牛体外受精早期胚胎与小鼠胎仔成纤维细胞共培养的研究

探讨了人工合成培养液ＣＲ１ａａ和小鼠胎仔成纤维细胞对牛体外受精早期胚胎体外发育的影响。结果表明，牛体外受精卵在ＣＲ１ａａ液中的卵裂率达７６．２％，８细胞胚的比率达４４．８％。小鼠胎仔成纤维细胞能够显著促进牛体外受精的早期囊胚以上胚胎的发育。牛体外受精后第５、６天的早期胚胎分别与小鼠胎仔成纤维细胞共培养，在受精后第７天发育至囊胚以上的比率分别达１９．８％和２４．６％；受精后第８天，孵化的囊胚比例分别达５．２％和７．５％。实验表明，受精后第５、６天的牛体外受精早期胚胎与小鼠胎仔成纤维细胞共培养，可显著提高扩张囊胚和孵化囊胚数量。小鼠成纤维细胞对胚胎发育的支持作用取决于胚胎发育阶段     

Effect of Post-IVF Developmental Kinetics on In Vitro Survival of Vitrified-warmed Domestic Cat Blastocysts

A limited number of reports is available on cryopreservation of in vitro fertilization (IVF)‐derived cat blastocysts. In the present study, IVF‐derived domestic cat embryos which reached the blastocyst stage either on day 6 or day 7 were cryopreserved by vitrification using Cryotop as a cryodevice. Fresh control and post‐warm surviving blastocysts were examined by differential cell staining with Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide to determine total cell number and inner cell mass (ICM) ratio, and the post‐warm survival rate was determined by re‐expansion of the blastocoel during 24 h of in vitro culture. In fresh control, the mean number of total cells of day 7 blastocysts (61.4 cells) tended to be smaller than that of day 6 blastocysts (81.9 cells, p = 0.096). The post‐warm survival rates of day 6 and day 7 blastocysts were not statistically different (73.8%; 31 of 42 vs 66.7%; 18 of 27). There were no significant differences in the total cell number and ICM ratio between fresh control and vitrified blastocysts, although the ICM ratio of surviving day 7 blastocysts was significantly smaller than that of fresh controls (stained at day 8, 18.9% vs 28.9%, p < 0.05). These results indicate that IVF‐derived domestic cat embryos that reached the blastocyst stage earlier can survive the Cryotop vitrification without a reduction in the parameters studied.     

Utilization of porcine in vitro‐produced parthenogenetic embryos for co‐transfer with vitrified and warmed embryos

The present study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using in vitro‐produced parthenogenetic (PA) embryos for co‐transfer with morulae that had been collected in vivo and cryopreserved. The proportion of PA blastocysts (20.5%) was higher than that of their in vitro fertilization (IVF) counterparts (16.6%). Although there were no differences in morphology or diameter between the two groups, the number of cells in early PA blastocysts after in vitro culture for 6 days was lower than for IVF blastocysts (25.7 and 30.4 cells, respectively), and the number in recovered PA blastocysts was also smaller than that in recovered IVF blastocysts (37.4 and 50.2 cells, respectively). When 10 morulae warmed after vitrification were co‐transferred with 10 PA blastocysts (total 20 embryos) to the uterus of five recipients, the rates of pregnancy and farrowing did not differ, but the average period until spontaneous abortion tended to be longer relative to the control (when 20 morulae were transferred). These data suggest that in vitro‐produced PA embryos offer the possibility of assisted pregnancy for cryopreserved embryos; further experiments will be needed to confirm the beneficial effect of this approach on piglet production.     

Absence of Sperm Factors as in the Parthenogenesis Does Not Interfere on Bovine Embryo Sensitiveness to Heat Shock at Pre‐Implantation Stage

Oocyte has been considered the major contributor for embryo thermo‐tolerance. However, it was shown that sperm factors can be transferred to the oocyte during fertilization, raising the question of whether the absence of such factors could interfere on embryo thermo‐tolerance. In this study, we used parthenogenesis to generate bovine embryos without spermatozoa in order to test whether the absence of sperm factors could influence their thermo‐sensitiveness at early stages. In vitro fertilized (IVF) and parthenogenetic (PA) embryos at 44 h post‐insemination/chemical activation were exposed to 38.5°C (control) or 41°C (heat shock) for 12 h and then developed for 48 h and up to blastocyst stage. Apoptosis index and expression of PRDX1, GLUT1, GLUT5 and IGF1r genes in blastocysts derived from heat‐shocked embryos were also evaluated. The heat shock decreased the blastocyst rate at day seven (p < 0.05) for IVF embryos and at day eight (p < 0.01) for both IVF and PA embryos. Total cell number was not affected by heat shock in IVF and PA blastocysts, but there was an increased proportion (p < 0.05) of apoptotic cells in heat‐shocked embryos when compared to controls. There was no interaction (p > 0.05) between method of activation (IVF and PA) and temperature (38.5°C or 41.5°C) for all developmental parameters evaluated. Expression of GLUT1 gene was downregulated (p < 0.05) by heat shock in both IVF and PA blastocyst whereas expression of GLUT5 and IGF1r genes was downregulated (p < 0.05) by heat shock in PA blastocysts. Those data show that the heat shock affects negatively the embryo development towards blastocysts stage, increases the apoptotic index and disturbed the expression of some genes in both IVF and PA embryos, indicating that the presence or absence of sperm factors does not influence the sensitivity of the bovine embryo to heat shock.     

Effect of co‐culture with intact embryos on development of bovine separated blastomeres

To improve embryo development in bovine separated blastomeres, we evaluated applicability of co‐culture with intact embryos. The morphological quality of blastocysts derived from separated blastomeres and rate of blastocyst formation were only slightly increased when the cells were co‐cultured with intact embryos, which did not provide significant differences when statistically analyzed. However, the cell count of inner cell mass (ICM), trophectoderm (TE) and total number of cells in Day 8 blastocysts were significantly higher when the cells were co‐cultured with the intact embryos than those with the cells cultured individually (P < 0.05). Transfer of four monozygotic pairs of blastocysts derived from the cells co‐cultured with intact embryos led to three pregnancies even when the blastomeres were produced by in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization of oocytes collected by ovum pick‐up from elite cows. These results suggest that co‐culturing with intact embryos may enhance development of bovine separated blastomere.     

The Effect of Long‐term In Vivo Culture in Bovine Oviduct and Uterus on the Development and Cryo‐tolerance of In Vitro Produced Bovine Embryos

The objective of this study was to compare the embryo production and quality carried out entirely in vitro or partly in vitro combined with short‐ vs long‐term in vivo culture using the homologous cattle oviduct. The IVM oocytes were in vitro fertilized and cultured for 7 and 8 days (IVP‐Group), or after IVF and 2–3 days of IVC, 4–8 cell stage embryos were endoscopically transferred into oviducts of synchronized heifers (In Vivo‐Group) or IVM oocytes were co‐incubated with spermatozoa for 3–4 h and transferred into the oviducts of synchronized heifers (GIFT‐Group). Embryos of the In Vivo‐Group and the GIFT‐Group were recovered on day 7 from the oviducts and uterine horns. Embryos of all groups were either cryopreserved at day 7 (day 7 blastocysts) or cultured in vitro in CR1aa‐medium supplemented with 5% ECS for further 24 h and cryopreserved (day 8 blastocysts). The total blastocyst yield found in the in vivo cultured groups was similar to the results of the IVP‐Group. But the appearance of blastocysts was dependent on the duration of in vivo culture. The more time the embryos spent in the in vivo environment, the more blastocysts appeared at day 8. The quality of produced blastocysts assessed by cryo‐survival was also correlated to the culture conditions; the in vivo cultured embryos showed higher cryo‐tolerance. However, the duration of in vivo culture crucially influenced the cryo‐tolerance of produced blastocysts. It is concluded that tubal access is a promising tool to provide a further basis for studying embryo sensitivity to environmental changes.     

Viability of maternally heat-stressed mouse zygotes in vivo and in vitro

Mammalian preimplantation embryos are susceptible to heat stress. This present study examined how maternal heat stress affects the development of mouse zygotes in vivo and in vitro. In Experiment 1, zygotes collected from female mice that were heat‐stressed for 12 h on day 1 of pregnancy were cultured in vitro. Maternally heat‐stressed zygotes developed normally to the two‐cell stage, but the majority of embryos failed to develop into morulae or blastocysts. In Experiment 2, pregnant mice were heat‐stressed on day 1 or from day 1 to day 3 of pregnancy. The number of living fetuses on day 14 of pregnancy was lower in heat‐stressed mice than in non‐stressed mice, but the difference was significant only in successively heat‐stressed mice. These results demonstrate that maternally heat‐stressed zygotes have reduced in vitro viability, but this phenomenon does not necessarily lead to embryo loss in the maternal environment.     

Cryopreservation of bovine somatic cell nuclear-transferred blastocysts: effect of developmental stage

The effect of developmental stage on the survival of bovine somatic cell nuclear-transferred blastocysts after freezing and thawing was evaluated. We also investigated how freezing affects nuclear-transferred (NT) embryos and in vitro fertilized (IVF) bovine embryos. Advanced-stage bovine NT blastocysts survived freezing better than early-stage NT blastocysts (86 vs 14%). The trend was similar with IVF embryos (87 vs 30%). At the stages tested, there was no significant difference in the survivability of NT and IVF embryos from advanced (86 vs 87%) or early-stage blastocysts (14 vs 30%). The average survival rate did not differ between NT and IVF bovine embryos (50 vs 51%). The higher survival rate of advanced-stage blastocysts compared to early-stage blastocysts in NT and IVF bovine embryos might be due to their higher cell number. In NT (128 +/- 25 vs 53 +/- 20) and IVF (128 +/- 29 vs 75 +/- 22) groups, advanced-stage blastocysts contained a significantly higher total cell number than early-stage blastocysts. There was no difference in total cell number between advanced-stage NT and IVF blastocysts (128 +/- 25 vs 128 +/- 29), however, early-stage NT and IVF blastocysts (53 +/- 20 vs 75 +/- 22) differed significantly.     

Cell Counts and Survival to Vitrification of Bovine In Vitro Produced Blastocysts Subjected to Sublethal High Hydrostatic Pressure

This work analyses the effects of a high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment on in vitro survival of in vitro produced (IVP) bovine embryos vitrified with the Cryologic Vitrification Method (CVM). Consequences on embryo quality in terms of cell proliferation and differentiation, and levels of embryonic Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp‐70) were also examined. Day 7 and 8 bovine in vitro‐produced blastocysts were submitted to an HHP treatment (60 MPa, at 32°C for 1 h) and allowed to recover for 1 or 2 h in culture medium. The HHP treatment did not improve blastocyst survival rates after vitrification/warming. Survival (24 h post‐warming) and hatching (48 h post‐warming) rates were 79.3 ± 4.9 and 51.8 ± 4.2 vs 73.9 ± 4.2 and 44.7 ± 4.1 for untreated controls and HHP‐treated embryos, respectively. Total cell numbers measured in fresh embryos were reduced after 1 h at 32°C, with or without HHP treatment, indicating that cell proliferation was stopped as a result of stress. Vitrified HHP‐treated embryos that hatched at 48 h after warming showed increased cell numbers in their ICM compared with untreated controls (50.2 ± 3.1 vs 38.8 ± 2.7), indicating higher embryo quality. Treatment of blastocysts with HHP did not alter the level of the Hsp‐70 protein. In our conditions, HHP treatment did not affect the cryoresistance of these embryos. However, combination of HHP treatment and vitrification in fibreplugs resulted in an increase in the ICM cell number of hatched embryos 48 h post‐warming.     

Improving the Quality of Miniature Pig Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Blastocysts: Aggregation of SCNT Embryos at the Four‐cell Stage

Miniature pigs share many similar characteristics such as anatomy, physiology and body size with humans and are expected to become important animal models for therapeutic cloning using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In the present study, we observed that miniature pig SCNT blastocysts possessed a lower total number of nuclei and a lower percentage of POU5F1‐positive cells than those possessed by in vitro fertilized (IVF) blastocysts. To overcome these problems, we evaluated the applicability of aggregating miniature pig SCNT embryos at the four‐cell stage. We showed that (i) aggregation of two or three miniature pig SCNT embryos at the four‐cell stage improves the total number of nuclei and the percentage of POU5F1‐positive cells in blastocysts, and (ii) IVF blastocysts with low cell numbers induced by the removal of two blastomeres at the four‐cell stage did not exhibit a decrease in the percentage of POU5F1‐positive cells. These results suggest that the aggregation of miniature pig SCNT embryos at the four‐cell stage can be a useful technique for improving the quality of miniature pig SCNT blastocysts and indicating that improvement in the percentage of POU5F1‐positive cells in aggregated SCNT embryos is not simply the consequence of increased cell numbers.     

Epigenetic modulation on cat‐cow interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos by treatment with trichostatin A

This study aimed to determine the acetylation at lysine 9/18/23 of histone H3 (H3K9ac/H3K18ac/H3K23ac; H3K9/18/23 ac) and the di‐methylation at lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me2) during early embryogenesis among trichostatin A (TSA)‐treated interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) cat‐cow (TSA‐iSCNT) embryos, TSA‐untreated iSCNT cat‐cow control (control) embryos and bovine in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos, because TSA‐iSCNT embryos can develop to blastocysts. Compared to the control embryos, higher expressions of H3K9/18/23 ac were observed in TSA‐iSCNT embryos and IVF embryos at most following stages (2 h post‐fusion / post‐insemination (PF/PI) to eight‐cell stage). At 6 h PF/PI the expression of H3K9/23 ac in TSA‐iSCNT embryos and IVF embryos were lower than those in control embryos, and the expression of H3K18ac was no difference among the three groups. The expression of H3K9/23 ac increased in TSA‐iSCNT embryos and IVF embryos at pronuclear (PN) stages. The expression of H3K9me2 in TSA‐iSCNT embryos resembled that of IVF embryos at 2 h PF/PI to PN stages, and these expression levels were greater than those of control embryos. These results suggest that treatment of iSCNT embryos with TSA modifies the patterns of histone modification at certain lysine residues in a manner that is comparable with that seen in IVF during early embryogenesis.     

Function of berberine on porcine in vitro fertilization embryo development and differential expression analysis of microRNAs

The effect of berberine (Ber) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryo development in pigs and the associated differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the embryo were investigated. NCSU‐23 embryonic culture medium was used for a control group, while NCSU‐23 embryonic culture medium added with Ber was used for a Ber group. The embryo development rates in these groups were determined, and the zygotes, 4‐ and 8‐cell embryos, and blastocysts were collected for cDNA microarray analysis. The development rates of 2‐, 4‐, 8‐cell embryos and blastocysts were significantly higher in the Ber group than those in the control group (p < 0.01). The differentially expressed miRNAs in the 8‐cell versus the 4‐cell stage in control group as well as in the 8‐cell Ber group versus the 8‐cell control group overlapped, and it was found that nine miRNAs were commonly upregulated and two of them were downregulated, while there was no overlap among the other groups. The target genes of Ber‐regulated miRNAs at the 8‐cell stage were mainly associated with the molecular pathway of nucleic acid and protein synthesis. These findings suggest that Ber may regulate the expression of miRNAs at the 8‐cell stage, which is beneficial to provide material reserves for the maternal to zygote transition of porcine embryos, thereby increasing the porcine IVF embryo development rate.     

Mouse embryo co‐culture with autologous cumulus cells and fetal development post‐embryo transfer

This study was conducted to examine the potential for implantation and sustainable fetal development of mouse embryos cultured from the pronuclear to blastocyst stage. Pronuclear embryos from ICR mice (Harlan Sprague‐Dawley) were cultured in Sydney IVF sequential media (Cook) to the blastocyst stage in medium only or co‐cultured with autologous cumulus cells. We also experimented with co‐culture in 100 µL drops. Drop co‐culture produced blastocyst formation rates with a mean of 47.0%, which was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to embryos cultured in identical culture conditions except without cumulus cells at 27.3%. Blastocysts obtained in vitro in Cook medium only and co‐cultured in Cook medium with cumulus cells were transferred to pseudopregnant females of ICR strain. The day of blastocyst transfer into surrogate females was designated as post‐transfer of blastocyst day 1 (PT 1). The implantation and fetal development was compared to embryo transfer of in vivo derived blastocysts, which served as controls. There were no statistical differences for implantation and fetal development rates for blastocysts cultured in vitro in either Cook medium only or co‐culture in Cook medium with cumulus cells compared to in vivo‐derived blastocysts. The advantage of the co‐culture system is in generating more blastocysts available for transfer.     

Expression of Apoptosis Regulatory Genes and Incidence of Apoptosis in Different Morphological Quality Groups of In Vitro‐produced Bovine Pre‐implantation Embryos

Apoptosis occurs during early development in both in vivo‐ and in vitro‐produced embryos, and is considered as one of the causes of embryonic loss. The objectives of this study were, therefore, investigating stage‐specific expression profiles of apoptosis regulatory genes in three quality groups of in vitro‐produced bovine pre‐implantation embryos; and analysing the relationship between cell number and DNA fragmentation with expressions of those genes. The relative abundance of mRNA of 9 pro‐ (Bax, caspase‐9, Bcl‐xs, P53, Caspase‐3 and Fas) and anti‐ (Bcl‐w and Mcl‐1) apoptotic genes was analysed. Differential cell staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick end labelling were performed to analyse the variation in cell numbers and detect apoptotic nuclei respectively. Expression of Bax and Caspase‐3 genes was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in poor quality pre‐implantation embryos as compared with that of morphologically good quality embryos of the same developmental stages. Moreover, Mcl‐1 expression was significantly higher in good quality immature oocytes than that in the poor quality group. Moreover, higher DNA fragmentation was evidenced in morphologically poor quality blastocysts. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that Bax, caspase‐3 and Mcl‐1 can be used as potential markers of embryo quality to evaluate in vitro‐produced bovine embryos. Further studies are required to investigate specific molecular signatures that can be used in evaluating in vivo‐derived embryos.     

A Cathepsin B Inhibitor,E-64, Improves the Preimplantation Development of Bovine Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos

Bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is an important and powerful tool for basic research and biomedical and agricultural applications, however, the efficiency of SCNT has remained extremely low. In this study, we investigated the effects of cathepsin B inhibitor (E-64) supplementation of culture medium on in vitro development of bovine SCNT embryos. We initially used three concentrations of E-64 (0.1, 0.5, 1.0 μm), among which 0.5 μm resulted in the highest rate of blastocysts production after in vitro fertilization (IVF), and was therefore used for further experiments. Blastocyst development of SCNT embryos in the E-64 treatment group also increased relative to the control. Moreover, the cryosurvival rates of IVF and SCNT blastocysts were increased in E-64 treatment groups when compared with the control. On the other hand, we found that IVF and SCNT blastocysts derived from E-64-treated groups had increased total cell numbers and decreased apoptotic nuclei. Furthermore, assessment of the expression of apoptosis-related genes (Bax and Bcl-xL) in bovine IVF and SCNT blastocysts treated with E-64 by real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed suppressed expression of the pro-apoptotic gene Bax and stimulated expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-xL. Taken together, these finding indicate that addition of E-64 to embryo culture medium may have important implications for improving developmental competence and preimplantation quality in bovine IVF and SCNT embryos.     

Assessment of Actin Cytoskeleton and Nuclei in Bovine Blastocysts Developed Under Different Culture Conditions Using a Novel Computer Program

This study was performed to investigate the effects, in terms of nuclear material and actin cytoskeleton quantities (fluorescent pixel counts), of four different bovine blastocyst culturing techniques (in vitro, stepwise in vitro‐to‐in vivo, or purely in vivo). Cumulus oocyte complexes from abattoir‐sourced ovaries were matured in vitro and allocated to four groups: IVP‐group embryos developed up to blastocyst stage in vitro. Gamete intra‐fallopian transfer (GIFT)‐group oocytes were co‐incubated with semen for 4 h before transfer to oviducts of heifers. Following in vitro fertilization, cleaved embryos (day 2 of embryo development, day 2–7 group) were transferred into oviducts on day 2. Multiple ovulation embryo transfer (MOET)‐group embryos were obtained by superovulating and inseminating heifers; the heifers’ genital tracts were flushed at day 7 of blastocyst development. Within each group, ten blastocysts were selected to be differentially dyed (for nuclei and actin cytoskeleton) with fluorescent stains. A novel computer program (ColorAnalyzer) provided differential pixel counts representing organelle quantities. Blastocysts developed only in vivo (MOET group) showed significantly more nuclear material than did blastocysts produced by any other technique. In terms of actin cytoskeleton quantity, blastocysts produced by IVP and by day 2–7 transfer did not differ significantly from each other. Gamete intra‐fallopian transfer‐ and MOET‐group embryos showed significantly larger quantities of actin cytoskeleton when compared with any other group and differed significantly from each other. The results of this study indicate that culturing under in vitro conditions, even with part time in vivo techniques, may adversely affect the quantity of blastocyst nuclear material and actin cytoskeleton. The software employed may be useful for culture environment evaluation/developmental competence assessment.     

Different Culture Media Requirements of IVF and Nuclear Transfer Bovine Embryos

Important differences exist between in vitro fertilized (IVF) and nuclear transfer (NT) bovine embryos. Studies have shown that although in vitro development is comparable, post-implantation survival is greatly reduced in NT embryos. In this study, we compare serum and bovine serum albumin (BSA) supplementation during oocyte maturation and embryo culture of IVF and NT embryos. In experiment 1, oocytes and embryos were randomly distributed into different treatment groups consisting of synthetic oviductal fluid (SOF) medium supplemented with either serum, fatty acid-free BSA (FAF) or fraction V BSA during maturation and/or culture to assess IVF embryo development. In experiment 2, oocytes were matured in SOF + serum or SOF + FAF and reconstructed embryos were cultured in SOF + FAF to assess NT embryo development. Among the IVF treatment groups, a greater number of blastocysts were observed in the steer serum (SER) group (IVM and IVC in SOF + serum) on day 6; however, no significant differences were seen in blastocyst development from day 8 onwards. Hatching frequencies on days 8 and 9 were significantly greater in groups with serum, with the exception of FAF (IVM and IVC in SOF + FAF) on day 9. For the NT treatment groups, the presence of serum during IVM resulted in a higher proportion of MII oocytes and increased blastocyst development and hatching rates were compared with supplementation of FAF. These results indicate that both serum and FAF provide comparable embryo development for IVF but not for NT bovine embryos.     

In vitro development of OPU‐derived bovine embryos cultured either individually or in groups with the silk protein sericin and the viability of frozen‐thawed embryos after transfer

The optimization of single‐embryo culture conditions is very important, particularly in the in vitro production of bovine embryos using the ovum pick‐up (OPU) procedure. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of embryos derived from oocytes obtained by OPU that were cultured either individually or in groups in medium supplemented with or without sericin and to investigate the viability of the frozen‐thawed embryos after a direct transfer. When two‐cell‐stage embryos were cultured either individually or in groups for 7 days in CR1aa medium supplemented with or without 0.5% sericin, the rates of development to blastocysts and freezable blastocysts were significantly lower for the embryos cultured individually without sericin than for the embryos cultured in groups with or without sericin. Moreover, the rate of development to freezable blastocysts of the embryos cultured individually with sericin was significantly higher than that of the embryos cultured without sericin. When the frozen‐thawed embryos were transferred directly to recipients, the rates of pregnancy, abortion, stillbirth and normal calving in the recipients were similar among the groups, irrespective of the culture conditions and sericin supplementation. Our findings indicate that supplementation with sericin during embryo culture improves the quality of the embryos cultured individually but not the viability of the frozen‐thawed embryos after transfer to recipients.