E-cadherin Localization in Mouse Embryos Cultured in an Oviductal Environment.

Abstract

One-cell mouse embryos were cultured in the presence or absence of oviductal tissue in order to investigate the role of oviductal tissue on the developmental competence and morphology of mouse embryos cultured in vitro. To synchronize embryo development, one-cell embryos were treated with nocodazole, an inhibitor of tubulin polymerization. The morphology of 4-cell stage embryos that subsequently developed in the absence of oviduct (phosphate-free medium) differed markedly from that of 4-cell stage embryos developed in an oviductal environment. Four-cell embryos that developed without oviductal tissue had spherical blastomeres whereas embryos developed in co-culture had flattened blastomeres and appeared to have undergone premature compaction. Embryos with flattened blastomeres exhibited E-cadherin localization to regions of cell-to-cell contact.