Psammaplin A对牛老化卵母细胞体外发育的影响

为探讨组蛋白去乙酰化抑制剂Psammaplin A(PsA)对牛老化卵母细胞体外发育的影响,本试验将卵母细胞随机分为对照组、老化组和50mmol/L PsA处理的老化组(PsA组)。应用免疫荧光染色和JC-1检测牛卵母细胞孤雌激活后的囊胚率、囊胚中的细胞数、细胞凋亡、活性氧(reactive oxygen species,ROS)、谷胱甘肽(glutathione,GSH)和胚胎线粒体膜电位强度。结果显示,老化组囊胚率显著低于PsA组及对照组(P<0.05),PsA组囊胚率与对照组间无显著差异(P>0.05)。对照组及PsA组囊胚内细胞数显著高于老化组(P<0.05),PsA组囊胚内细胞数与对照组间无显著差异(P>0.05);老化组细胞凋亡率显著高于对照组及PsA组(P<0.05),PsA组细胞凋亡率显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。老化组MⅡ期卵母细胞的GSH水平显著低于对照组与PsA组(P<0.05),对照组与PsA组的GSH水平无显著差异(P>0.05)。老化组1细胞期胚胎ROS水平显著高于对照组和PsA组(P<0.05),PsA组ROS水平显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。老化组4-8细胞早期胚胎的线粒体膜电位强度显著低于对照组和PsA组(P<0.05),对照组线粒体膜电位强度显著高于PsA组(P<0.05)。综上所述,PsA可有效延缓牛卵母细胞的老化并提高卵母细胞和胚胎质量。     

牦牛卵母细胞的体外成熟、种间受精与胚胎培养

探讨了卵母细胞体外成熟时间、卵母细胞质量、精子准备和受精卵培养体系对牦牛卵母细胞种间体外受精效果的影响。结果表明:牦牛卵母细胞随体外成熟培养时间延长,第一极体排出率增加,囊胚发育率以成熟培养24 h最高;A级卵母细胞种间受精后囊胚的发育率(48.77±3.76)%显著高于B级(32.05±5.24)%和C级(7.54±7.18)%(P<0.05);BO液洗涤离心处理的精子受精后卵裂率(82.53±6.54)%显著高于Percoll液分离精子受精后的卵裂率(67.39±4.50)%(P<0.05),而两者囊胚率差异不显著((42.32±4.13)%vs(35.59±5.62)%,P>0.05);荷斯坦奶牛精子浓度在1×106～5×106/mL范围与牦牛卵母细胞受精效果差异不显著。卵丘细胞、输卵管上皮细胞共培养和SOF液培养种间受精卵,其卵裂率差异不显著,但共培养组的桑葚胚、囊胚和孵化胚发育率均显著高于SOF液培养组。     

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。     

兔·卵·母·细·胞·孤·雌·激·活·的·研·究

本研究探讨了兔卵母细胞孤雌激活的方法。兔卵母细胞经7%乙醇单独激活处理5min的卵裂率(13.0%),显著低于乙醇处理后在2mmol/LDMAP继续处理3h(48.1%)和5μmol/L离子霉素处理后在DMAP继续处理3h的卵母细胞(92.2%);离子霉素+DMAP处理组的囊胚发育率(27.1%)亦显著(P<0.05)高于乙醇+DMAP处理组(15.4%)和乙醇单独处理组(0%)。当用离子霉素和DMAP激活处理时,注射hCG后18h卵母细胞的卵裂率(92.1%)和囊胚率(35.3%)最高2,4h后卵母细胞的卵裂率(19.0%)和囊胚发育率(4.2%)均显著(P<0.05)下降。卵母细胞经离子霉素激活处理后,在DMAP继续处理1、35、h的卵裂率差异显著(P<0.05);而囊胚发育率无显著(P>0.05)差异。离子霉素和DMAP处理后再电激1次对卵母细胞的卵裂率(83.3%、80.0%)和囊胚率(30.0%、27.0%)无显著(P>0.05)影响。以上研究表明:离子霉素+DMAP是兔卵母细胞最有效的激活方法,注射hCG后18h的卵母细胞可取得较好的激活效果。     

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).     

精卵因素对母牛卵胞质内精子显微注射效果的影响

实验探讨了精卵因素对母牛卵母细胞质内精子显微注射效果的影响.结果表明:新鲜精液组和性控冻精组ICSI对卵母细胞存活率、卵裂率和囊胚率均无显著差异(P>0.05);采用A、B、C级精子穿刺Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ级卵母细胞时,穿刺卵受精率、卵裂率和囊胚率在三者之间无显著差异(P>0.05),总体效果A>B>C、Ⅰ>Ⅱ>Ⅲ;D级精子穿刺Ⅱ级卵母细胞后的穿刺卵受精率显著低于Ⅰ级卵母细胞(P<0.05),卵裂率和囊胚率与Ⅰ级卵母细胞相比无显著差异(P>0.05),穿刺Ⅲ级卵母细胞后的穿刺受精率和囊胚率均显著低于Ⅰ级卵母细胞(P<0.05),受精卵的卵裂率与Ⅰ级卵母细胞相比则无显著差异(P>0.05).由此可见:采用流式细胞仪分离的性控冻精与新鲜精液相比,对ICSI后的受精率和囊胚率无显著影响;精子活动力和卵子质量对ICSI的效果均有一定程度影响,且随精子活动力的降低和卵母细胞质量的下降而逐渐显著.     

不同浓度DTT或GSH预处理猪精子对ICSI效果的影响

试验采用不同浓度的DTT或GSH预处理猪精子,统计ICSI后精核解聚率、雄原核形成率及胚胎发育情况.结果表明,①精核解聚率随DTT浓度的增加而提高,6 mmol/L DTT处理组的2PN 2Pb形成率(P＜0.01)和卵裂率(P＜0.05)均高于其余各组.随着DTT浓度的增加,囊胚总细胞数呈现下降趋势.表明6 mmol/LDTT预处理精子的ICSI效果较好,但DTT在促进精核解聚的同时所产生的副作用在一定程度上影响了ICSI胚胎的后期发育;②随着GSH浓度的升高,注射卵母细胞的2PN 2Pb形成率、MPN形成率和精核解聚率均呈上升趋势.0.5 mmol/L GSH处理组的卵裂率高于其余处理组(P＜0.05)和对照组(P＜0.01),囊胚发育率显著高于对照组(P＜0.05).说明0.50 mmol/L GSH处理组的ICSI效果较好;③0.5 mmol/L GSH处理组的2PN 2Pb形成率、卵裂率和囊胚总细胞数极显著高于6 mmol/LDTT处理组(P＜0.01),两者MPN形成率差异显著(P＜0.05).表明0.5 mmol/L GSH预处理精子的ICSI效果要好于6 mmol/L DTT.     

绵羊不同直径卵泡卵母细胞体外成熟及胚胎发育能力的比较

比较绵羊不同直径卵泡卵子成熟和孤雌胚胎发育的差异性,并对卵母细胞的采集方法进行了改进以获得较小直径卵泡卵子作研究。结果显示:改进的切剖法获得的平均卵母细胞数极显著高于切剖法(7.72 vs 4.93,P<0.01);分组的卵母细胞成熟率(84.93%,67.64%vs38.37%)差异极显著(P<0.01);卵母细胞被孤雌激活后,中等直径组与较大直径组卵裂率(84.92%vs 72.70%)差异显著(P<0.05),桑葚胚率(41.44%vs 35.09%)、囊胚率(21.28%vs 16.68%)差异不显著(P>0.05),较小直径组卵裂率(54.41%)、桑葚胚率(20.11%)、囊胚率(3.7%)差异极显著(P<0.01)。     

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。     

Chemical Activation with a Combination of Ionomycin and Dehydroleucodine for Production of Parthenogenetic,ICSI and Cloned Bovine Embryos

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of dehydroleucodine (DhL), a new drug isolated from a medicinal herb used in Argentina, for activation of bovine oocyte. Several DhL concentrations and exposure times after ionomycin (Io) treatment were tested. The optimal DhL treatment, found for parthenogenetic development, was employed to produce bovine embryos by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The best parthenogenic embryo developments were observed with 5 μm Io for 4 min followed by 5 μm DhL concentration and after 3‐h exposure time (52.3% cleavage; 17.4% morulae; 7.3% blastocyst; n = 109). This treatment generated no significant differences with standard Io plus 6‐dimethylaminopurine (DMAP) treatment in preimplantation embryo development. In our conditions, the embryo development reached after ICSI and SCNT assisted by the DhL treatment did not differ in terms of cleavage and blastocyst development from activation with standard Io plus DMAP treatment (p > 0.05). In conclusion, DhL utilization to activate oocytes and induce development of parthenogenotes, ICSI‐embryos or SCNT‐embryos is reported here for first time.     

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.     

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.     

Addition of alpha-tocopherol to culture medium improves the quality and cryosurvival of nuclear-transferred ovine embryos

The aim of this study was to reconstruct and cryopreserve somatic cell nuclear transferred (SCNT) ovine embryos and evaluate the effect of alpha-tocopherol on blastocyst development and subsequent cryosurvival of the SCNT embryos. The alpha-tocopherol (100 microg/ml) was added into culture medium for the SCNT embryos, the yield and total cell numbers of blastocysts were determined and the apoptosis incidences of the blastocysts were evaluated using the TUNEL assay. The blastocysts from the alpha-tocopherol and untreated groups were then frozen-thawed, and their cryosurvival was assessed by in vitro culture for 48 h. The results showed that there were no significant differences in blastocyst yield (26.3 vs. 22.3%) and total cell number (68.2 vs. 64.3) between the alpha-tocopherol and untreated groups. However, addition of alpha-tocopherol to the culture medium significantly decreased the apoptotic cell number (3.4 vs. 5.5) and significantly increased the cryosurvival of SCNT blastocysts (66.8 vs. 50.7%). In conclusion, addition of alpha-tocopherol to SCNT embryo culture medium was beneficial for improving embryo quality by decreasing the apoptotic blastocyst cell number and improving the tolerance of the embryos to cryopreservation.     

Supplement of autologous ooplasm into porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos does not alter embryo development

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is considered as the technique in which a somatic cell is introduced into an enucleated oocyte to make a cloned animal. However, it is unavoidable to lose a small amount of the ooplasm during enucleation step during SCNT procedure. The present study was aimed to uncover whether the supplement of autologous ooplasm could ameliorate the oocyte competence so as to improve low efficiency of embryo development in porcine SCNT. Autologous ooplasm‐transferred (AOT) embryos were generated by the supplementation with autologous ooplasm into SCNT embryos. They were comparatively evaluated with respect to embryo developmental potential, the number of apoptotic body formation and gene expression including embryonic lineage differentiation, apoptosis, epigenetics and mitochondrial activity in comparison with parthenogenetic, in vitro‐fertilized (IVF) and SCNT embryos. Although AOT embryos showed perfect fusion of autologous donor ooplasm with recipient SCNT embryos, the supplement of autologous ooplasm could not ameliorate embryo developmental potential in regard to the rate of blastocyst formation, total cell number and the number of apoptotic body. Furthermore, overall gene expression of AOT embryos was presented with no significant alterations in comparison with that of SCNT embryos. Taken together, the results of AOT demonstrated inability to make relevant values improved from the level of SCNT embryos to their IVF counterparts.     

Early Pregnancy Diagnosis by Serum Progesterone and Ultrasound in Sheep Carrying Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer-Derived Pregnancies

Early pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring play an important role following embryo transfer in sheep. The aims of the current study were to investigate (i) the pattern of serum progesterone profiles in sheep carrying somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)‐derived (clone) pregnancies, and (ii) the frequency of pregnancy loss during development following SCNT embryo transfer. Sheep SCNT embryos were made using standard nuclear transfer techniques. Day 7 embryos were surgically transferred to oestrus‐synchronized recipients (n = 27). As a control, normal fertile ewes (n = 12) were bred by natural breeding. Serum was collected from all the ewes on the day of estrus (day 0 sample), 7 days post‐estrus (day 7 sample) and 19 days post‐estrus (day 19 sample) and every 10 days thereafter until lambing or pregnancy loss occurred. Serum progesterone (P4) was assessed using enzyme immunoassay. Pregnancy was confirmed by ultrasound scanning on day 35 of pregnancy followed by subsequent scanning every 10 days. In control ewes, pregnancy rate on day 35 was 83.3% (10/12), whereas in the ewes that received SCNT embryos, it was 22.2% (6/27; p < 0.05). The day 45 pregnancy rate in the control ewes was 83.3%, whereas in the SCNT embryo recipients it was 11.0% (p < 0.05). Hormone analysis revealed that SCNT embryo recipients exhibited a significantly lower P4 profiles at different time points in pregnancy compared to controls (p < 0.05). This study highlights the use of serum progesterone in combination with ultrasound for the investigation of embryo loss and crucial times during development of normal and SCNT embryos in sheep. Further, the serum P4 levels directly reflect the degree of placental development in these two groups.     

Abnormal distribution of chromosomes in the first division of nuclear transferred mouse embryos

The majority of somatic cell nuclear transferred (SCNT) embryos die before or after implantation. Many studies have focused on morphological remodeling of the donor nucleus and its associated cytoskeletal structures in the early events of nuclear transfer. However, little is known about the 2-cell stage of SCNT embryos after the first division. In this study, we compared the morphological status of chromosomal division during the 1-cell stage to the 2-cell stage in SCNT embryos with that in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos. The microtubules and cytoplasmic asters, which are related to chromatin segregation, disappeared at the pronuclear stage, although formation of the first mitotic spindle was normal in both the SCNT and ICSI embryos. However, nuclear fragmentation was observed in 30% of the 2-cell SCNT embryos and 12% of the 2-cell ICSI embryos. Nuclear fragmentation was present in both blastomeres of these embryos. No apoptotic DNA fragmentation was observed in TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assays for either the SCNT or ICSI embryos. In both the SCNT and ICSI embryos, the distribution of chromosomes in the first mitotic spindle was disturbed during the process of division from the 1-cell stage to the 2-cell stage. These results suggest that loss of SCNT embryos just before or after implantation may be due to an abnormal chromosome distribution at the 2-cell stage.     

Development potential of transgenic somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos according to various factors of donor cell

The present study was conducted to establish an efficient production system for bovine transgenic somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, the effect of various conditions of donor cells including cell type, size, and passage number on the developmental competence of transgenic SCNT embryos were examined with their expression rates of a marker gene. An expression plasmid for human prourokinase was constructed by inserting a bovine beta-casein promoter, a green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker gene, and a human prourokinase target gene into a pcDNA3 plasmid. Three types of bovine somatic cells including two adult cells (cumulus cells and ear fibroblasts) and fetal fibroblasts were prepared and transfected with the expression plasmid using a liposomal transfection reagent, Fugene6, as a carrier. In Experiment 1, three types of bovine cells were transfected at passages 2 to 4, and then trypsinized and GFP-expressing cells were randomly selected and used for SCNT. Developmental competence and rates of GFP expression in bovine transgenic SCNT embryos reconstructed with cumulus cells were significantly higher than those from fetal and ear fibroblasts. In all cell types used, GFP expression rates of SCNT embryos gradually decreased with the progression of embryo development. In Experiment 2, the effect of passage number of cumulus cells in early (2 to 4) and late (8 to 12) passages was investigated. No significant differences in the development of transgenic SCNT embryos were observed, but significantly higher GFP expression was shown in blastocysts reconstructed with cumulus cells at early passage. In Experiment 3, different sizes of GFP-expressing transfected cumulus cells [large (>30 microm) or small cell (<30 microm)] at passages 2 to 4 were used for SCNT. A significant improvement in embryo development and GFP expression was observed when small cumulus cells were used for SCNT. Taken together, these results demonstrate that (1) adult somatic cells as well as fetal cells could serve as donor cells in transgenic SCNT embryo production and cumulus cells with small size at early passage were the optimal cell type, and (2) transgenic SCNT embryos derived from adult somatic cells have embryonic development potential.     

In Vitro Development of Bison Embryos Using Interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (interspecies SCNT) has been explored in many domestic and non‐domestic animal species. However, problems arise during the development of these embryos, which may be related to species‐specific differences in nuclear–cytoplasmic communication. The objectives of this study were to investigate the possibility of producing bison embryos in vitro using interspecies SCNT and assess the developmental potential of these embryos. Treatment groups consisted of cattle in vitro fertilization (IVF) and cattle SCNT as controls and wood bison SCNT, plains bison SCNT and wisent SCNT as experimental groups. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were assessed, and blastocyst quality was determined using total cell number, apoptotic incidence and relative quantification of mitochondria‐related genes NRF1, MT‐CYB and TFAM. These results indicate that embryos can be produced by interspecies SCNT in all bison species/subspecies (13.34–33.54% blastocyst rates). Although increased incidence of apoptosis was observed in bison SCNT blastocysts compared to cattle SCNT controls (10.45–12.69 vs 8.76, respectively) that corresponded with significantly lower cell numbers (80–87 cells vs >100 cells, respectively), no major differences were observed in the expression of NRF1, MT‐CYB and TFAM. This study is the first to report the production of bison embryos by interspecies SCNT. Blastocyst development in all three bison species/subspecies was greater than the rates obtained in previous studies by IVF, which supports the potential role of SCNT for in vitro embryo production in this species. Yet, further investigation of developmental competence and the factors influencing blastocyst quality and viability is required.