Parthenogenetic Embryos Research Articles

Effect of TET inhibitor on bovine parthenogenetic embryo development.

DNA demethylation catalysed by the ten-eleven translocation (TET) protein is an important step during extensive global epigenetic reprogramming in mammals. However, whether TET proteins play a key role in DNA demethylation during the development of bovine pre-implanted embryos is still unclear. In this study, we utilized dimethyloxallyl glycine (DMOG), a small-molecule inhibitor of the TET protein, to impede the enzymatic activity of TET and explore subsequent effects on bovine parthenogenetic embryo development. We first detected the expression of the TET family, consisting of TET1, TET2 and TET3, in bovine MII stage oocytes and found that TET3 is more highly expressed than TET1 and TET2. Treatment with 1 mM DMOG increased 5mC levels (30.4% vs 79.8% at the 8-cell stage for satellite I, 25.3% vs 40.6% at the 8-cell stage for α-satellite, 20.5% vs 73.5% at the blastocyst stage for satellite I and 16.6% vs 30.0% at the blastocyst stage for α-satellite) at every bovine parthenogenetic embryo developmental stage. At the same time, DNA methylation level of satellite DNA and pluripotency gene promoters increased significantly. Real-time PCR analysis results indicated that the transcription levels of NANOG and OCT-4 decreased in the DMOG-treated group. Furthermore, TET inhibition negatively affected blastocyst formation, resulting in a decline in the blastocyst rate (17.1 ± 1.3% vs 24.1 ± 0.6%); however, the percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly increased according to the results of a TUNEL assay. Additionally, expression levels of the apoptosis-related gene BAX were up-regulated, while the expression of BCL-2 was down-regulated. In conclusion, these results support that TET plays important roles in bovine parthenogenetic embryo development by influencing DNA methylation reprogramming, gene expression and apoptosis.

Expression of RONIN and NANOG-associated proteins in goat parthenogenetic embryos

The expression of a subset of transcription factors is enriched in early preimplantation embryos, which contributes to their cellular plasticity. RONIN, NANOG and its associated proteins are PluripotencyAssociated Transcription Factors (PATF) that control relevant downstream pathways in pluripotent stem cells, but their activity in early embryos remained less understood. The work was aimed to determine the expression of RONIN and four NANOG-associated PATFs in goat preimplantation embryos. Goat embryos were produced in vitro by parthenogenetic activation. Gene transcripts of cleavage-stage embryos were investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while blastocysts were analyzed by both RTPCR and quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays. Gene transcripts of ZFP281, NAC1, and NR0B1 were detected in cleavage-stage embryos, while RONIN and OCT4 were not found expressed. Detection in blastocysts by RT-PCR confirmed the activity of NR0B1, RONIN, and OCT4. Moreover, all five PATF were detected in blastocysts by RT-qPCR (ZFP281, NAC1, RONIN, OCT4, and NR0B1). In conclusion, RONIN and NANOG-associated proteins are active during goat parthenogenetic preimplantation development and hold stage-specific expression patterns.

33 Improved Dog Cloning Efficiency Using Post-Activation with Ro-3306, a Cdk1 Inhibitor

Inactivation of maturation promoting factor requires proteolytic destruction of cyclin B that results in the loss of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) activity and exit from metaphase. The aim of this study was to investigate that treatment of Ro-3306, a Cdk1 inhibitor, during post-activation could increase the development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos in dogs. Mixed breed female dogs aged at 1 to 5 years and weighing 20 to 35 kg were used in this study (approval number: SNU-160602-14-1). Canine cumulus–oocyte complexes were collected surgically by flushing oviducts with HEPES-buffered TCM-199 medium ~72 h after ovulation, which was determined by serum progesterone concentration. After removal of cumulus cells from oocytes by repeated pipetting in hyaluronidase, matured oocytes were selected for the following experiment. In experiment I, oocytes were activated with (1) 10 μM calcium ionophore and then post-activated with 1.9 mM DMAP (control); (2) DMAP along with 10 μM Ro-3306 (10 μM group); or (3) DMAP along with 50 μM Ro-3306 (50 μM group). Parthenotes were cultured in the synthetic oviducal fluid (SOF) medium after post-activation, and in vitro development was evaluated at 48 h (2-4 cell) and 72 h (6-8 cell). In experiment II, SCNT embryos were produced after oocyte enucleation, donor cell injection, fusion, and activation. Only fused cytoplasts were activated with (1) 1.9 mM DMAP (control) or (2) DMAP along with 50 μM Ro-3306 (50 μM group) and transferred to the oviducts of recipients. The day of embryo transfer was regarded as Day 0. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography after Day 28 and cloned puppies were delivered Day 58 to 60. Embryo developmental rates in experiment I and II were analysed by one-way ANOVA and t-test, respectively, and pregnancy and delivery rate were analysed by chi-squared test using Graph Prism software (GraphPad, San Diego, CA, USA). The significance level was P < 0.05. Results in experiment I showed that cleavage rate of parthenogenetic embryos in the 50 μM group (89.3 ± 6.8%) was significantly higher than that of 10 μM group or control (50.8 ± 9.9% and 55.4 ± 18.8%, respectively). However, embryonic development to 4 cells and 6-8 cells was not different between treatments. In experiment II, pregnancy rates of recipients receiving embryos in 50 μM group (3/5, 60.0%) were significantly higher than that of control (2/6, 33.3%), but the number of healthy cloned puppies delivered in the 50 µM group (n = 6) versus the control (n = 2) was not different. In conclusion, post-activation with 50 μM Ro-3306 may enhance nuclear reprogramming of dog cloned embryos. This study was supported by RDA (#PJ010928032017), Korea IPET (#316002-05-2-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Natural Balance Korea and the BK21 plus program.

TIP60 contributes to porcine embryonic development by regulating DNA damage response

The acetyltransferase TIP60 (also known as Kat5) is a member of the MYST family of histone acetyltransferases and was initially identified as a cellular protein. TIP60 acetylates histone and non-histone proteins and is involved in diverse biological processes, including apoptosis, cell cycle, and DNA damage responses. In this study, a specific inhibitor of TIP60 was used to detect the function of TIP60 in porcine parthenogenetic embryos. The results showed that TIP60 inhibition impaired porcine parthenogenetic embryonic development. The mechanism of TIP60 was also determined. We found that the TIP60 inhibition impaired embryonic development by ROS induced DNA damage, as demonstrated by the number of γH2A in the nuclei. TIP60 inhibition triggered DNA damage through the regulation of p53-p21 pathway and TIP60 played a role in DNA repair. TIP60 inhibition decreased the efficiency of DNA repair by regulating 53BP1-dependent repair after DNA damage. Inhibition of TIP60 also increased the adaptive response, autophagy, by modulating LC3. Therefore, TIP60 plays a role in early porcine parthenogenetic embryonic development by regulating DNA damage and repair.

C-Phycocyanin protects against mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in parthenogenetic porcine embryos

C-Phycocyanin (CP) is a biliprotein enriched in blue-green algae that is known to possess antioxidant, anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory, and radical-scavenging properties in somatic cells. However, the protective effect of CP on porcine embryo developmental competence in vitro remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effect of CP on the development of early porcine embryos as well as its underlying mechanisms. Different concentrations of CP (2, 5, 8, 10 μg/mL) were added to porcine zygote medium 5 during in vitro culture. The results showed that 5 μg/mL CP significantly increased blastocyst formation and hatching rate. Blastocyst formation and quality were significantly increased in the 50 μM H2O2 treatment group following 5 μg/mL CP addition. CP prevented the H2O2-induced compromise of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, and reactive oxygen species generation. Furthermore, apoptosis, DNA damage level, and autophagy in the blastocysts were attenuated by supplementation of CP in the H2O2-induced oxidative injury group compared to in controls. These results suggest that CP has beneficial effects on the development of porcine parthenotes by attenuating mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

Peculiarities of <i>in vitro</i> parthenogenesis of unpollinated maize ovaries

The maize line AT-1 is characterized by a hereditary predisposition to parthenogenesis. The aim of this investigation is to study parthenogenetic embryo development in the culture of unpollinated ovaries in vitro. The unpollinated ovaries were explanted in 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 days after the appearance of stigmas from ears. The nutrient medium included mineral components of MS, vitamins, sucrose (9,0%), 2,4-D (2,0 mg/l), agar-agar. The structure of megagametophytes at the time of inoculation of the ovaries and on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21th, 28th day of cultivation was studied. The first divisions of unfertilized egg cells were observed on the 5th7th day after appearance of stigmas from ears, independently from whether all this time the ovaries were on the mother plant or they were inoculated into the nutrient medium. The formation of the autonomous abnormal endosperm in some cultivated ovaries was detected. The abnormal endosperm disturbed normal development of the proembryo. As a rule, the ovaries with embryo and endosperm degenerated. In the absence of endosperm, the morphogenesis of parthenogenetic proembryos was carried out in one of two directions in vitro: 1) development of plants by direct embryogenesis; 2) regeneration of plants from numerous embryoids, raised on the surface of globular proembryos. The second direction was prevailed. The culture of unpollinated ovaries can be a promising method of mass haploid regenerants not only in maize, but also in other types of agricultural plants.

Effect of follistatin on pre-implantational development of pig parthenogenetic embryos.

The present study was designed to explore effects of follistatin (FST) on pre-implantational development of parthenogenetically activated embryos (PAEs) in pigs. First, we investigated the FST messenger RNA expression level and dynamic FST protein expression patterns in porcine oocytes and PAEs. Then, PAEs were placed in embryo culture medium supplemented with 10ng/mL of FST-288, FST-300, and FST-315. Next, PAEs were cultured with 0, 1, 10 and 100ng/mL of FST-315 protein throughout the invitro culture (IVC) duration. Further, 10ng/mL of FST-300 was added from the start of IVC in which PAEs were treated for 30, 48 and 60h. The results showed that 1ng/mL FST-315 could significantly increase the total cell numbers of blastocyst and trophectoderm cell number in PAEs. Exogenous FST-300 supplementation could significantly promote the early cleavage divisions and improve the blastocyst formation rate of porcine embryos. FST-300 appeared to affect early embryonic development before activation of the embryonic genome. In all, the study confirmed for the first time that FST plays a role in promoting early embryonic development in pigs, which differed with different FST subtypes. FST-300 could facilitate the initial cleavage time and improve the blastocyst formation rate, and FST-315 could improve the blastocyst quality.

Effects of Fructose in a Chemically Defined Maturation Medium on Oocyte Maturation and Parthenogenetic Embryo Development in Pigs

Effects of Fructose in a Chemically Defined Maturation Medium on Oocyte Maturation and Parthenogenetic Embryo Development in Pigs

ID: 1065 Establishment of parthenogenetic diploid embryonic stem cells in mice

Parthenogenesis is a process in which zygotes are produced without sperm presence. Due to lack of paternal genes, parthenogenetic embryos cannot develop to full-term; however, these embryos show a great potential to generate histocompatible stem cells (parthenogenetic embryonic stem – pES cells) for transplantation. In this research, parthenogenetic activation in the mouse was carried out using strontium chloride (SrCl2) combined with cytochalasin B (CB). The rate of embryo development, blastocyst quality and expression of acetylation of histone H4 lysine 12 (H4K12Ac) were investigated, while parthenogenetic blastocysts were used to establish pES cells. The results showed that rate of in vitro blastulation of parthenogenetic embryos was lower than that of fertilized ones (45.1% vs 98.0%, respectively). In addition, blastocysts developed from parthenogenetic embryos also expressed lower quality, which was demonstrated by lower total cell number. Moreover, H4K12Ac expression significantly decreased in the inner cell mass (ICM) of parthenogenetic blastocysts compared to fertilized ones, indicating a possible reason for lower blastocyst quality. Following embryo collection and activation, two ES cell lines – fertilized (fES) and pES cell lines have been successfully established and maintained long term in vitro. To sum up, differences in blastocyst quality and H4K12Ac expression in ICM cells of blastocyst may contribute to aberrant developmental and embryonic stem cell formation in parthenogenetic embryos.

ID: 1066 Effects of biotin supplementation on the in vitro maturation of oocytes and the development of parthenogenetic diploid porcine embryos

In mammals, Biotin serves a coenzyme in the metabolism of glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids. Biotin deficiency causes decreased rates of cell proliferation, disfunction in germ cells and fetal development. This study was carried out to determine the influence of Biotin supplementation to invitro maturation medium on the development of porcine oocyte and embryos. Biotin (0.0, 1.0, 10.0, 100.0 mg/l, respectively) was added into the oocyte maturation medium, the quality of mature oocytes was evaluated after 42h culturing. The parthenogenetic diploid embryos were produced by using electro-activation system, the quality of embryos was noted at 1-4 cells stage. The results showed that, Biotin can enhance the formation of the first polar body at the concentration of 10 mg/l, it can also improve the activation efficiency of parthenogenetic diploid embryos at the preimplantation stage from 2-4 cells. Therefore, the supplementation of 10mg/l Biotin to the in-vitro maturation medium has a beneficial effect on the parthenogenetic diploid embryos development in the pig.

ID: 1069 Effect of Diutyryl-CAMP and follicle stimulating hormone on in vitro maturation of porcine oocyte

In this study, we examine the effects of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (dbcAMP) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on the maturation of nucleus and cytoplasm of porcine oocytes after in vitro maturation. The oocytes-granulosa cell complexes (OCGs) were cultured in three different maturation media: basic, basic+dbcAMP, and basic+dbcAMP+FSH to investigate the cumulus expansion and maturation of the fully-grown oocytes. Treated mature oocytes underwent parthenogenetic activation to examine the quality of the mature oocytes via the development of embryos. The results showed that there was a higher rate of cumulus expansion and maturation between the combination of dbcAMP and FSH group (95.1% and 85.3%) compare with the none treatment or only dbcAMP treated group (40.8% and 47.7%; 44.9% and 42.9% respectively). The results in embryos development showed that mature oocyte cultured in dbcAMP and FSH group had a higher rate of the embryos developed to the 8-cell stage (49.2%) than in the none treated or only dbcAMP treated group (26.5% and 27.6%). These results confirmed that the combination of dbcAMP 1mM and FSH 0.01 IU/ml could increase the quality of the mature oocytes and improved the preimplantation development of parthenogenetic diploid embryos

ID: 1068 Effect of caffeine supplementation during in vitro maturation on development of parthenogenetic embryos derived from aging oocytes

“Oocyte aging” refers to degradation of oocytes which is considered as consequence of long time nuclear transfer manipulation which leads to the reduced success rate of somatic nuclear transfer (SCNT). Caffeine, which has ability of maintenance of the maturation-promoting factor (MPF) from oocyte metaphase, is considered as an improvement factor of oocyte quality. However, the influence of caffeine in aged oocytes in which duration of oocyte development is still unknown. In this study, the supplementation of caffeine during in vitro maturation of porcine embryos (from metaphase I to metaphase II) was examined on the parthenogenesis models and evaluated its effect in aged oocyte quality. After reaching metaphase I stage (27 hours) of in vitro maturation (IVM), oocytes were continuously cultured with or without 5mM caffeine until metaphase II (42 hours), then induced aging in basic medium without hormone for 6 hours before parthenogenesis activation. Results indicated that the supplementation of caffeine at metaphase I to metaphase II during in vitro maturation had significantly improved the development of embryo to four-cell, eight-cell and importantly blastocyst stage. There was noticeably significant improvement in rate and quality of blastocyst of aging oocytes treated with caffeine compared to non-treated group (39.1% and 10.3%, respectively). Furthermore, caffeine treatment can reduce the fragmentation of aging oocyte. Hence, the interpretation of caffeine supplementation during metaphase I to metaphase II could improve the quality of embryo development and quality of blastocysts developed from aging oocytes (6 hours).

ID: 1087 Effects of oocytes collection and electro-activation protocols on maturation and preimplantation development of parthenogenetic diploid porcine embryos

Advances in porcine embryos production have been impaired by the in vitro maturation (IVM) system and in vitro developments (IVD) are still not optimized. The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of different oocytes collection methods (aspiration and dissection) on oocytes maturation and combine with the different electro-activation protocols on in vitro pre-implantation development of parthenogenetic diploid porcine embryos. The results showed that dissection method was significantly higher both in quantity (87.23%, p <0.05) of matured oocytes and in the rate of oocytes with very good quality (53.00%) compared with aspiration method (62.00%, 30.22%; respectively). We further accessed the quality of matured oocytes competence via parthenogenetic embryo development. Using four electro-activation protocols, we found that the electro-activation condition had no effect on the development of embryos to the 2-cell, 4-cell and 8-cell stages. However, the oocytes activated by the 60V/cm amplitude of pulse group had less (41.33%; p <0.05) development at the morula stage than 90V/cm, 100V/cm and 150V/cm amplitude of pulse groups (73.99%, 67.62%, 72.55%; respectively). The embryos develop to blastocyst stage was highest in the group induced by 90V/cm electro pulse was 71.76% compared to 100V/cm, 150V/cm, and 60V/cm (62.86%, 62.05%, and 37.63%, p<0.001, respectively). We conclude that the combining of dissection method for porcine oocytes collection and electro-activation with the amplitude of pulses 90V/cm can enhance both the activation success and development competition in in vitro pre- implantation parthenogenetic diploid porcine embryos.

Delayed blastocyst formation or an extra day culture increases apoptosis in pig blastocysts

In the present study, the timing was examined of blastocyst collection/formation or of how the duration of post-blastulation culture affected the quality and developmental competence of in vitro-produced pig parthenogenetic embryos. The earliest apoptotic signals were observed at the morula stage while the earliest cytoplasmic fragmentation was observed before the 4- to 8-cell stage of embryo development. Nuclear condensation was detected in morulae and blastocysts, but not all condensed nuclei were positive for the apoptotic signal (TUNEL staining). The mean blastocyst diameter increased with delayed blastocyst collection or extended post-blastulation culture, but decreased with delayed blastocyst formation. Delayed blastocyst collection/formation or an additional day of post-blastulation culture increased the frequencies of apoptosis, condensed nuclei, and low quality blastocysts (those showing a nuclear destruction that negated counting of the nuclei); increased the expression of the pro-apoptotic BAX gene; and reduced the ratio of ICM (inner cell mass) cells to TE (trophectoderm) cells. In addition, delayed blastocyst formation decreased POU5F1 gene expression. These results suggest that a delay in blastocyst collection/formation or an additional day of culture could increase the incidence of apoptosis, decrease the ICM:TE cell ratio, and influence the gene expression and diameter of blastocysts derived from in vitro-produced pig embryos. These findings provide a useful reference for improving the quality of in vitro-produced embryos.

Utilization of porcine invitro-produced parthenogenetic embryos for co-transfer with vitrified and warmed embryos.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using invitro-produced parthenogenetic (PA) embryos for co-transfer with morulae that had been collected invivo and cryopreserved. The proportion of PA blastocysts (20.5%) was higher than that of their invitro 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 invitro culture for 6days 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 invitro-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.

The effects of melatonin on bovine uniparental embryos development in vitro and the hormone secretion of COCs.

Melatonin is a unique multifunctional molecule that mediates reproductive functions in animals. In this study, we investigated the effects of melatonin on bovine parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryonic development, oocyte maturation, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryos and cumulus—oocyte complexes (COCs) hormone secretion with melatonin supplementation at four concentrations (0, 10, 20, and 30 pmol/mL), respectively. The results showed that melatonin significantly promoted the rates of bovine parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryonic cleavage and morula and blastocysts development (P < 0.05). The rate of cleavage was higher in the androgenetic embryo than that in the parthenogenetic embryo. Compared with the parthenogenetic embryos, the androgenetic embryos had a poor developmental competence from morula to blastocyst stage. Moreover, the levels of ROS were significantly lower in the parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryoes with melatonin-treated group than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Melatonin supplemented significantly increased the maturation rate of oocyte in vitro (P < 0.05). More importantly, melatonin significantly promoted the secretion of progesterone and estradiol by COCs (P < 0.05). To reveal the regulatory mechanism of melatonin on steroids synthesis, we found that steroidogenic genes (CYP11A1, CYP19A1 and StAR) were upregulated, suggesting that melatonin regulated estradiol and progesterone secretion through mediating the expression of steroidogenic genes (CYP11A1, CYP19A1 and StAR). In addition, MT1 and MT2 were identified in bovine early parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryos using western blot. It could be concluded that melatonin had beneficial effects on bovine oocyte in vitro maturation, COC hormone secretion, early development of subsequent parthenogenetic and androgenetic embryos. It is inferred that melatonin could be used to enhance the efficiency of in vitro developed embryos.

MicroRNA-148a overexpression improves the early development of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.

Incomplete epigenetic reprogramming of donor cell nuclei is one of the main contributors to the low efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). To improve the success of SCNT, somatic cell DNA methylation levels must be reduced to those levels found in totipotent embryonic cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that miR-148a can affect DNA methylation via DNMT1 modulation in various cancers. Therefore, the focus of this study was to examine the influence of miR-148a on DNA methylation in donor cells and in SCNT embryo development. Thus, a stable cell line overexpressing miR-148a was established and used to produce SCNT embryos. Upon examination, DNMT1 was found to be a miR-148a target in porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFF). Furthermore, miR-148a overexpression in PFFs significantly decreased DNMT1 expression and global DNA methylation levels (P < 0.05). Moreover, miRNA-148a expression levels in SCNT embryos were significantly lower at the 2-cell and 4-cell stages when compared to IVF and parthenogenetic embryos. The group overexpressing miRNA-148a also showed a significant increase in blastocyst formation and total cell numbers (P < 0.05). Additionally, miR-148a overexpression altered the immunofluorescence signal of 5-mC and H3K9ac, and enhanced pluripotent gene (Oct4 and Nanog) expression levels during embryo development. These results indicate that miR-148a overexpression enhances the developmental potential of SCNT embryos and modifies epigenetic status.

Investigation of the Developmental Potential and Developmental Kinetics of Bovine Parthenogenetic and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos Using a Time-Lapse Monitoring System.

A time-lapse monitoring system has predictive value for selecting good-quality embryos with the highest implantation potential. Using this new tool, we investigated the developmental potential and developmental kinetics of bovine parthenogenetic (PA) and two types of somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) embryos. Bovine non-transgenic ear cells (bECs) or transgenic cells (bTGCs) were used as donor cells. The cleavage and blastocyst development rates did not significantly differ among the PA, NT-bEC, and NT-bTGC groups, and first cleavage occurred an average of 19.3 hours (n = 70), 21.6 hours (n = 60), and 21.3 hours (n = 62) after activation, respectively (20.4 hours [n = 192] for all embryos). When embryos were classified into early cleaving (≤20 hours) and late cleaving (>20 hours) groups, the blastocyst formation rate was much higher in the early cleaving groups (PA, 46%; NT-bEC, 50%; NT-bTGC, 39%) than in the late cleaving groups (PA, 18%; NT-bEC, 23%; NT-bTGC, 28%), while the percentage of embryos whose development was blocked between the two- and eight-cell stages was increased in the late cleaving groups. The percentage of embryos classified as early cleaving with a normal morphology was twofold higher in the PA group (20.0%, n = 14) than in the NT-bTGC group (9.7%, n = 6). The timing of each developmental stage varied widely; the timing of first cleavage varied from 7.6 hours in the PA group to 34.5 hours in the NT-bEC group and the timing of expanded/hatching blastocyst appearance varied from 141.6 hours in the PA group to 196.3 hours in the NT-bTGC group, differences of 26.9 and 54.7 hours, respectively (PA>NT-bEC>NT-bTGC). These results demonstrate that time-lapse monitoring provides novel data regarding individual embryo developmental kinetics and helps to predict developmental potential for improved bovine NT embryo selection based on early cleavage (≤20 hours) and normal morphology.

Self-diploidization of human haploid parthenogenetic embryos through the Rho pathway regulates endomitosis and failed cytokinesis

A diploid genome is necessary for normal mammalian development, thus haploid parthenogenetic embryos undergo frequent self-diploidization during preimplantation development; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, time-lapse recording revealed that human haploid parthenotes (HPs) undergo self-diploidization via failed cytokinesis (FC) and endomitosis (EM). The frequencies of FC/EM were significantly higher in HPs than in normal fertilized embryos (26.3% vs. 1.6%, P < 0.01; 19.7% vs. 0, P < 0.01), and above 90% of FC/EM occurred at the first cell cycle in HPs. Fluorescent in situ hybridization of chromosome 16,18 and X in HPs identified diploid recovery after the appearance of FC/EM, and FC/EM HPs showed improved blastocyst formation compared with non-FC/EM HPs (18.8% and 40.0% vs. 15.4%, P > 0.05). In 66.7% of the 1-cell stage HPs, furrow ingression was not observed during the time for normal cleavage, and both immunostaining and gene expression analysis of 1-cell stage HPs revealed the absence or down-regulation of several key genes of the Rho pathway, which regulates cytomitosis. Our results suggested that the major mechanism for self-diploidization is Rho pathway inhibition leading to FC/EM in the first cell cycle, and fine-tuning of this signalling pathway may help to generate stable haploid embryos for stem cell biology studies.

Protective Effects of Coenzyme Q10 on Developmental Competence of Porcine Early Embryos.

Coenzyme Q10 (Q10) plays an important role in the cellular antioxidant system by protecting the cells from free-radical oxidative damage and apoptosis. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of Q10 on the preimplantation development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos, as well as the underlying mechanism. The results showed that 100 μM was the optimal concentration of Q10, which resulted in significantly increased cleavage and blastocyst formation rates and improvement of blastocyst quality. Q10 improved the blastocyst hatching rate and cellular proliferation rate in hatching blastocysts and increased the expression of hatching-related genes. Furthermore, Q10 not only decreased reactive oxygen species production, DNA damage levels, and apoptosis in the blastocysts from H2O2-induced oxidative injury, but also maintained mitochondrial function. Taken together, these results indicate that Q10 has beneficial effects on the development of porcine parthenogenetic embryos by preventing oxidative damage and apoptosis.