasts (K + 1C, K + 2C, K + 3C and K + 4C, respectively). Reconstructed oocytes, karyoplasts without fusion of any cytoplast (K) and zona‐free M‐II oocytes (control) were used for experiments. The rates of female pronucleus formation after parthenogenetic activation in all groups of reconstructed oocytes (58.2–77.4%) were not different from those of the K and control groups (58.2% and 66.0%, respectively). In vitro fertilization was carried out to assay the fertilization ability and subsequent embryonic development of the reconstructed oocytes. The cytoplast : karyoplast ratio did not affect the fertilization status (penetration and male pronuclear formation rates) of the oocytes. A significantly high monospermy rate was found in K oocytes (p < 0.05, 61.6%) compared with the other groups (18.2–32.8%). Blastocyst formation rates increased significantly as the number of the cytoplasts fused with karyoplasts increased (p < 0.05, 0.0–15.3%). The blastocyst rate in the K + 4C group (15.3%) was comparable with that of the control (17.8%). Total cell numbers in both the K + 3C and K + 4C groups (16.0 and 15.3 cells, respectively) were comparable with that of the control (26.2 cells). Our results demonstrate that a serial centrifugation and fusion (Centri‐Fusion) is an effective method for producing M‐II chromosome transferred oocytes with normal fertilization ability and in vitro development. It is suggested that the number of cytoplasts fused with a karyoplast plays a critical role in embryonic development.     

Regulation of in vitro growth of preantral follicles by growth factors in goats

Goat preantral follicles were cultured to investigate the effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the in vitro growth and viability of oocytes. Preantral follicles were isolated mechanically and enzymatically (using collagenase and DNase) from prepuberal goat ovaries. The working medium was composed of Defined Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (DMEM) supplemented with HEPES (20 mM), 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), hypoxanthine (2 mM), dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (dbcAMP) (2 mM), penicillin (75 ng/ml) and streptomycin (50 ng/ml). The culture medium consisted of the working medium with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) (100 ng/ml) and hydrocortisone (40 ng/ml) added. In the experiment, goat preantral follicles were cultured for 9 days in the culture medium and in the culture medium supplemented with either IGF-I (100 ng/ml), EGF (50 ng/ml), bFGF (50 ng/ml) or IGF-I (100 ng/ml)+EGF (50 ng/ml). The results indicated that IGF-I (100 ng/ml) effectively maintained the survival of oocytes and promoted their growth; EGF (50 ng/ml) enhanced the survival rate of oocytes but had a negative effect on oocyte growth; bFGF (50 ng/ml) stimulated oocyte survival but had no obvious effect on their growth while IGF-I (100 ng/ml) and EGF (50 ng/ml) in combination had a greater effect on both survival and growth rate of oocytes than IGF-I or EGF alone. The supplementation of IGF-1 and EGF to the culture medium is recommended in the culture of goat preantral follicles.     

Leptin enhances maturation and development of calf oocytes in vitro

We investigated the effects of leptin on the in vitro maturation (IVM) and development of calf oocytes. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were matured in IVM medium containing 0-100 ng/ml leptin. Experiment 1 showed that exposure of calf oocytes to IVM medium containing 1 or 10 ng/ml leptin significantly increased rates of development to the metaphase II stage compared with the control (81.7 ± 3.0% and 83.3 ± 2.1% for 1 and 10 ng/ml leptin, respectively, vs 64.1 ± 5.1% for control; p < 0.05). Experiment 2 showed that 1 or 10 ng/ml leptin significantly improved cleavage rates after in vitro fertilization when compared to control (58.6 ± 3.3% and 59.3 ± 2.9% for 1 and 10 ng/ml leptin, respectively, vs 48.5 ± 2.6% for control; p < 0.05); in addition, when compared to control medium, the addition of 10 ng/ml leptin to the IVM medium resulted in more presumptive zygotes reaching the 4- to 8-cell stage after 48 h of in vitro culture (30.3 ± 2.3% vs 20.1 ± 2.3%; p < 0.05) and developing into blastocysts after 8 days of culture (20.4 ± 1.6% vs 11.7 ± 1.7%; p < 0.05). Experiment 3 showed that the addition of 1 or 10 ng/ml leptin significantly increased the total number of blastocyst cells on day 8 of culture (114.6 ± 7.8 and 117.4 ± 5.9 for 1 and 10 ng/ml leptin, respectively, vs 92.7 ± 8.3 for control; p < 0.05) and trophectoderm (TE) cells (88.5 ± 5.5 and 90.6 ± 3.7 for 1 and 10 ng/ml leptin, respectively, vs 70.1 ± 5.9 for control; p < 0.05). In summary, these results indicate that the addition of leptin to IVM medium enhances meiotic maturation and embryo development from calf oocytes and improves the quality of embryos derived from these oocytes.     

Changes in Zona Pellucida Surface after in vivo and in vitro Maturation of Caprine Oocytes

Contents
The zona pellucida (ZP) surface features of ovulated, inmature and in-vitro -matured goat oocytes were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The in vitro maturation (IVM) process of the ZP surface of oocytes from prepubertal and adult goats were also compared. Ovulated oocytes were collected from superovulated adult goats. Immature oocytes were recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries of prepubertal and adult goats. In-vitro -matured oocytes from adult and prepubertal goats were obtained after culture in TCM199 supplemented with 20% oestrous goat serum + 10 μg/ml FSH + 10 μg/ml LH + 1 μg/ml estradiol 17β for 27 h at 38.5°C in 5% CO₂ in air. All oocytes were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide. Before IVM, the ZP surface of immature oocytes showed a rough surface with tight holes (Type I ZP). After the maturation process, the ZP surface acquired a lattice-like appearance with the outermost layer characterized by the presence of shallower large holes (Type II ZP) . A higher percentage of oocytes showing the mature type II ZP surface was observed in ovulated than in in-vitro -matured oocytes (82.6 versus 56.7%, respectively, p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in ZP surface features when the IVM process of oocytes (immature and in-vitro -matured oocytes) from adult and prepubertal females was compared. These results show that the morphology of the ZP surface is related to the oocyte maturity in caprine. The IVM process gives rise to an adequate and similar development of the ZP surface in oocytes from adult and prepubertal goats.     

手工克隆小鼠胚胎的研究

与传统克隆相比,手工克隆使用较为简单的仪器设备和技术操作即可生产克隆动物。小鼠作为模式实验动物在多领域得以应用。本研究中采用杂交胎鼠细胞系提供核供体细胞,在含细胞松弛素(Cytochalasin B,CB)和链蛋白酶(Pronase)及2%血清的M199 hepes缓冲液滴(CBMP)中消化透明带并切割去核,电融合后1 h,重构胚置于含Sr Cl2及CB(5μg/m L)的无钙体外培养液(Ca2+-free IVC)中激活6 h,体外培养液(IVC)中清洗3遍后,移入WOW系统培养,培养至小鼠HMC囊胚阶段。研究发现:1)CBMP液中Pronase的浓度相比20μg/m L和100μg/m L,卵母细胞透明带在10μg/m L组需要更长时间消化至消失,较有利于操作;2)直流电(DC)80 V,持续40μs,融合率达60%。3)含10 mmol/L Sr Cl2的化学激活液处理的重构胚与5mmol/L组相比,囊胚更高(29±3%∶13±3%,P0.05),差异显著;4)两种体外培养液,CZB与m PZM,在IVC囊胚率上无显著差异(29±3%∶24±5%,P0.05),而使用CZB可获得较高的囊胚率。本实验首次采用HMC方法体外条件下生产小鼠克隆胚胎,通过摸索透明带消化时间、电激活参数、化学激活试剂及培养液,尝试小鼠体外生产克隆胚胎的新方法,并取得了初步成果,技术优化及效率提高问题仍需要更进一步的研究。     

Caprine somatic cell nuclear transfer using in vivo matured oocytes collected by laparoscopic follicular aspiration

In vivo matured oocytes collected by laparoscopic follicular aspiration (LFA) from hormone treated female goats were used as recipient ooplasts for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Japanese native (Shiba) goats were used as donor females and some donor females were used repeatedly (two or three times) at intervals of a few months. To induce synchronization of estrus, a sponge containing 0.5 g of progesterone was inserted into the vagina of each goat for 14 days. These animals were also treated with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in a series of 8 injections over 4 days. The first FSH injection was administered on the morning of day 9 of sponge insertion. On the morning of day 13, 50 µg of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) was injected into each animal. Twenty‐nine hours after GnRH injection, LFA was performed. After removal of cumulus cells, collected oocytes with the first polar body were selected and enucleated for nuclear transfer. Anterior pituitary cells isolated from an adult male Shiba goat were transfected with a DNA fragment containing the enhanced green flourescent protein gene and the puromycin resistance gene. A single donor cell was inserted into the perivitelline space of each enucleated oocyte and fusion was induced with one electric pulse of 20 V for 10 µs. The SCNT goat eggs were cultured in chemically defined medium at 38.5°C in 5% CO₂, 5% O₂, 90% N₂ for 9 days. By LFA, 396 oocytes were collected from a total of 30 females. After removal of cumulus cells, 64% of them extruded the first polar body. The percentage of SCNT goat eggs produced using in vivo matured oocytes which developed to the blastocyst stage (20–21%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that produced with in vitro matured oocytes (3–8%).     

Production of Cloned Miniature Pigs by Enucleation using the Spindle View System

Porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) has been successfully performed, but its efficiency remains quite low. In this study, we improvised on the enucleation method to enhance the development of NT embryos. Initially, an experiment was performed to determine the location relationship between the metaphase plate and the first polar body, where the results showed that the metaphase plate may frequently be displaced during the varying period of maturation process. When the metaphase plates were removed using the ‘blind’ enucleation method, the enucleation rate was affected by the maturation time; however, when the spindle view system was used, an enucleation rate of 100% was achieved. In the next experiment, these two methods were used to construct embryos: the fusion efficiency was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the spindle view system group and the development rates of the reconstructed embryos were significantly higher in the spindle view system group compared with the ‘blind’ enucleation group (p < 0.01). An average of 174 (141–210) cloned embryos from the spindle view system group were transferred into five surrogate pigs and one piglet was delivered at 114 days after embryo transfer by caesarean section. DNA analysis confirmed that the piglet was genetically identical to the male donor pig. We showed that enucleation by the spindle view system is the another new technique compare the handmade cloning method [ Theriogenology 2007: 68 , 1104 ] to promote the development of the reconstructed embryos, and that a full‐term cloned pig could be produced using this method.