Effect of Pre‐Treatment of Ovine Sperm on Male Pronuclear Formation and Subsequent Embryo Development Following Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various methods of sperm pre‐treatment on male pronuclear (MPN) formation and subsequent development of ovine embryos derived from in vitro‐matured oocytes and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The effect of treatment of injected oocytes with dithiothreitol (DTT) on embryo development was also assessed. In Exp. 1, the injected oocytes with non‐treated sperm were activated with three different procedures. The cleavage and blastocyst rates in those activated with DTT was lower (p < 0.05) than those activated with either ionomycin (Io) + 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP) or DTT + I + 6‐DMAP. In Exp. 2, the effects of sperm pre‐incubated with DTT, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) or DTT + SDS as well as two‐time frozen/thawed sperm (without cryoprotectant) on MPN formation and oocyte activation were examined. The non‐treated sperm served as controls. The MPN formation in DTT + SDS group was higher (p < 0.05) than other groups except for freeze–thaw group. No difference in the rate of activated ICSI oocytes was observed among groups. In Exp. 3, the effect of pre‐treatment of sperm on subsequent development of ICSI embryos and blastocyst cell numbers were examined. The rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation as well as the blastocyst cell numbers were similar among the pre‐treated and control groups. In conclusion, pre‐treatment of sperm with DTT + SDS positively affected MPN formation, although the subsequent development capacity of the resulting embryos remained limited. Moreover, DTT was not effective on oocyte activation compared with Io + 6‐DMAP after ICSI.     

Effects of Chemical Activation Treatment on Development of Swamp Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Oocytes Matured In Vitro and Fertilized by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

The objective of this study was to optimize the activation protocol for buffalo oocytes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The release of the second polar body (PB) at 3, 6 and 9 h after ICSI of in‐vitro matured oocytes activated either with 5 μm ionomycin (Io) or with 7% ethanol (EtOH) was preliminary examined. The highest rate of second PB extrusion occurred at 3 h of activation, and the second PB extrusion in EtOH group was significantly higher than that in Io group. Oocytes that extruded the second PB were selected and cultured either with 1.9 mm 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP) for 3 h or with 10 μg/ml cycloheximide (CHX) for 5 h. Significantly higher rate of oocytes formed 2 pronuclei in EtOH combined with CHX (EtOH + CHX) (62%) group compared to those of Io + CHX (42%) and EtOH + 6‐DMAP (48%) groups (p < 0.01) whereas Io + 6‐DMAP group showed intermediate value (58%). Significantly higher blastocyst formation rates were obtained in Io + 6‐DMAP (29%) and EtOH + CHX (24%) groups than in Io + CHX (6%) and EtOH + 6‐DMAP (17%) groups. Our results indicate that buffalo ICSI oocytes are effectively activated by combination treatment of Io with 6‐DMAP and EtOH with CHX resulting in the highest cleavage and blastocyst formation rates.     

Transgenic Cloned Mice Expressing Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein Generated by Activation Stimuli Combined with 6‐dimethylaminopurine

Most studies of mouse cloning successfully achieved activation of the reconstructed oocytes by strontium (Sr) combined with cytochalasin B (CB) treatment. A protein kinase inhibitor, 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP), was used to inhibit the activity of maturation promoting factor for activation of oocytes, but it has never been successfully applied in mouse cloning. This study investigates the activation efficiency of 6‐DMAP in mouse somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Higher parthenogenetic blastocyst rates (71–72%, p < 0.05) were achieved in the oocytes treated with Sr6D (10 mM Sr combined with 2 mM 6‐DMAP for 4 h) and Sr6D + SrCB (Sr6D for 2 h then Sr combined with 5 μg/ml CB for another 2 h), and a higher rate of hatching and hatched blastocyst was observed in the Sr6D + SrCB group (31%, p < 0.01) compared with other treatment groups (1–8%). For mouse cloning, cumulus cells of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)‐expressed ESC chimera F1 were used as donor nuclei. Following activation, better development of the cloned embryos was observed in Sr6D + SrCB treatment. Moreover, different media, i.e. KSOM‐AA, MEM‐α and MK, for culturing cloned embryos were also compared in this study. Better morula/blastocyst (40%) and blastocyst (29%) rates were achieved in the embryos cultured in MEM‐α medium (p < 0.05). Consequently, four EGFP cloned mice were generated in the activation treatment containing 6‐DMAP following embryo transfer. In conclusion, treatment with 6‐DMAP in combination with other activation stimuli successfully activates mouse reconstructed oocytes and support full‐term development of the transgenic SCNT cloned embryos.     

Development of interspecies cloned monkey embryos reconstructed with bovine enucleated oocytes

This study was carried out to determine whether culture media reconstructed with bovine enucleated oocytes and the expression pattern of Oct-4 could support dedifferentiaton of monkey fibroblasts in interspecies cloned monkey embryos. In this study, monkey and bovine skin fibroblasts were used as donor cells for reconstruction with bovine enucleated oocytes. The reconstructed monkey interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) embryos were then cultured under six different culture conditions with modifications of the embryo culture media and normal bovine and monkey specifications. The Oct-4 expression patterns of the embryos were examined at the two-cell to blastocyst stages using immunocytochemistry. The monkey iSCNT embryos showed similar cleavage rates to those of bovine SCNT and bovine parthenogenetic activation (PA). However, the monkey iSCNT embryos were not able to develop beyond the 16-cell stage under any of the culture conditions. In monkey and bovine SCNT embryos, Oct-4 could be detected from the two-cell to blastocyst stage, and in bovine PA embryos, Oct-4 was detectable from the morula to blastocyst stage. These results suggested that bovine ooplasm could support dedifferentiation of monkey somatic cell nuclei but could not support embryo development to either the compact morula or blastocyst stage. In conclusion, we found that the culture conditions that tend to enhance monkey iSCNT embryo development and the expression pattern of Oct-4 in cloned embryos (monkey iSCNT and bovine SCNT) are different than in bovine PA embryos.     

Optimization of parthenogenetic activation of rabbit oocytes and development of rabbit embryo by somatic cell nuclear transfer

The present study explored a suitable parthenogenetic activation (PA) procedure for rabbit oocytes and investigated the developmental potential of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos using rabbit foetal fibroblasts (RFFs). The electrical activation had the optimal rate of blastocyst (14.06%) when oocytes were activated by three direct current (DC) pulses (40 V/mm, 20 μs each) followed by 6‐dimethylaminopurine (6‐DMAP) and cycloheximide (CHX) treatment; the blastocyst rate of ionomycin (ION) + 6‐DMAP + CHX (12.07%) activation was higher than that of ION + 6‐DMAP (8.6%) activation or ION + CHX (1.24%) activation; there was no significant difference in blastocyst rate between ION + 6‐DMAP + CHX and DC + 6‐DMAP + CHX groups. The blastocyst rate of ION + 6‐DMAP + CHX‐activated oocytes in the basic rabbit culture medium (M‐199) + 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS; 14.28%) was higher than that in buffalo conditioned medium (5.75%) or G1/G2 medium (0), and the blastocyst rate was increased when M‐199 + 10% FBS was supplemented with amino acids. Refreshing culture medium every day or every other day significantly increased the blastocyst rate. Treatment of donor cells with 0.5% FBS for 3–5 days increased blastocyst rate of SCNT embryos (33.33%) than no serum starvation (22.47%) or 0.5% FBS treatment for 6–9 days (23.61%); the blastocyst rate of SCNT embryos derived from nontransgenic RFFs was higher than that derived from transgenic RFFs by electroporation. The blastocyst development ability of SCNT embryos derived from RFFs by electroporation (32.22%) was higher than that of liposome (19.11%) or calcium phosphate (20.00%) transfection, and only the embryos from electroporation group have the EGFP expression (24.44%). In conclusion, this study for the first time systematically optimized the conditions for yield of rabbit embryo by SCNT.     

Effects of trichostatin A on in vitro development and transgene function in somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos derived from transgenic Clawn miniature pig cells

The present study was carried out to examine the effects of post‐activation treatment of trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, on in vitro development and transgene function of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos derived from Clawn miniature pig embryonic fibroblast (PEF) transfected with a bacterial endo‐β‐galactosidase C gene (removal of the α‐galactosyl (Gal) epitope). SCNT embryos were incubated with or without TSA (50 or 100 nmol/L) after activation, cultured in vitro and assessed for cleavage, blastocyst formation and transgene function. The rate of blastocyst formation was significantly higher in SCNT embryos treated with 50 nmol/L TSA than that in control (P < 0.05), whereas the rate of cleavage and cell number of blastocyst did not differ. Following labelling with fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labelled BS‐I‐B₄ isolectin, the intensity of fluorescence observed on cell‐surface was dramatically reduced in transgenic SCNT blastocyst in comparison with non‐transgenic SCNT blastocyst. However, the reduction of α‐Gal epitope expression in transgenic SCNT blastocyst was not affected by TSA treatment. The results of this study showed that post‐activation treatment with 50 nmol/L TSA is effective to improve in vitro developmental capacity of transgenic SCNT miniature pig embryos without the modification of transgene function.     

Improved embryo development in Japanese black cattle by in vitro fertilization using ovum pick-up plus intracytoplasmic sperm injection with dithiothreitol

The purpose of this study was to determine whether dithiothreitol (DTT) treatment of sperm and ethanol activation improve embryo production by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Further, we compared ICSI with standard in vitro fertilization (IVF) in oocytes obtained from cattle. We demonstrated that DTT reduced the disulfide bond in the bovine sperm head. Using oocytes obtained from a slaughterhouse, ICSI-DTT treatment without ethanol showed the highest rate of blastocyst formation. We applied these results to fertilization using ovum pick-up (OPU). Eleven Japanese black cattle served as donors for OPU plus standard IVF (OPU-IVF). Of them, four donors with low embryo development rates were selected to determine whether embryo development was enhanced by OPU plus ICSI (OPU-ICSI). We assessed effects on embryo development following IVF and ICSI in oocytes obtained using OPU. Blastocyst rates were significantly higher for OPU-ICSI than for OPU-IVF. Our results suggest that OPU-ICSI improves the blastocyst development rate in donors with low embryo production compared with the standard OPU-IVF.     

Evaluation of Cheetah and Leopard Spermatozoa Developmental Capability after Interspecific ICSI with Domestic Cat Oocytes

The ICSI procedure is potentially of great value for felids, and it has not been extensively studied in these species. The objectives of this work were to determine the best conditions for ICSI in the domestic cat (DC) to generate interspecific embryos by injecting cheetah (Ch) and leopard (Leo) spermatozoa. Firstly, DC oocytes were matured with insulin–transferrin–selenium (ITS) or without it (MM) and cultured using atmospheric (21%) or low (5%) oxygen tension after ICSI. The group ITS‐5%O₂ showed the highest blastocyst rate (p < 0.05), 20.9% vs 8.7%, 7% and 6.5%, for MM‐21%O₂, MM‐5%O₂ and ITS‐21%O₂, respectively. The best conditions were used to generate the interspecific embryos, together with ionomycin activation (Io) after ICSI. Interspecific embryos resulted in high rates of blastocysts that were not positively affected by Io activation: 32.6% vs 21% for Ch and Ch‐Io, 9.8% vs 21% for Leo and Leo‐Io, and 20% vs 17.4% for DC and DC‐Io. We also evaluated DNA‐fragmented nuclei of experiment 1 and 2 blastocysts, using TUNEL assay. The fragmented nucleus proportion was higher in the ITS‐5%O₂ group, 67.6%. Surprisingly, interspecific blastocysts showed the lowest fragmented nucleus proportion: 27% and 29.9% for Ch and Leo, respectively. We concluded that ITS and 5%O₂ improve blastocyst formation in DC, although with a concomitant increase in DNA fragmentation. Most importantly, cheetah and leopard spermatozoa were able to generate blastocysts without artificial activation, which suggests that developmental capacity of wild felid spermatozoa can be evaluated by interspecific ICSI. This technique should be used to assist wild felid reproduction.     

Effect of mSOF and G1.1/G2.2 Media on the Developmental Competence of SCNT‐Derived Bovine Embryos

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of two culture media: modified synthetic oviductal fluid (mSOF) and G1.2/G2.2, on the developmental competence of bovine somatic cell–cloned embryos. Cloned embryos were produced by transferring adult skin fibroblasts into enucleated MII oocytes. After activation, the reconstructed embryos were randomly allotted to either mSOF or G1.2/G2.2 for culture (the embryos were transferred from G1.2 to G2.2 on days 3 of culture). The development competence of cloned embryos in these two culture systems was compared in terms of cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate and apoptosis cell number in day 7 blastocyts. To investigate the in vivo developmental competence of cloned embryos in the two culture systems, a total of 87 and 104 blastocysts derived from mSOF and G1.2/G2.2 medium groups were transferred individually to recipient Angus cows, respectively. No differences were observed in terms of cleavage rate, day 7 blastocyst rate and blastocyst cell number between these two culture systems. However, the day 6 blastocyst formation rate was significantly higher in G1.2/G2.2 than that in mSOF. In addition, blastocysts cultured in mSOF have a higher percentage of apoptotic blastomeres compared to those in G1.2/G2.2 (8.5 ± 1.2 vs 16.8 ± 1.5, p < 0.05). Although difference in pregnancy rate was not observed 40 days after embryo transfer, significantly higher pregnancy rate was observed in G1.2/G2.2 group after 90 days of embryo transfer (12.4% vs 37.5%, p < 0.05). Moreover, calving rate was significantly improved in G1.2/G2.2 group compared to mSOF group (27.9% vs 6.7%, p < 0.05). In conclusion, our results indicate that G1.2/G2.2 can improve developmental competence of bovine SCNT embryos both in vitro and in vivo, which is more suitable for culture of bovine SCNT embryos than mSOF medium.     

Constant transmission of mitochondrial DNA in intergeneric cloned embryos reconstructed from swamp buffalo fibroblasts and bovine ooplasm

Although interspecies/intergeneric somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) has been proposed as a tool to produce offspring of endangered species, conflict between donor nucleus and recipient cytoplasm in iSCNT embryos has been identified as an impediment to implementation for agricultural production. To investigate the nuclear–mitochondrial interactions on the developmental potential of iSCNT embryos, we analyzed the mtDNA copy numbers in iSCNT embryos reconstructed with water buffalo (swamp type) fibroblasts and bovine enucleated oocytes (buffalo iSCNT). As controls, SCNT embryos were derived from bovine fibroblasts (bovine SCNT). Buffalo iSCNT and bovine SCNT embryos showed similar rates of cleavage and development to the 8‐cell stage (P > 0.05). However, buffalo iSCNT embryos did not develop beyond the 16‐cell stage. Both bovine and buffalo mtDNA content in buffalo iSCNT embryos was stable throughout the nuclear transfer process, and arrested at the 8‐ to 16‐cell stage (P > 0.05). In bovine SCNT embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage, mtDNA copy number was increased (P < 0.05). In conclusion, both the donor cell and recipient cytoplast mtDNAs of buffalo iSCNT embryos were identified and maintained through the iSCNT process until the 8–16‐cell stage. In addition, the copy number of mtDNA per embryo was a useful monitor to investigate nuclear–mitochondrial interactions.     

Efficient Production of Cloned Bovine Embryos Using cdc2 kinase Inhibitor

This study was carried out to compare the effects of the combination of ionomycin with a H1‐histone kinase inhibitor (dimethylaminopurine, DMAP) or cdc2 kinase inhibitor (sodium pyrophosphate, SPP) on the development of reconstituted bovine eggs. For this study, the enucleated bovine oocytes were injected with a presumptive primordial germ cell pre‐treated with 1% sodium citrate, and randomly allocated into three activation groups: Group 1 (ionomycin 5 μm , 5 min), Group 2 (ionomycin + DMAP 1.9 mm , 3 h), and Group 3 (ionomycin + SPP 2 mm , 3 h). The reconstituted eggs were compared on the rates of cleavage and development with the blastocyst stage and the ploidy of embryos at 96 h post‐activation. Cleavage rates and blastocyst development in Groups 1, 2 and 3 were 7 and 0%, 63 and 17%, and 53 and 14%, respectively. The chromosomal composition differed significantly (p < 0.05) among treatments. Although the embryos in Group 1 had significantly lower developments, 60% of embryos evaluated had diploid chromosomal sets. In contrast, ～60% of embryos in Group 2 had abnormal ploidy (21% polyploid and 38% mixoploid). In Group 3, the appearance of abnormal chromosome sets was reduced with the proportion of diploid embryos being increased to 86% (19 of 22), significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in Group 2. It can be concluded that the use of SPP with ionomycin reduces greatly the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities, and may be applicable for the activation of nuclear transplant bovine embryos.     

Study on Oocyte Nuclear Factor Promotes the Early Development of Tetraploid Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos

The study was aimed to investigate the role of porcine oocyte nuclear factors during reprogramming. Somatic cell nuclei was introduced into intact MⅡ oocytes to establish tetraploid somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos containing both somatic nuclei and oocyte nuclei. And then the influence of the oocyte nucleus on tetraploid SCNT embryo development was examined by assessing characteristics including cleavage rate and blastocyst rate. The results showed that the cleavage rate of tetraploid SCNT embryos,diploid parthenogenetic embryos and haploid parthenogenetic embryos was extremely significantly higher than that of standard diploid SCNT embryos (P<0.01). The blastocyst rate and the total number of cells in tetraploid SCNT embryos were extremely significantly higher than that of standard diploid SCNT embryos (P<0.01).Overall,tetraploid SCNT embryos had a higher developmental competence than standard diploid SCNT embryos. In conclusion, the embryonic model was established in which a fetal fibroblast nucleus and an oocyte M Ⅱ plate coexist. Tetraploid SCNT represented a new research platform that was potentially useful for examining interactions between donor nuclei and oocyte nuclei. This platform should facilitate further understanding of the roles played by nuclear factors during reprogramming.     

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。     

Modification of maturation condition improves oocyte maturation and in vitro development of somatic cell nuclear transfer pig embryos

This study examined effects on the developmental competence of pig oocytes after somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) or parthenogenetic activation (PA) of : 1) co-culturing of oocytes with follicular shell pieces (FSP) during in vitro maturation (IVM); 2) different durations of maturation; and 3) defined maturation medium supplemented with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA; control), pig follicular fluid (pFF), cysteamine (CYS), or β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME). The proportion of metaphase II oocytes was increased (p < 0.05) by co-culturing with FSP compared to control oocytes (98% vs. 94%). However, blastocyst formation after SCNT was not improved by FSP coculture (9% vs. 12%). Nuclear maturation of oocytes matured for 39 or 42 h was higher (p < 0.05) than that of oocytes matured for 36 h (95-96% vs. 79%). Cleavage (83%) and blastocyst formation (26%) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in oocytes matured for 42 h than in other groups. Supplementation of a defined maturation medium with 100 µM CYS or 100 µM β-ME showed no stimulatory effect on oocyte maturation, embryo cleavage, or blastocyst formation after PA. β-ME treatment during IVM decreased embryo cleavage after SCNT compared to pFF or PVA treatments, but no significant difference was found in blastocyst formation (7-16%) among the four treatment groups. The results indicated that maturation of oocytes for 42 h was beneficial for the development of SCNT embryos. Furthermore, the defined maturation system used in this study could support in vitro development of PA or SCNT embryos.     

咖啡因和Scriptaid对绵羊核移植重构胚发育的影响

为提高绵羊体细胞核移植效率,以绵羊卵丘细胞为核供体,在融合后的核质互作期间加入咖啡因,在激活后对重构胚进行培养的过程中,加入组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂Scriptaid。结果表明:咖啡因浓度以2.5 mmol/L或5 mmol/L为宜,尽管卵裂率、桑椹胚率以及囊胚发育率与对照组差异不显著(P>0.05),但囊胚细胞数显著高于对照组(P<0.05);以0.2μmol/L Scriptaid处理组囊胚发育率最高,达24.31%,显著高于对照组和0.8μmol/L Scriptaid处理组(P<0.05),但与0.4μmol/L Scriptaid处理组相比差异不显著(P>0.05);囊胚细胞总数以0.2μmol/L Scriptaid处理组最高,显著高于0.8μmol/L Scriptaid处理组(P<0.05),但是与对照组和0.4μmol/L Scriptaid处理组差异不显著(P>0.05)。以上结果表明,咖啡因处理对绵羊核移植重构胚的囊胚发育率无显著影响,但可以显著提高囊胚细胞总数;Scriptaid可以显著提高绵羊核移植重构胚的囊胚发育率。     

卵母细胞核因子促进核移植四倍体胚胎早期发育研究

研究旨在探讨猪卵母细胞核因子在重编程过程中发挥的作用。将体细胞引入未去核的MⅡ期卵母细胞中,构建体细胞核与卵母细胞核共存的核移植四倍体胚胎。通过分析核移植四倍体胚胎的早期发育情况探讨卵母细胞核因子对核移植四倍体胚胎早期发育的影响。结果显示,核移植四倍体胚胎、孤雌二倍体胚胎及孤雌单倍体胚胎这3组胚胎的卵裂率极显著高于核移植二倍体胚胎（P<0.01）,且核移植四倍体囊胚率及总细胞数也极显著高于核移植二倍体囊胚（P<0.01）。与通过标准核移植程序构建的核移植二倍体胚胎相比,核移植四倍体胚胎具有更强的发育能力。本研究建立了一个体细胞核与完整卵母细胞核因子物质共存的四倍体胚胎模型,有助于研究供体核与卵母细胞核之间的联系,为研究核因子在重编程过程中发挥的作用提供了平台。     

水牛体细胞核移植方法比较及激活前的时间间隔对全细胞胞质内注射法核移植效果的影响

本研究旨在比较水牛2种体细胞核移植(Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer,SCNT)方法的效果以及激活前的时间间隔对全细胞胞质内注射法(Whole-Cell Intracytoplasmic Microinjection,WCICSI)核移植效果的影响.采用水牛胎儿成纤维细胞作为供核,比较了透明带下注核法(Perivitelline Microinjection,PM)和WCICSI核移植效果.另外,试验了不同类型的供体细胞进行全细胞胞质内注射后与激活前的受体胞质的最适宜作用时间.结果,WCICSI构建核移植重构胚的成功率显著高于PM(87.1%vs 81.1%,P＜0.05),虽然其重构胚的分裂率极显著低于PM(49.5%vs 71.8%,P＜0.01),但囊胚率、核移植的效率无显著差异(P＞0.05).卵丘细胞和胎儿成纤维细胞在注射后3 h激活,重构胚的囊胚发育率最高;颗粒细胞注射后与激活前的最佳时间间隔可在1.5～3 h,但3 h是最佳的作用时间.结果表明,(1)WCICSI可用于水牛体细胞核移植的研究;(2)水牛胞质内注射供体细胞后3 h进行激活,核移植重构胚的发育效果最好.     

3,4-Dihydroxyflavone acts as an antioxidant and antiapoptotic agent to support bovine embryo development in vitro

The effects of two antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the flavonoid 3,4-dihydroxyflavone (DHF), on bovine embryo development in vitro were examined. Blastocyst development, total cell and inner cell mass (ICM) numbers, intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptotic indices and gene expression levels were examined before and after treatment of day 2 bovine embryos (≥2-4 cells) with various concentrations of 3,4-DHF or SOD for 6 days. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance, with significance defined at the P<0.05 level. SOD had no significant effect on bovine embryo development at any tested concentration (control, 32.8%; 300 U/ml, 33.9%; 600 U/ml, 24.2%). In contrast, 10 μM 3,4-DHF promoted higher blastocyst development (39.3%) than any other concentration (control, 26.7%; 1 μM, 30.3%; 50 μM, 29.5%; 100 μM, 20.5%). Compared with 300 U/ml SOD, 10 μM 3,4-DHF resulted in significantly higher blastocyst development (44.2%) (control, 31.5%; SOD 300 U/ml, 33.6%). Treatment with 3,4-DHF increased the ICM cell number and reduced intracellular ROS production and apoptotic cell numbers. When O(2) tension was decreased from 20% (high tension) to 5% (low tension), embryo development rates were doubled regardless of 3,4-DHF treatment. Under high O(2) tension, 10 μM 3,4-DHF treatment may render bovine embryo development similar to a low O(2) tension environment. The best blastocyst development was obtained under low O(2) tension plus 10 μM 3,4-DHF treatment. The relative expression levels of antioxidant (MnSOD), antiapoptotic (Survivin, Bax inhibitor) and growth-related genes (IFN-τ, Glut-5) were significantly increased after 3,4-DHF treatment, while the expression levels of oxidant (Sox) and apoptotic genes (Caspase-3 and Bax) were reduced. These results suggest that 3,4-DHF may promote the in vitro development of bovine embryos through its antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects.     

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.