Transfer Of Nuclei Research Articles

Nucleus transfer efficiency of ear fibroblast cells isolated from Bama miniature pigs at various ages.

Somatic cell nucleus transfer (SCNT) has been considered the most effective method for conserving endangered animals and expanding the quantity of adult animal models. Bama miniature pigs are genetically stable and share similar biological features to humans. These pigs have been used to establish animal models for human diseases, and for many other applications. However, there is a paucity of studies on the effect of ear fibroblasts derived from different age of adult Bama miniature pigs on nucleus transfer (NT). The present study examined the NT efficiency of ear fibroblasts from fetal, newborn, 1-, 2-, 4-, 6-, 12-month-old miniature pigs by using trypan blue staining, flow cytometry and NT technique, etc., and the cell biological function and SCNT efficiency were compared between groups. The results showed that ear fibroblasts grew well after passage in each group. Spindle-shaped cells initially predominated, and gradually declined with increase of culture time and replaced by polygonal cells. Irregular cell growth occurred in the 2-month-old group and the elder groups. The growth curves of the ear fibroblasts were "S-shaped" in different age groups. The cell proliferation of postnatal ear fibroblasts, especially those from 2-, 4-, 6-, 12-month-old miniature pigs was significantly different from that of fetus ear fibroblasts (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Two-month- and 4-month-old ear fibroblasts had a significantly higher proportion of G1 stage cells (85% to 91%) than those at 6 and 12 months (66% to 74%, P<0.01). The blastocyst rate of reconstructed embryos originating from newborn, 1-, 2-, 4-month-old donor pigs was 6.06% to 7.69% with no significant difference from that in fetus fibroblast group (8.06%). It was concluded that <4-month-old adult Bama miniature pigs represent a better donor cell resource than elder pigs.

Trichostatin A affects histone acetylation and gene expression in porcine somatic cell nucleus transfer embryos

Epigenetic aberrancies likely preclude correct and complete nuclear reprogramming after somatic cell nucleus transfer (SCNT) and may underlie the observed reduced viability of cloned embryos. In the current study, we tested the effects of the histone deacetylase-inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) on preimplantation development and on histone acetylation and the gene expression of nucleus transfer (NT) porcine ( Sus scrofa) embryos. Our results showed that 5 nM TSA for 26 h after reconstitution resulted in embryos (NTTSA) that reached the blastocyst stage at a higher level (48.1% vs. 20.2%) and increased number of cells (105.0 vs. 75.3) than that of the control (NTC) embryos. In addition, and unlike the NTC embryos, the treated embryos displayed a global acetylated histone H4 at lysine 8 profile similar to the in vitro–fertilized (IVF) and cultured embryos during the preimplantation development. Finally, we determined that several transcription factors exert a dramatic amount of genetic control over pluripotency, including Oct4, Nanog, Cdx2, and Rex01, the imprinting genes Igf2 and Igf2r, and the histone deacetyltransferase gene Hdac2. The NT blastocysts showed similar levels of Oct4, Cdx2, and Hdac2 but lower levels of Nanog than those of the IVF blastocyst. However, the NTTSA blastocysts showed similar levels of Rex01, Igf2, and Igf2r as those of IVF blastocysts, whereas the NTC blastocysts showed significantly lower levels for those genes. Our results suggest that TSA improves porcine SCNT preimplantation development and affects the acetylated status of the H4K8, rendering acetylation levels similar to those of the IVF counterparts.

Placentation in cloned cattle: Structure and microvascular architecture

To elucidate the morphological differences between placentas from normal and cloned cattle pregnancies reaching term, the umbilical cord, placentomes and interplacentomal region of the fetal membranes were examined macroscopically as well as by light and scanning electron microscopy. In pregnancies established by somatic nucleus transfer (NT), the umbilical cord and fetal membranes were edematous. Placentomal fusion was common, resulting in increased size and a decreased number of placentomes. Extensive areas of the chorioallantoic membrane were devoid of placentomes. An increased number of functional or accessory microcotyledons (<1 cm) were present at the maternally oriented surface of fetal membranes. Extensive areas of extravasated maternal blood were present within the placentomes and in the interplacentomal region. The crypts on the caruncular surface were dilated and accommodated complexes of more than one primary villus, as opposed to a single villus in non-cloned placentae. Scanning electron microscopy of blood vessel casts revealed that there was also more than one stem artery per villous tree and that the ramification of the vessels failed to form dense complexes of capillary loops and sinusoidal dilations as in normal pregnancies. At the materno-fetal interface, however, the trophoblast and uterine epithelium had normal histology. In conclusion, the NT placentas had a range of pathomorphological changes; this was likely associated with the poor clinical outcome of NT pregnancies.

Vitrification of bovine oocytes and its application to intergeneric somatic cell nucleus transfer

We determined the efficacy of a microdrop vitrification procedure for cryopreservation of bovine oocytes, using vitrified oocytes as cytoplasts for intraspecies and intergeneric somatic cell nucleus transfer (NT). In vitro matured bovine MII oocytes were vitrified in microdrops with a vitrification solution containing 35% ethylene glycol, 5% polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and 0.4 M trehalose. After warming, approximately 80% of the vitrified oocytes were morphologically normal, and their enucleation rate was similar to that of fresh oocytes. The NT embryos constructed with bovine cumulus cells and the vitrified oocytes developed similar to blastocysts constructed with fresh oocytes, although the cell number of NT blastocysts originating from vitrified oocytes was lower than that of the fresh control. In a second experiment, we examined the development of NT embryos constructed with vitrified bovine oocytes and bovine fibroblasts (intraspecies NT embryos) or swamp buffalo fibroblasts (intergeneric NT embryos). There were no differences between the intraspecies and intergeneric NT embryos in fusion, cleavage and development to blastocysts, except for lower cell numbers in the intergeneric NT blasocysts. In conclusion, the efficacy of this microdrop vitrification procedure and the production of swamp buffalo NT blastocysts using vitrified bovine oocytes was demonstrated.