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.     

In Vitro Development of Marbled Cat Embryos Derived from Interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

The objective of the study was to investigate interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (iSCNT) techniques in marbled cats (Pardofelis marmorata), using domestic cat and rabbit oocytes as the recipient cytoplasm. The recipient oocytes were obtained from ovariohysterectomized cats and superovulated rabbits. The donor cells were collected from a male marbled cat that had died in captivity. Experiment 1 was conducted to observe the development of cloned marbled cat embryos (marbled cat donor cells-domestic cat oocytes; MC-DC), derived from oocytes matured for 24, 36 and 42 h. The result showed that the developmental rates of MC-DC cloned embryos at the 4-8 cell and the morula stages derived from oocytes cultured for 24 h were significantly greater than those cultured for 36 and 42 h (p < 0.05). Experiment 2 was conducted to compare the fusion rate of MC-DC couplets, fused by inducing different fusion voltages, 2.1 or 2.4 kV/cm. The result showed that there was no difference in fusion efficiency between the 2.1 and 2.4 kV/cm fusion protocols. Experiment 3 was conducted to compare the developmental rate of MC-DC and domestic cat (DC-DC) cloned embryos. In vitro fertilized cat embryos served as a control. The development of MC-DC and DC-DC cloned embryos to the 4- to 8-cell, morula and blastocyst stages was not significantly different. However, the development rates at morula and blastocyst stages of control were significantly greater than those of cloned embryos (p < 0.05). Experiment 4 rabbit (RB) oocytes were used as a recipient cytoplasm for marbled cat and domestic cat cloned embryos (MC- RB and DC-RB). RB-RB cloned embryos served as a control. There were no differences in the developmental rates between MC-RB, DC-RB and RB-RB embryos. In conclusion, marbled cat fibroblast cells can be reprogrammed in domestic cat and rabbit oocytes, and by using iSCNT it might be possible to produce marbled cat offspring in the future.     

转EGFP基因山羊克隆胚的发育

利用脂质体包裹含EGFP基因的质粒,并将之导入山羊乳腺上皮细胞,经G418筛选获得阳性细胞,以阳性细胞作为核供体,利用核移植技术构建转基因克隆胚。结果表明：用转基因山羊乳腺上皮细胞作为核供体,电融合法更适合构建转基因克隆胚。转基因山羊克隆胚体外培养最佳方案是用SOFaa培养液,在培养72 h后加入10%的正常山羊血清（Normal goat serum,NGS）。荧光显微镜下观察到转基因克隆胚中EGFP的表达,大部分克隆胚发育到8-16细胞以后的时期,绿色荧光蛋白才开始逐渐表达,随着发育时间的延长,绿色荧光蛋白的表达也逐渐增强。说明外源基因在胚胎早期发育阶段可以表达,EGFP可以作为报告基因来实现对外源基因整合及表达的监测。     

乙醇激活诱导小鼠孤雌胚的发育与核型分析

注射ｈＣＧ１８～１９ ｈ 后收集的小鼠卵母细胞, ８５ ％ 以上可为乙醇所激活, 产生均质单倍体、嵌合单倍体、１ 个原核的杂合二倍体和２ 个原核的杂合二倍体４ 种激活类型, 且它们的比率分别为８１－４ ％ 、１０－５ ％ 、４－６ ％ 和３－５ ％ 。单倍体胚胎体外培养后有少数可发育至囊胚期。单倍体孤雌胚在８ 细胞期开始出现二倍体核型, 从而形成单倍体胚胎、单倍体 二倍体嵌合胚和二倍体胚胎。孤雌胚的核型中还出现较高比率的非整倍体。     

Melatonin Supplementation During In Vitro Maturation and Development Supports the Development of Porcine Embryos

Melatonin has been reported to improve the in vitro development of embryos in some species. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of melatonin supplementation during in vitro maturation (IVM) and development culture on the development and quality of porcine embryos. In the first experiment, when the in vitro fertilized embryos were cultured with different concentrations of melatonin (0, 10, 25 and 50 ng/ml) for 8 days, the blastocyst formation rate of embryos cultured with 25 ng/ml melatonin (10.7%) was significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared to the control embryos cultured without melatonin (4.2%). The proportion of DNA‐fragmented nuclei in blastocysts derived from embryos cultured with 50 ng/ml melatonin was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of embryos cultured without melatonin (2.1% vs 7.2%). In the second experiment, when oocytes were cultured in the maturation medium supplemented with different concentrations of melatonin (0, 10, 25 and 50 ng/ml), fertilized and then cultured with 25 ng/ml melatonin for 8 days, there were no significant differences in the rates of cleavage and blastocyst formation among the groups. However, the proportions (2.7–5.4%) of DNA‐fragmented nuclei in blastocysts derived from oocytes matured with melatonin were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) compared to those (8.9%) from oocytes matured without melatonin, irrespective of the concentration of melatonin. Our results suggest that supplementation of the culture media with melatonin (25 ng/ml) during IVM and development has beneficial effects on the developmental competence and quality of porcine embryos.     

氨基酸和牛磺酸对绵羊体外受精胚胎体外培养的影响

本文在KSOM培养液中添加牛磺酸和NEAA、EAA ,研究氨基酸对绵羊胚胎体外培养的影响。研究表明 :①牛磺酸、NEAA可以显著提高胚胎的桑椹胚和囊胚发育率 ;②EAA能促进胚胎由囊胚向孵化囊胚发育 ;③NEAA和EAA可促进胚胎的囊胚发育和孵化囊胚的发育。     

氨基酸和半胱胺对绵羊胚胎体外发育的影响

将从绵羊卵巢采集的卵母细胞成熟培养22~24h;成熟卵母细胞去除颗粒细胞,选择排出第一极体的卵母细胞,用5μmol/L A23187(5min)联合2mmol/L 6-DMAP(4h)进行孤雌激活;激活后的卵母细胞在培养液中进行培养。研究氨基酸和半胱胺对绵羊胚胎早期体外发育的影响。结果显示:(1)氨基酸能促进胚胎体外发育,0~24h培养添加抑制卵母细胞的卵裂,24h后培养添加比全过程培养添加更能促进胚胎体外发育;(2)24~72h培养添加必需氨基酸(EAA),能促进胚胎体外发育;(3)半胱胺添加量0~100μmol/L,随浓度增高各项发育指标呈增高趋势,添加100~200μmol/L,随浓度增高各项发育指标呈下降趋势。     

氨基酸和半胱胺对绵羊胚胎体外发育的影响

将从绵羊卵巢采集的卵母细胞成熟培养22-24h;成熟卵母细胞去除颗粒细胞,选择排出第一极体的卵母细胞,用5μmol／LA23187（5min）联合2mmol／L 6-DMAP（4h）进行孤雌激活;激活后的卵母细胞在培养液中进行培养。研究氨基酸和半胱胺对绵羊胚胎早期体外发育的影响。结果显示：（1）氨基酸能促进胚胎体外发育,0-24h培养添加抑制卵母细胞的卵裂,24h后培养添加比全过程培养添加更能促进胚胎体外发育;（2）24～72h培养添加必需氨基酸（EAA）,能促进胚胎体外发育;（3）半胱胺添加量0～100μmol／L,随浓度增高各项发育指标呈增高趋势,添加100～200μmol／L,随浓度增高各项发育指标呈下降趋势。     

猪体细胞克隆胚胎体外发育过程中的凋亡规律

本试验旨在研究比较猪体细胞克隆胚胎体外发育与凋亡变化规律,探讨其体外发育潜能与细胞凋亡间的关系。将体外成熟培养获得的猪MⅡ期卵母细胞随机分为2组,分别进行体细胞核移植(SNCT)与体外受精(IVF)处理,采用彗星试验(Comet assay)和Real-time RT-PCR技术对体外发育过程中各时期胚胎的细胞凋亡事件及抗凋亡基因Bcl-2 mRNA的表达水平进行研究。结果表明,两组在卵裂率上无显著差异(77.6%vs 80.3%,P0.05),在囊胚发育率上,SCNT组胚胎明显低于IVF组,但无统计学差异(18.9%vs 24.5%,P0.05);随着胚胎发育,SCNT与IVF组胚胎的凋亡率均呈现不断增加的趋势,Bcl-2 mRNA表达量则逐渐下降;到16-细胞以后,SCNT组胚胎的凋亡率均显著高于IVF组,同时Bcl-2 mRNA表达量均显著低于IVF组(P0.05)。本试验结果表明,猪克隆胚胎生产效率低下可能与胚胎发育过程中的细胞凋亡有关。     

几种冷冻条件对牛体外受精卵发育率的影响

试验比较了乙二醇 (EG)、丙二醇 (PG)、二甲基亚砜 (DMSO)、甘油 (G)和不同的投液氮温度 (- 33℃或 - 4 0℃ )对牛体外受精卵冷冻后发育率的影响。结果 :投液氮温度无论是 - 33℃或 - 4 0℃ ,均以 1.5 mol/ L EG的冷冻效果为最好 ,与 1.5 mol/ L PG相比 ,受精卵的发育率差异显著 (39.7% vs19.2 % ;4 7.8% vs2 4 .7% ,P <0 .0 5 ) ;同 1.5mol/ L DMSO和 1.5 mol/ L G相比 ,受精卵的发育率差异极显著 (39.7% vs 16 .1% or 13.3% ;4 7.8% vs 19.2 % or17.3% ,P <0 .0 1)。 - 4 0℃投液氮 ,受精卵冷冻后的发育率略高于 - 33℃ ,但差异不显著 (P >0 .0 5 )。以 2 5 % EG 2 5 % PG作为细胞外玻璃化溶液对牛体外受精卵进行冷冻 ,冷冻后受精卵的发育率达 5 8.9% ,高于用 1.5 mol/ L EG冷冻在 - 4 0℃投液氮这一处理 (47.8% ) ,但无统计学上差异 (P >0 .0 5 )。然而 ,试验组冷冻后受精卵的发育率均极显著低于对照组 (80 .6 8% ,P <0 .0 1)。结果表明 ,投液氮温度以 - 4 0℃为较好 ,防冻剂以 EG的冷冻效果为最佳。玻璃化冷冻法完全可以应用于冷冻牛体外受精卵     

In Vitro Development of Bovine Embryos after Fertilization using Semen from Different Donors

Contents: The aim of this study was to determine whether the semen donor and/or heparin concentration influences the rate of fertilization of bovine follicular oocytes and their subsequent embryonic development in vitro. Frozen-thawed semen from five highly fertile bulls was treated with one of four concentrations of heparin (0.5,1.0, 2.0 and 5.0 μg/ml) on a 5 x4 factorial basis in an IVM-NF programme. Zygotes/oocytes were cultured in frozen-thawed bovine oviduct cell-conditioned medium for 6 days. The use of semen from different bulls resulted in significantly (P < 0.001) different rates offertilization, as judged by cleavage rates of the oocytes at 72 h post insemination, and subsequent embryonic development through the'8-cell-block'(P < 0.05) in vitro. Development up to the morula/blastocyst stage, however, did not differ significantly (P = 0.06) among groups of oocytes fertilized with spermatozoa from different bulls. Heparin levels ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 μg/ml did not differ in their effect on in vitro fertilization as judged by the rate of normally cleaved oocytes (P = 0.14). The overall parthenogenetic division rate at 72 h post insemination was 12.4% and was not influenced by the heparin concentration. There was a linear relationship (P < 0.001) between fertility estimates based on AI and the estimates basedon the first cleavage following in vitro fertilization.     

Effects of Trichostatin A on In Vitro Development and DNA Methylation Level of the Satellite I Region of Swamp Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Cloned Embryos

Trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, has been widely used to improve the cloning efficiency in several species. This brings our attention to investigation of the effects of TSA on developmental potential of swamp buffalo cloned embryos. Swamp buffalo cloned embryos were produced by electrical pulse fusion of male swamp buffalo fibroblasts with swamp buffalo enucleated oocytes. After fusion, reconstructed oocytes were treated with 0, 25 or 50 nM TSA for 10 h. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the rates of fusion (82–85%), cleavage (79–84%) and development to the 8-cell stage (59–65%) among treatment groups. The highest developmental rates to the morula and blastocyst stages of embryos were found in the 25 nM TSA-treated group (42.7 and 30.1%, respectively). We also analyzed the DNA methylation level in the satellite I region of donor cells and in in vitro fertilized (IVF) and cloned embryos using the bisulfite DNA sequencing method. The results indicated that the DNA methylation levels in cloned embryos were significantly higher than those of IVF embryos but approximately similar to those of donor cells. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the methylation level among TSA-treated and untreated cloned embryos. Thus, TSA treatments at 25 nM for 10 h could enhance the in vitro developmental potential of swamp buffalo cloned embryos, but no beneficial effect on the DNA methylation level was observed.     

供体细胞对猪体细胞克隆胚胎早期发育的影响

以中国农业大学实验用小型猪香猪胎儿成纤维细胞、成年耳成纤维细胞和颗粒细胞3种细胞系为供体细胞进行核移植。比较了血清饥饿法和接触抑制法处理胎儿成纤维细胞诱导进入G0／G1期的效率，发现二者差异不显著（P〉0．05），血清饥饿2d和4d差异不明显，同样接触抑制2d和4d差异也不显著（P〉0．05）。系统研究了影响克隆胚胎发育的供体因素：血清饥饿与否、细胞形态、细胞类型及个体差异等，结果表明：血清饥饿处理对克隆胚的早期发育没有明显的促进作用；圆形光滑细胞有利于细胞融合，对早期发育无显著影响（P〉0．05）；不同个体、不同类型的供体细胞对克隆胚囊胚发育率有一定的影响。     

Lipid Droplet Analysis Using In Vitro Bovine Oocytes and Embryos

The aim of this study was to quantify the content of lipid droplets in bovine oocytes and embryos from Bos indicus (Bi), Bos taurus (Bt) and Bos indicus × Bos taurus (Bi × Bt). Oocytes were aspirated post‐mortem and subjected to in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilization and in vitro development; the medium employed at each stage (TCM‐199, TALP, SOF) was supplemented with (i) serum replacement (SR), (ii) foetal calf serum (FCS) or (iii) oestrous cow serum (ECS). The structure and distribution of the lipid droplets were established using electron microscopy, but were quantified using an optical microscope on semi‐fine toluidine blue‐stained sections. The highest percentage of embryos corresponded to those produced with FCS and ECS, which differed from embryos generated with SR (p < 0.05). The highest percentage of morulae and the lowest percentage of blastocysts were obtained with the SR supplement (p < 0.05). The oocytes cultured in FCS demonstrated a higher number of lipid droplets compared to those cultured in SR and ECS (p < 0.05). Less accumulation of lipids was observed in embryos supplemented with SR. The lowest and highest numbers of lipid droplets in oocytes corresponded to the Bi and Bt strain, respectively. The lowest amount of lipid droplets in embryos was observed in Bi (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of the in vitro development culture medium (synthetic oviduct fluid) with a synthetic substitute serum produced similar results in terms of embryo development compared to those obtained with FCS, but a decreased degree of lipid droplet accumulation was observed in the in vitro‐cultured embryos.     

用淘汰奶牛卵巢生产体外受精奶牛胚胎的研究

本文研究了淘汰奶牛卵巢采集方法、卵丘细胞和颗粒细胞对卵母细胞体外受精后发育的影响.结果表明奶牛屠宰后取其卵巢,用剖解法可比抽吸法得到更多的可用卵母细胞(8.5:6.2枚/卵巢,P＜0.05).经成熟培养和体外受精后,无卵丘细胞包围的裸露卵母细胞卵裂率为40.2%,但仅28.2%停留在8～16细胞期,最高发育阶段为16细胞期;而有3层以上卵丘细胞紧密包围的卵丘-卵母细胞复合体,其卵裂率(60.2%:53.2%,P＜0.05)和囊胚发育率(31.5%:19.6%,P＜0.05)均高于卵丘细胞包被不全的卵母细胞.在培养液中添加颗粒细胞,提高囊胚细胞数(96.2±5.2:70.4±4.6,P＜0.05),但没有促进牛受精卵的卵裂率.     

Comparison of In Vitro Developmental Competence of Cloned Caprine Embryos Using Donor Karyoplasts from Adult Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells vs Ear Fibroblast Cells

The aim of this study was to produce cloned caprine embryos using either caprine bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or ear fibroblast cells (EFCs) as donor karyoplasts. Caprine MSCs were isolated from male Boer goats of an average age of 1.5 years. To determine the pluripotency of MSCs, the cells were induced to differentiate into osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes. Subsequently, MSCs were characterized through cell surface antigen profiles using specific markers, prior to their use as donor karyoplasts for nuclear transfer. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in fusion rates was observed between MSCs (87.7%) and EFCs (91.3%) used as donor karyoplasts. The cleavage rate of cloned embryos derived with MSCs (87.0%) was similar (p > 0.05) to those cloned using EFCs (84.4%). However, the in vitro development of MSCs‐derived cloned embryos (25.3%) to the blastocyst stage was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those derived with EFCs (20.6%). In conclusion, MSCs could be reprogrammed by caprine oocytes, and production of cloned caprine embryos with MSCs improved their in vitro developmental competence, but not in their fusion and cleavage rate as compared to cloning using somatic cells such as EFCs.     

Comparison of Two Semen Extenders in Terms of In Vitro Development of Bovine Embryos Following IVF

In order to conform with current EC standards with regard to antibiotic cover, the Norwegian Cattle Association is currently investigating the use of Biladyl® as an alternative to the milk-based extender which has been traditionally used in Norway. A study was carried out to investigate the effect of using semen frozen with either milk extender or Biladyl® on the outcome of in vitro fertilization and embryo culture. Semen from 6 Norwegian Red bulls was used. There was a significant difference p<0.05 in terms of cleavage rate between the 2 extenders for 1 bull, 78.2% vs 94.9% for milk and Biladyl® extenders, respectively, and for the overall total of 71.3% vs 76.1% for milk and Biladyl® extenders, respectively. There were no significant differences in terms of blastocyst yield amongst any of the bulls. In conclusion, the results suggest that Biladyl® can be used as a replacement for the traditional milk-based extender without any adverse effects on blastocyst yields following in vitro fertilization.