ICSI受精卵胞质注射生产转基因猪胚胎的初步研究

试验旨在探讨单精子胞浆内注射(intracytoplasmic sperm injection,ICSI)法生产猪体外受精卵和应用猪ICSI受精卵进行胞质注射生产转基因胚胎的可行性。首先对比了猪体外受精(in vitro fertilization,IVF)受精卵与ICSI受精卵的胚胎发育效率;然后观察了猪ICSI受精卵的双原核形成时间及效率,对精子注射到胞质后6~18h分6个时间段进行地衣红染色,对比精子进入卵胞质后的状态及原核形成;最后对猪IVF受精卵受精后8~10h及ICSI受精卵受精后12~14h进行EGFP-N1质粒(20ng/μL)胞质注射,观察胚胎发育效率及转基因效率。结果表明,ICSI受精卵的胚胎发育率(卵裂率89.4%和67.9%、囊胚率36.5%和16.1%)显著优于IVF组(P0.05),适合用于猪的体外受精卵试验;猪ICSI受精卵双原核在精子注射到卵胞质后12~14h形成,双原核形成率为54.90%,显著高于其余5个试验组(P0.05);ICSI受精卵胞质注射组胚胎卵裂率(86.2%和66.3%)、囊胚率(30.0%和13.6%)及转基因效率(18.5%和0)均显著高于IVF受精卵胞质注射试验组(P0.05)。本试验结果为采用ICSI受精卵进行胞质注射生产转基因猪的研究奠定了基础。     

玻璃化冷冻牛卵母细胞单精子注射后体外发育能力的研究

实验研究了不同成熟培养时间的牛卵母细胞玻璃化冷冻及胞质内单精子注射(ICSI)后的受精效果。结果表明:成熟后的新鲜牛卵母细胞按照ICSI注射方法穿刺而不注射精子组与未经穿刺的对照组相比,孤雌激活后的卵裂率、囊胚发育率及囊胚细胞数无显著差异(P>0.05);成熟培养16h(MⅠ)和23h(MⅡ)卵母细胞冷冻解冻后形态正常率均显著低于新鲜对照组(76.66%、87.33%vs100.0%)(P<0.05),冷冻解冻后二者分别成熟培养至24h,ICSI后胚胎的囊胚发育率(5.29%、14.41%)显著低于新鲜对照组(24.40%)(P<0.05);成熟培养23h与成熟培养16h的卵母细胞冷冻解冻后形态正常率及ICSI后囊胚发育率(14.41%vs5.29%)均有显著性差异(P<0.05)。实验证明,ICSI操作不会影响卵母细胞发育潜力;玻璃化冷冻影响卵母细胞解冻后形态正常率以及ICSI后胚胎的发育能力;成熟培养23h比16h的卵母细胞冷冻保存后经ICSI的胚胎发育潜力高。     

影响猪ICSI转基因技术效率的主要因素研究

以猪体外成熟卵子和冷冻解冻的死精子为材料,以pEGFP-N1为模式基因,探讨注射台温度、激活后6-DMAP的处理和精子与PEGFP-N1孵育液添加BSA(牛血清白蛋白)对精子胞质内注射(ICSI)转基因效率的影响。结果表明:注射台温度为30℃时的阳性率为40.07%,而38.5℃时为20.97%,差异极显著(P<0.01)。添加BSA的囊胚转基因率为55.56%,对照组为33.33%,差异极显著(P<0.01)。6-DMAP处理组与对照组的转基因率分别为52.53%和26.25%,差异极显著(P<0.01);而且6-DMAP处理组的囊胚率(9.96%)显著高于(P<0.05)对照组(2.30%)。研究表明注射台温度对转基因效率有明显影响,温度高转基因率低;精子与PEGFP-N1孵育液添加BSA对转基因胚胎发育有一定促进和保护作用,有利于提高囊胚转基因率;激活后用6-DMAP处理能提高转基因率和囊胚率。     

单精注射法生产转GFP基因猪胚胎的研究

卵胞质内单精子注射(ICSI)的出现为治疗人类男性不育提供了新的途径。作为一种家畜胚胎工程新技术，ICSI可以解决猪的多精子受精问题。本研究用冷冻/解冻的猪精子与GFP基因孵育后对猪IVM卵母细胞进行ICSI，通过对猪ICSI卵母细胞发育能力和基因表达效率的分析，初步研究以精子为载体的转基因与卵细胞质内单精注射相结合的技术(SMGT-ICSI)生产转基因猪胚胎的技术路线的可行性。用GFP基因转染的精子注射后化学激活的ICSI卵母细胞基因表达率显著高于电激活处理的ICSI卵母细胞的基因表达率。用精子头部注射的猪卵母细胞和用完整精子注射的猪卵母细胞总基因表达效率无显著差异(P>0.05)。结果表明，用冷冻/解冻后的猪精子或精子头部与外源DNA孵育后通过ICSI方法生产转基因胚胎是可行的。     

精子不同处理和胰岛素不同浓度对猪卵母细胞胞质内单精子显微受精的影响

探讨了分别使用新鲜、冷冻和超声波断尾精子以及在胚胎培养液中分别添加不同浓度胰岛素对猪卵母细胞胞质内单精子显微受精(ICSI)胚胎早期发育的影响.结果:(1)使用冷冻解冻精子与新鲜精子相比对猪卵母细胞ICSI后的卵裂率和囊胚率均无显著影响(P＞0.05);2)精子断尾与否对猪卵母细胞ICSI后的分裂率和囊胚率没有显著影响(P＞0.05);3)在胚胎培养液中添加5 mg/L胰岛素与对照组相比可显著提高猪ICSI胚胎的囊胚发育率(18.22% vs 3.60%,P＜0.05).     

不同因素对奶牛分离精子ICSI效率的影响

本研究旨在探讨不同的联合激活处理、精子预处理方法和单精子注射方式对奶牛分离精子ICSI效率的影响。借助显微操作仪将经不同预处理的奶牛分离X精子直接注入体外成熟22～24h的牛卵母细胞胞质内,注射过程采用回吸胞质和不回吸胞质2种处理,最后分别用3种激活方案对注射卵进行激活。结果表明:用CR1aa+Ionomycin+6-DMAP对ICSI注射卵进行激活后,卵裂率和囊胚率都高于A23187+CHX和7%ET+CHX两种联合激活组(63.74%vs61.09%、53.75%;28.54%vs17.68%、22.00%,P0.05);采用percoll密度梯度离心法处理精子,卵裂率(77.10%vs62.19%,P0.05)与囊胚率(26.95%vs22.82%,P0.05)均高于上游法处理组;ICSI时回吸胞质获得的注射卵,其卵裂率和囊胚率均显著高于不回吸胞质处理组(63.10%,25.35%vs41.56%,19.40%,P0.05)。结果表明,用percoll密度梯度离心法处理精子、注射时回吸胞质、用CR1aa+Iono-mycin+6-DMAP激活ICSI注射卵,可显著提高奶牛分离精子ICSI的效率。     

猪卵母细胞与猪、水牛及食蟹猴精子的胞质内显微受精

为探讨猪精子、水牛精子及食蟹猴精子分别注入到猪卵母细胞后原核形成及早期胚胎发育情况,利用屠宰场收集的猪卵母细胞,经体外成熟44～48h后,进行胞质内显微受精(ICSI)操作。试验1:体外培养18～19h,用Ho-echst33342荧光染色,检查原核形成情况。试验2:进行体外培养,ICSI后2d检查分裂率,7d记录囊胚率。试验1结果显示:在原核形成率上,猪同种显微受精,原核形成率(50.10%)显著高于注入水牛精子(37.06%)及食蟹猴精子(37.48%),且差异显著(P0.05),注入水牛精子和食蟹猴精子间差异不显著。试验2结果显示:猪同种显微受精所得的分裂率(86.58%)和囊胚率(29.93%)与水牛精子注入(70.98%,18.48%)、食蟹猴精子注入(78.69%,16.92%)差异显著(P0.05)。结果表明,水牛精子、食蟹猴精子分别注入到猪卵母细胞后,观察到雌雄原核和精子解聚;水牛精子注入猪卵母细胞与食蟹猴精子注入猪卵母细胞,经体外培养发育到囊胚。     

精子预处理和第一极体位置对绵羊胞质内显微受精的影响

实验分别采用DTT处理与不处理精子的比较;活精子和死精子进行精子胞浆内注射(ICSI);第一极体位于6点和12点的不同位置,研究3个因素对绵羊精子胞质内显微受精的影响.结果表明:DTT处理与不处理在卵裂率上差异不显著(P＞0.05),囊胚发育率差异显著(P＜0.05).在第一极体位置,死、活精子对ICSI的卵裂率及囊胚率无明显影响(P＞0.05).     

昆明小鼠与西门塔尔牛异种体外受精初步研究

卵母细胞胞质能否支持异种动物体外受精及受精卵能否发育可为揭示受精本质提供理论参考。为研究异种动物体外受精影响因素，本实验利用昆明小鼠卵母细胞为受体，进行西门塔尔牛冷冻精子体外受精，并从受精液组成、受精条件和有无透明带3个方面考察雄原核的形成及受精卵发育情况。结果显示：在西门塔尔牛冷冻精子的受精液和受精条件下，雄原核形成率高于小鼠试验组（11.7%vs2%）(P<0.05)；且在无透明带条件下，其雄原核的形成率（17.8%vs 12.79%）和卵裂率（27.27%vs 5.2%）均高于有透明带组（P<0.05）。以上结果初步表明，模拟精子源体外受精所需的“原生境”条件可提高异种动物体外受精的成功率。     

不同激活条件及半胱氨酸处理对猪ICSI胚胎发育影响研究

本试验探讨了不同辅助激活方法(Calciumionophore A23187激活、Calciumionophore A23187+6-DMAP联合激活和电激活)、不同精子预处理方法(液氮冻融处理和0.1%Triton X-100处理)和在添加半胱氨酸的胚胎培养液中培养不同时间(0 h、4 h、12 h和168 h)对猪卵母细胞内单精子注射(ICSI)胚胎体外发育的影响。结果显示:与无辅助激活相比,A23187+6-DMAP联合激活和电激活均能显著提高ICSI卵母细胞的激活率、卵裂率和囊胚率(P0.05),A23187+6-DMAP联合激活能显著提高ICSI卵母细胞的受精率(P0.05)。液氮冻融精子组ICSI卵母细胞的雄原核形成率显著高于活精子组(P0.05)。在添加半胱氨酸的胚胎培养液中培养4 h的ICSI卵母细胞受精率、雄原核形成率和囊胚率显著高于0 h组(P0.05)。以上结果表明,猪卵母细胞在ICSI后需要辅助激活来启动胚胎顺利发育,A23187+6-DMAP激活效果较好。液氮冻融精子可以促进ICSI后雄原核的形成。半胱氨酸处理4 h对猪ICSI卵母细胞受精和发育均有促进作用。     

Delay in Cleavage of Porcine Embryos after Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Shows Poorer Embryonic Development

In pigs, the embryonic developmental ability after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is inferior to that resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF). We evaluated the timing of cell division up to blastocyst formation on embryonic development after ICSI using either whole sperm (w-ICSI) or the sperm head alone (h-ICSI) and IVF as a control. At 10 h after ICSI or IVF, we selected only zygotes, and each of the zygotes/embryos was evaluated for cleavage every 24 h until 168 h. We then observed a delay in the 1st and 2nd cleavages of h-ICSI embryos and also in blastocoele formation by w-ICSI embryos in comparison with IVF embryos. The rate of blastocyst formation and the quality of blastocysts in both ICSI groups were inferior to those in the IVF group. In conclusion, the delay in cleavage of porcine ICSI embryos shows poorer embryonic development.     

Electrical activation enhances pre-implantation embryo development following sperm injection into in vitro matured pig oocytes

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electrical stimulation (EST) on pronuclear formation, chromosomal constitution, and developmental capability among in vitro matured pig oocytes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). After ICSI, the oocytes were randomly distributed and cultured into 3 groups: the EST activated ICSI group, non-activation ICSI group, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) group. The proportion of oocytes in which 2 pronuclei were formed in ICSI groups was significantly higher in the former groups than in the IVF group (96.2 and 93.5 vs. 64.5%, respectively, P<0.05). The cleavage rate was significantly higher in EST activated ICSI group (78.6%) than in the IVF and non-activated ICSI groups (51.8 and 46.0%, respectively, P<0.05), as was the proportion of oocytes that developed to the blastocyst stage at day 7 (18.9 vs. 11.6 and 9.1%, respectively, P<0.05). Diploid blastocysts were observed in 52.4, 63.0, and 65.2% of oocytes in the IVF, activated, and non-activated ICSI groups, respectively. Eight out of 23 gilts (34.8%) were confirmed to be pregnant in activated ICSI groups, but none of these pregnancies were carried to term. These results show that oocyte activation after ICSI is effective in elevating the cleavage rate and blastocyst development, while ensuring normal chromosome composition. Further research is needed to determine the pregnancy maintenance requirements for ICSI-embryos in pigs.     

Full‐Term Development of Rabbit Embryos Produced by ICSI with Sperm Frozen in Liquid Nitrogen without Cryoprotectants

The aim of the present study was to establish the technology of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in rabbit by using the sperm frozen without cryoprotectants. Observation under an electron microscope revealed that the rabbit spermatozoa frozen without cryoprotectants had severe damage especially in the plasma membrane and junction between head and tail. However, after being injected into the oocytes, the sperm frozen without cryoprotectants retained the capability of supporting the cleavage and development of the ICSI oocytes, with no significant difference from that of fresh sperm, although the development of ICSI embryos derived from either frozen sperm or fresh sperm is much lower than that of in vivo‐fertilized zygotes. When additional artificial activation was applied following ICSI, the rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation of ICSI oocytes were significantly increased when compared with the oocytes without additional activation. Yet, the cell numbers in blastocysts were not significantly different between the activation and non‐activation group. After embryo transfer, four offspring were obtained from the oocytes microinjected with the sperm frozen without cryoprotectants. The technology established by this study may facilitate exploring the ICSI‐based transgenic method in rabbit and broaden the application of ICSI technique in related field.     

Effects of sperm pretreatment on efficiency of ICSI-mediated gene transfer in pigs

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-mediated gene transfer has recently been shown to be an effective technique for producing transgenic pigs; however, the types of sperm pretreatment having the most beneficial effects on post-ICSI embryogenesis or transgenic efficiency have not been clarified. In the present study, we performed ICSI-mediated gene transfer using pig sperm subjected to various pretreatments and determined the developmental potential of sperm-injected oocytes and introduction efficiency of exogenous DNA. Embryos were then transferred to recipient pigs to confirm gene transfer efficiency during the fetal period. When ICSI was performed using unfrozen sperm heads with tails removed by piezo-pulse, the rates of blastocyst formation (14.2%, 17/120) and transgene (EGFP) expression (11.8%, 2/17) were both low. When unfrozen sperm heads were used that were removed by sonication, EGFP expression efficiency (11/21, 52.4%) improved significantly (P<0.05). Pretreatment of unfrozen sperm with a surfactant or acrosomal reaction did not further improve the rates of blastocyst formation and EGFP expression. However, use of the heads of sperm frozen-thawed with or without a cryoprotective agent resulted in rates of blastocyst formation and EGFP expression that tended to be generally high (23.0%, 14/61-33.8%, 26/77 and 42.9%, 6/14-66.7%, 10/15). A total of 219 in vitro matured oocytes were fertilized by ICSI-mediated gene transfer using the heads of frozen-thawed sperm and then transferred into two recipient pigs. Seven fetuses were obtained, and EGFP expression and integration of the transgene (10-30 copies) were confirmed in two of the seven fetuses. Use of unfrozen sperm thus confers no advantages on ICSI-mediated gene transfer, and although further investigations are needed, frozen-thawed sperm heads appear to be useful in ICSI-mediated gene transfer.     

Embryo development of porcine oocytes after injection with miniature pig sperm and their extracts

This study examined embryo development of porcine oocytes after microinjection of sperm extracts (SE) in porcine intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). SE was prepared from miniature pig sperm by a nonionic surfactant, and various concentrations (0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 mg/mL) of SE were injected into the matured oocytes with a first polar body. In the pronuclear stage, the rate of oocytes with two pronuclei and a second polar body (21.4%) in the sperm and SE (0.04 mg/mL) injection group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to other groups. The rate of 2–4‐cell stage in sperm and SE (0.04 mg/mL) injection group was 38.1%, and it was significantly higher than that in the sperm injection group (22.9%). The rate of blastocyst stage in sperm and SE (0.04 mg/mL) injection group was 21.4%, the value was significantly higher than those in SE (0.08 mg/mL) injection group (0%), sperm injection group (5.7%), and sperm and SE (0.08 mg/mL) injection group (2.6%). These results suggest that SE induces activation of porcine oocytes and their further embryonic development, and that SE is effective for porcine ICSI.     

提高牛体外性控胚胎效率关键技术研究

为了提高牛体外受精效果,试验从性控冷冻精液体外获能方法及抗氧化剂的添加、体外成熟24h后卵母细胞是否部分脱除卵丘细胞3个方面,研究了影响牛性控精液体外受精效率的关键技术。结果表明,一次离心体外获能法体外受精卵裂率[(68.3±3.7)%]、囊胚率[(30.9±2.3)%]与精子上浮获能法体外受精卵裂率[(67.8±2.6)%]、囊胚率[(29.7±3.7)%]无显著差异(P>0.05),但显著高于二次离心体外获能法体外受精卵裂率[(56.1±4.1)%]、囊胚率[(21.6±4.6)%](P<0.05);获能液和体外受精液添加1.0%抗坏血酸组体外受精卵裂率[(70.2±3.2)%]、囊胚率[(35.0±4.7)%]显著高于不添加组体外受精卵裂率[(60.0±4.5)%]、囊胚率[(28.3±3.6)%](P<0.05);在体外受精前,成熟卵母细胞周围的卵丘细胞脱除情况为部分脱除组体外受精卵裂率[(70.1±4.6)%]、囊胚率[(35.5±3.7)%]显著高于不脱除组体外受精卵裂率[(52.9±4.1)%]、囊胚率[(26.1±3.6)%](P<0.05)。由此可见,性控精液体外受精时,获能方法宜采用一次离心体外获能法或上浮获能法,且精子获能液和体外受精液中宜添加抗坏血酸;体外受精前,成熟卵母细胞部分脱除卵丘细胞对于提高性控精液体外受精胚胎发育率具有重要意义。     

Procedure for bovine ICSI, not sperm freeze-drying, impairs the function of the microtubule-organizing center

This study was designed to investigate whether freeze-dried (FD) bull spermatozoa maintained the function of the microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) after rehydration and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In a preliminary attempt, the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates in FD-ICSI zygotes (36 and 1%, respectively) were found to be considerably lower than those in control ICSI zygotes (67 and 21%, respectively) or in IVF zygotes (78 and 43%, respectively). An alkaline comet assay indicated that the DNA fragmentation index (length of comet tail % DNA liberated) was not significantly different between fresh and FD spermatozoa. In the main experiment, formation of sperm-asters in the FD-ICSI oocytes 7 h postinsemination occurred at a similar rate when compared with the control ICSI oocytes (41 vs. 49%). Among the oocytes exhibiting sperm aster formation, the extent of microtubule network assembly was comparable between the FD-ICSI and control ICSI groups. However, the MTOC of the ICSI oocytes was not as functional as that of IVF oocytes in terms of the aster formation rate (97%) and the fluorescent intensity of the microtubule network (2.0 folds). These results suggest that the freeze-drying process per se had no adverse effect on maintaining the MTOC function in bull spermatozoa.     

Consequences for the bovine embryo of being derived from a spermatozoon subjected to post-ejaculatory aging and heat shock: development to the blastocyst stage and sex ratio

The objective was to determine whether aging of sperm caused by incubation at normothermic (38.5 C) or heat shock (40 C) temperatures for 4 h prior to oocyte insemination affects sperm motility, fertilizing ability, competence of the resultant embryo to develop to the blastocyst stage and blastocyst sex ratio. In the first experiment, the percent of sperm that were motile was reduced by aging (P<0.001) and the reduction in motility was greater for sperm at 40 C compared to sperm at 38.5 C (P<0.01). In the second experiment, oocytes were inseminated with aged sperm. A smaller percent of oocytes fertilized with sperm aged at either temperature cleaved by Day 3 after insemination than oocytes fertilized with fresh sperm (P<0.05). There was no effect of sperm aging on the percent of oocytes or cleaved embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage. Aging of sperm before fertilization at 38.5 C reduced the percent of blastocysts that were male (P=0.08). In the third experiment, incubation of sperm at 38.5 C or 40 C for 4 h did not reduce fertilizing ability of sperm as determined by pronuclear formation at 18 h post insemination. In conclusion, aging of sperm reduced cleavage rate and the percent of blastocysts that were males but had no effect on the developmental capacity of the embryo. The effect of aging on cleavage rate may represent reduced motility and errors occurring after fertilization and pronuclear formation. Aging at a temperature characteristic of maternal hyperthermia had little additional effect except that polyspermy was reduced. Results indicate that embryo competence for development to the blastocyst stage is independent of sperm damage as a result of aging for 4 h at normothermic or hyperthermic temperatures.