Development in vitro of mouse embryos from the two-cell egg stage to the early somite stage

Development ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 235-245
Author(s):  
Yu-Chih Hsu ◽  
John Baskar ◽  
Leroy C. Stevens ◽  
John E. Rash

About 1–3% of mouse blastocysts, which had initially been cultured from the two-cell stage in chemically defined medium or about 3–5% of blastocysts which were explanted from the uterus, developed to the early somite stage when cultured in vitro on collagen. Two-cell eggs were initially cultivated in chemically defined medium to the blastocyst stage. Blastocysts were then transferred to Eagle's minimal essential medium (MEM) plus 10% heat-inactivated calf serum. Two barriers to further development were overcome. First, the formation of endoderm and ectoderm from the inner cell mass immediately after attachment to collagen. Second, formation of the embryo proper from the embryonic region. Both barriers were overcome by using heat-inactivated human cord serum after the blastocysts hatched from the zona pellucida and attached to collagen. After attachment, embryos were cultured in MEM plus 20% heat-inactivated human cord serum which was changed daily until early somite stages. Apparently normal healthy development in vitro occurred, as judged by light and electron microscopic examination.

Reproduction ◽  
2001 ◽  
pp. 957-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Nishikimi ◽  
T Matsukawa ◽  
K Hoshino ◽  
S Ikeda ◽  
Y Kira ◽  
...  

Changes in the activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) during embryonic development, and the distribution of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) isoforms were examined in unfertilized mouse oocytes at the second meiotic metaphase (MII) stage and in fertilized mouse embryos during preimplantation development. In addition, the effects of NOS inhibitors on mouse preimplantation development in vitro were investigated. The activities of NOS in MII oocytes and fertilized embryos during the preimplantation period were determined by NADPH-diaphorase staining. Although NOS activity was detected in unfertilized MII oocytes, the intensity of staining was much weaker than that of fertilized embryos at the one-cell stage. There was a decrease in NOS activity in embryos from the four-cell to the eight-cell stage; however, NOS activity increased again in embryos at the morula stage, particularly in the inner cell population. In the expanded blastocysts, staining was confined to the inner cell mass. Immuno-cytochemical staining showed that eNOS and iNOS were expressed in the cytoplasm of oocytes and embryos during the preimplantation period, and eNOS was also distributed in the nuclei of the embryos. When one-cell embryos were treated with 1 mmol N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) l(-1), their development in vitro was arrested at the two-cell stage. This inhibition of development was overcome by the addition of 1 mmol L-arginine l(-1) to the medium. These observations indicate that nitric oxide plays an important role as a diffusible regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation, especially at the developmental transition from the two-cell to the four-cell stage during preimplantation development of mice.


1982 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
GM Harlow ◽  
P Quinn

The culture conditions for the development in vitro of (C57BL/6 X CBA) F2 hybrid two-cell embryos to the blastocyst stage have been optimized. Commercially available pre-sterile disposable plastic culture dishes supported more reliable development than re-usable washed glass tubes. The presence of an oil layer reduced the variability in development. An average of 85 % of blastocysts developed from hybrid two-cell embryos cultured in drops of Whitten's medium under oil in plastic culture dishes in an atmosphere of 5% O2 : 5% CO2 : 90% N2 ? The time taken for the total cell number to double in embryos developing in vivo was 10 h, and in cultured embryos 17 h. Embryos cultured in vitro from the two-cell stage to blastocyst stage were retarded by 18-24 h in comparison with those remaining in vivo. Day-4 blastocysts in vivo contained 25-70 cells (mean 50) with 7-28 (mean 16) of these in the inner cell mass. Cultured blastocysts contained 19-73 cells (mean 44) with 8-34 (mean 19) of these in the inner cell mass. In the uterine environment, inner-cell-mass blastomeres divided at a faster rate than trophectoderm blastomeres and it is suggested that a long cell cycle is associated with terminal differentiation. Although cultured blastocysts and inner cell masses contained the same number of cells as blastocysts and inner cell masses in vivo, the rate of cell division in cultured inner cell masses was markedly reduced.


2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
K. Yoshioka ◽  
H. Ekwall ◽  
H. Rodriguez-Martinez

Hyaluronan (HA), a glycosaminoglycan present in follicular and oviductal fluids, has been related to sperm capacitation, fertilization and embryo development. We have previously developed an in vitro-production (IVP) system of porcine embryos, where porcine blastocysts can be produced by IVF and IVC in chemically defined media and can develop to full-term by transfer to recipients. The application of a chemically defined medium to IVP in pigs allows the analysis of the physical action of substances on the development of pre-implantation embryos. In the present study, the effects of HA on the development of porcine embryos in a chemically defined medium were investigated. Porcine presumptive zygotes were produced by IVM and IVF of COC from pre-pubertal gilts and frozen-thawed ejaculated boar semen. The zygotes were cultured in Porcine Zygote Medium (PZM)-5 containing different concentrations of HA (0 [control], 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50μgmL−1) until 6 days after IVF, and representative specimens were fixed for cell counting and transmission electron microscopy. Data of percentages and cell numbers were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Fisher’s PLSD test. The percentage of embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage (15.8% [23/144] to 19.5% [27/139]) did not differ among treatments. However, addition of 5 or 10μgmL−1 HA increased (P<0.05) the total number of cells in blastocysts (56.1 and 58.3 cells [n=22 and 23], respectively) compared to control (no HA, 42.0 cells [n=23]). To evaluate proliferation rates of inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE), embryos were cultured in PZM-5 for various periods of exposure to 10μgmL−1 HA. The numbers of ICM and TE cells in Day-6 blastocysts cultured in the presence of exogenous HA from Day 0 to Day 3 (18.3 and 34.4 cells, respectively [n=38]) or Day 6 (17.9 and 35.9 cells, respectively [n=36]) were significantly (P<0.05) higher than those cultured without HA through the culture period (13.5 and 24.2 cells, respectively [n=26]). In the presence of HA from Day 3 to 6, only the number of TE cells (37.1 cells [n=33]) increased (P<0.05), compared to PZM-5 alone. Differences in ultrastructure were noticed among blastocysts cultured with or without 10mgmL−1 HA. Blastocysts cultured with HA had mainly mature mitochondria while many mitochondria appeared morphologically immature in the blastocysts cultured without HA. Lipid droplets in the blastocysts cultured with HA seemed to be more homogeneous in comparison with those in the blastocysts cultured in PZM-5 alone. Further differences were seen in the numbers of lysosome-like structures, which were greater in blastocysts cultured with HA. This study demonstrates that exogenous HA improves cell proliferation and normality of ICM and TE in porcine embryos cultured in a chemically defined medium, depending on the exposure periods to HA. (Supported by MAFF, Japan and STINT, Sweden.)


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marino Maemura ◽  
Hiroaki Taketsuru ◽  
Yuki Nakajima ◽  
Ruiqi Shao ◽  
Ayaka Kakihara ◽  
...  

AbstractIn multicellular organisms, oocytes and sperm undergo fusion during fertilization and the resulting zygote gives rise to a new individual. The ability of zygotes to produce a fully formed individual from a single cell when placed in a supportive environment is known as totipotency. Given that totipotent cells are the source of all multicellular organisms, a better understanding of totipotency may have a wide-ranging impact on biology. The precise delineation of totipotent cells in mammals has remained elusive, however, although zygotes and single blastomeres of embryos at the two-cell stage have been thought to be the only totipotent cells in mice. We now show that a single blastomere of two- or four-cell mouse embryos can give rise to a fertile adult when placed in a uterus, even though blastomere isolation disturbs the transcriptome of derived embryos. Single blastomeres isolated from embryos at the eight-cell or morula stages and cultured in vitro manifested pronounced defects in the formation of epiblast and primitive endoderm by the inner cell mass and in the development of blastocysts, respectively. Our results thus indicate that totipotency of mouse zygotes extends to single blastomeres of embryos at the four-cell stage.


Development ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hardy ◽  
A.H. Handyside ◽  
R.M. Winston

The development of 181 surplus human embryos, including both normally and abnormally fertilized, was observed from day 2 to day 5, 6 or 7 in vitro. 63/149 (42%) normally fertilized embryos reached the blastocyst stage on day 5 or 6. Total, trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) cell numbers were analyzed by differential labelling of the nuclei with polynucleotide-specific fluorochromes. The TE nuclei were labelled with one fluorochrome during immunosurgical lysis, before fixing the embryo and labelling both sets of nuclei with a second fluorochrome (Handyside and Hunter, 1984, 1986). Newly expanded normally fertilized blastocysts on day 5 had a total of 58.3 +/− 8.1 cells, which increased to 84.4 +/− 5.7 and 125.5 +/− 19 on days 6 and 7, respectively. The numbers of TE cells were similar on days 5 and 6 (37.9 +/− 6.0 and 40.3 +/− 5.0, respectively) and then doubled on day 7 (80.6 +/− 15.2). In contrast, ICM cell numbers doubled between days 5 and 6 (20.4 +/− 4.0 and 41.9 +/− 5.0, respectively) and remained virtually unchanged on day 7 (45.6 +/− 10.2). There was widespread cell death in both the TE and ICM as evidenced by fragmenting nuclei, which increased substantially by day 7. These results are compared with the numbers of cells in morphologically abnormal blastocysts and blastocysts derived from abnormally fertilized embryos. The nuclei of arrested embryos were also examined. The number of TE and ICM cells allocated in normally fertilized blastocysts appears to be similar to the numbers allocated in the mouse. Unlike the mouse, however, the proportion of ICM cells remains higher, despite cell death in both lineages.


Development ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-615
Author(s):  
M. H. L. Snow

Mouse embryos were grown in vitro from the 2-cell stage to blastocysts in the presence of [3H]thymidine. Methyl-T-thymidine and thymidine-6-T(n) were used and both forms found to be lethal at concentrations above 0·1 μCi/ml. Both forms of [3H]Tdr at concentrations between 0·01 and 0·1 μCi/ml caused a highly significant (P < 0·001) reduction in blastocyst cell number. The reduction in cell number, which was positively correlated with specific activity and tritium concentration, was associated with cell damage typical of radiation damage caused by tritium disintegration. Thymidine-6-T(n) also significantly reduced the number of 2-cell embryos forming blastocysts whereas methyl-T-Tdr did not. This difference in effect is assumed to be caused by contamination of one form of [3H]Tdr with a by-product of the tritiation process. A study of the cleavage stages showed that almost all the reduction in cell numbers could be accounted for by selective cell death occurring at the 16-cell stage. Cells which survive that stage cleave at a normal rate. The cells that are most susceptible to [3H]Tdr damage were found to normally contribute to the inner cell mass. The [3H]Tdr-resistant cells form the trophoblast. It is possible to grow blastocysts in [3H]Tdr such that they contain no inner cell mass but are composed entirely of trophoblast. Comparatively short (12 h) incubation with [3H]Tdr at any stage prior to the 16-cell stage will cause this damage. Possible reasons for this differential effect are discussed, and also compared with damage caused by X-irradiation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
A. E. Ynsaurralde Rivolta ◽  
M. Suvá ◽  
V. Alberio ◽  
C. Vazquez Echegaray ◽  
A. Guberman ◽  
...  

Bovine monozygotic production of twins became popular in the 1980s as a technique to multiply high value genetics. Moreover, it also became a powerful model for research. Different techniques have been used on bovine embryos obtained by superovulation. In this work, we compared the development rates and quality of monozygotic twin embryos produced by blastomere separation (BS) and embryo bisection (EB) of IVF embryos. To this aim, cumulus-oocytes complexes collected from slaughterhouse ovaries were in vitro matured in TCM 199 containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 10µg mL−1 FSH, 0.3mM sodium pyruvate, 100mM cysteamine, and 2% antibiotic-antimycotic for 24h, at 6.5% CO2 in humidified air and 38.5°C. The IVF was performed with 16×106 spermatozoa per mL for 5h. Afterward, presumptive zygotes were cultured in SOF medium for 7 days at 38.5°C and 5% O2. After 24h of culture, blastomeres of 2-cell stage embryos (N=114) were separated and each one was cultured individually in a microwell for 7 days. Embryo bisection (N=179) was performed manually on Day-7 blastocysts previously depleted of their zonae pellucidae, under stereoscopic microscope. Hemi embryos were cultured for 24h and then twins and single blastocyst rates were calculated. For quality assessment, diameter, total and inner cell mass (ICM) cell number of hemi embryos (BS: 6 couples; ES: 10 couples) and the control group (C: 11) were evaluated. The ICM cell number was measured by immunofluorescence staining using SOX2 antibody and the percentage of ICM and trophectoderm (TE) cells was calculated. The results were analysed using Fisher’s exact test and ANOVA with mean comparison using Tukey’s test (P=0.05). No statistical differences were found in blastocyst rates of twins and single hemi embryos produced by BS (28 and 25%) or EB (23 and 32%). Blastocyst diameter was similar between groups and control. Hemi embryos exhibited lower total and ICM cell number than control (BS: 43±18, EB: 57±14v. C: 93±35 and BS: 16±7, EB: 12±8v. C: 34±19). However, BS hemi embryos had higher ICM and lower TE percentage (40/60%) compared with the EB group (20/80%). The control group did not differ with hemi embryo treatments for ICM and TE (30/70%). Our preliminary results have indicated that although the development rates of hemi embryos produced in vitro were similar between both techniques, blastomere separation generates better quality embryos than blastocyst bisection.


1995 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Th. Rülicke ◽  
P. Autenried

Approximately 18% of cryopreserved 2-cell mouse embryos of 26 different batches showed various degrees of morphological damage after the freeze-thaw process. Normal and damaged morphology were assessed by light microscopy and the ability of an embryo to develop in vitro to a blastocyst, or to develop to term, after transfer to foster mothers. Using vital stains such as Fluorescein-diacetate (FDA) and 4',6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole (DAPI) it was found that in approximately 82% of the cases, both of the 2 blastomeres of the cryopreserved embryos survived the freeze-thaw process; in 10% only one cell survived the process; and in 8% none survived. Normally, only intact 2-cell embryos are considered for transfer. Here it was shown that over 60% of the partially damaged embryos developed in vitro to the blastocyst stage and, of those, 26% developed to term after transfer to suitable foster mothers. Although the inner cell mass (ICM) appeared to remain smaller during culture after the transfer of partially damaged 2-cell stage embryos, no difference during gestation period was found compared with intact embryos.


2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
P. Kasinathan ◽  
M.F. Nichols ◽  
J.E. Griffin ◽  
J.M. Robl

Chimeras have been used for investigating fundamental aspects of early embryonic development, and differentiation, and for introducing foreign genes into mammals (Robertson et al., 1986 Nature 323, 445–448; Cibelli et al., 1998 Science 280, 1256–1258). The main objective of this study was to determine if the transfer of blastomeres from in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos into cloned, transchromosomic embryos improved the efficiency of producing transchromosomic calves. Cloned embryos were produced using in vitro-matured bovine oocytes and bovine fetal fibroblasts containing a human artificial chromosome (HAC) (Kuroiwa et al., 2002 Nat Biotechnol 20, 889–894). IVP embryos were produced using standard procedures and blastomeres were harvested at the 8–16 cell stage by removing the zona pellucida with protease. Cloned embryos were randomly divided on Day 4 into two groups. One group received 3–4 IVP blastomeres while a second group served as a control (nonmanipulated cloned embryos). After transferring the blastomeres, the chimeric and cloned embryos were placed in culture (Kasinathan et al., 2001 Biol. Reprod. 64, 1487–1493) and on Day 7 development to the blastocyst stage was evaluated. Grades 1 and 2 embryos were transferred; two each per synchronized recipient. Pregnancy maintenance, calving, and calf survival were evaluated in both groups. Presence of a HAC in live calves was evaluated in both fibroblasts and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) using FISH analysis. Embryo development to the blastocyst stage, maintenance of pregnancy and number of calves born were analyzed using Chi-square. There were no differences in the rate of blastocyst development at day 7 or establishment of pregnancy at 40d (P>0.05). However, pregnancy rate at 120d, and number of calves that developed to term and were alive at birth (chimera 14/54 and clone 4/90), and at 1 month of age (chimera 13/54 and clone 1/90) were lower (P<0.01) for cloned embryos. The proportion of cells containing an HAC in PBLs, was higher in cloned calves (100%) compared to chimeric calves (26%). The HAC retension rates in PBLs in HAC-positive chimeric and cloned calves were 84% and 95%, respectively. These data indicate that, although the proportion of calves retaining an HAC was lower in chimeras compared to clones, more HAC-positive calves were produced in the chimeric treatment from fewer cloned embryos. We speculate that higher rates of development in the chimeras may be related to the normality of the placenta. Future studies will be required to determine the contribution of the IVP blastomeres to both the inner cell mass and trophectoderm. Therefore, a chimeric approach may be useful for improving the efficiency of producing cloned transchromosomic calves.


2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Y. U. Kim ◽  
D. P. Bhandari ◽  
M. S. Hossein ◽  
S. M. Park ◽  
E. Lee ◽  
...  

Insulin promotes the uptake of glucose and amino acids, and is beneficial for maturation of oocytes in vitro. Transferrin is an iron-transport protein and selenium is an essential trace element. Insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS) together has been used in some in vitro maturation systems. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of ITS in defined and porcine folicular fluid (pFF)-supplemented IVM medium on the glutathione (GSH) concentration, and on developmental competence after somatic cell nuclear transfer. ITS liquid media supplement (I-3146) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St Louis, MO, USA). Basic IVM medium was TCM-199 supplemented with 10 ng mL-1 epidermal growth factor, 4 IU mL-1 pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and hCG and either 1% PVA (defined medium) or 10% pFF. Ten �g mL-1 insulin, 5.5 �g mL-1 transferrin, and 5 �g mL-1 selenium was used for the entire 44-h culture period. The GSH content of a gruop of 10 to 20 oocytes was determined by the dithionitrobezoic acid-glutathione disulfide (DTNB-GSSG) reductase recycling assay. Fetal fibroblasts were used as somatic cell donors and reconstructed embryos were cultured in mNCSU-23 medium for 168 h. Cleavage and blastocyst formation was observed at 48 h and 168 h, respectively. The quality of blastocysts was assessed by differential staining of the inner cell mass (ICM) and the trophectoderm (TE) cells. Each experiment was replicated for 5 times. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, and Tukey was used as a posthoc test. The level of GSH production significantly varied in different culture conditions. The highest GSH concentration was observed in the pFF + ITS group (8.2 picomol/oocyte). A total of 116, 125, 126, and 120 reconstructed oocytes were cultured, and 10.1, 15.3, 17.2, and 21.8% blastocysts were observed for PVA, PVA + ITS, pFF, and pFF + ITS groups, respectively (P < 0.05). The numbers of inner cell mass, trophrectoderm cells, and total cells were significantly higher in the pFF + ITS group compared with the other groups. The average number of total cells in blastocysts was 31.9 � 1.8, 43.1 � 3.5, 46.7 � 4.9, and 52.3 � 6.7 for PVA, PVA + ITS, pFF, and pFF + ITS groups, respectively (P < 0.05). ITS supplement improved the developmental competence in both the defined and the pFF supplemented groups. We recommend supplementing porcine IVM medium with 10 �g mL-1 insulin, 5.5 �g mL-1 transferrin, and 5 �g mL-1 selenium.


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