| Abstract: | Experiments were performed to evaluate the efficiency of inhibition of HSP70 gene expression by antisense oligonucleotides complementary to the mRNA of HSP70 and to test the effects of inhibition of HSP70 gene expression on subsequent embryonic sensitivity to heat shock. The results showed that transfection of pre-implantation embryos at 4-cell stage with 5 μM antisense oligo had no effect on in vitro blastocyst development. However, transfection with 10 to 40 μM antisense oligo had reduced in vitro blastocyst development to 15, 10% and 0; For the embryos which exposed to 40 μM As arrested at the 16-cell stage, there was no blastocyst formation within the heat shock groups. In contrast, transfection had no effect on embryonic sensitivity to heat shock, above 25% of embryos developed to blastocyst stage in control groups. |
