• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.257-260
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• 2004

Efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer was investigated in mice. First, oocyte activation was induced by SrCl₂, and the rate of development was compared with embryos from normal fertilization. Although more than one half of SrCl₂-treated oocytes developed to blastocysts (146/262, 55.7%), the rate of blastocyst formation was significantly lower than normal fertilization controls (59/79, 74.6%). Second, enucleation of oocytes was performed using Polscope that enables non-invasive visualization of metaphase spindles. Such approach could not only avoid damage of oocytes during an exposure to UV light often employed in conventional enucleation procedures, but could also assure the removal of nuclei from all oocytes operated because of monitoring the location of spindles during an entire process of enucleation. Morphologically normal blastocysts were obtained from the transfer of cumulus cell nuclei into enucleated oocytes. However, the rate of development into the blastocyst stage was still low (4/93, 4.3%). This reflects that the nuclear transfer procedure used in this study was not sufficiently optimized, and other factors may also impact greatly the efficiency of nuclear transfer. Including an induction of oocyte activation and method of enucleation tested in this study, a lot more elements are remained to be optimized to improve the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transfer in mice.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.127-131
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• 2007

Embryonic germ (EG) cells are undifferentiated stern cells isolated from cultured primordial germ cells (PGC). These cells share many characteristics with embryonic stem cells including morphology and pluripotency. Undifferentiated porcine EG cell lines demonstrating capacities of differentiation both in vitro and in vivo have been established. Since EG cells can be cultured indefinitely in an undifferentiated state, whereas somatic cells in primary culture are often unstable and have limited lifespan, EG cells may provide inexhaustible source of karyoplasts in nuclear transfer (NT). In this study the efficiencies of NT using porcine EG and fetal fibroblast cells were compared. Two different techniques were used to perform NT. With conventional NT procedure (Roslin method) involving fusion of donor cells with enucleated oocytes, the rates of development to the blastocyst stage in EG and somatic cell NT were 16.8% (59/351) and 14.5% (98/677), respectively. In piezo-driven microinjection (Honolulu method) of donor nuclei into enucleated oocytes, the rates of blastocyst formation in EG and somatic cell NT were 11.9% (15/126) and 9.4% (9/96), respectively. Regardless of NT methods used in this study, EG cell NT gave rise to comparable rate of blastocyst development to somatic cell NT. Overall, EG cells can be used as karyoplast donor in NT procedure, and embryos can be produced by EG cell NT that may be used as an alternative to conventional somatic cell NT.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 1994

The long term goal of this research is to develop an efficient procedure for large scale production of genetically identical or cloned animals. To improve nuclear transpalntation efficiency in the rabbit, this study evaluated the age of nuclear recipient oocytes on the different steps of nuclear transplantation. The ovulated oocytes in different ages were collected from the superovulated does by flushing oviducts with Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline(D-PBS) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum(FCS) from 13 to 15, 17 to 20 and 23 to 26 hours after hCG injection. The denuded oocytes were used as nuclear recipient cytoplasm following enucleation by micromanipulation. The blastomeres separated from the 8-cell embryos were used as nuclear donor. The enucleated oocytes receiving a blastomere in the perivitteline space were fused in the 0.28 M mannitol solution at 1.5 kV/cm, 60 sec for three times. The fused oocytes were co-cultured with the monolayered rabbit oviductal epithelial cells in TGM-199 solution with 10% FCS for 72 hours at 37$^{\circ}C$ in a 5% $CO_2$ incubator. The cultured nuclear transplant embryos and in vivo developed embryos collected at 72 hours after hCG injection were stained with Hoechst 33342 dye. Their cell numbers were counted under a fluorescent microscope. The results obtained were summarized as follows ; 1. The aged oocytes(20 hrs. post hCG) showed significantly(P<0.05) higher fusionrates(70 ~ 90%) than the recently ovulated oocytes(30.8%) 2. The aged oocytes which were electrically activated and fused at 20 hours developed to blastocyst at significantly(P<0.05) high rate, while none of the recently ovulated oocytes developed to blastocyst. 3. Even though the aged oocytes at 23~26 hours showed higher fusion rate(85.7%), not only they were inadequate to manipulate but also their developmental potential to blastocyst was highly impaired. 4. The developmental potential in vitro of nuclear transplant embryos was significantly retarded than in vivo deveolped embryos.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.49-53
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• 2012

The present study was conducted to examine the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during micromanipulation procedures in bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. Bovine enucleated oocytes were electrofused with donor cells, activated by a combination of Ca-ionophore and 6-dimethylaminopurine culture. Oocytes and embryos were stained in dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate or 3'-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein dye and the $H_2O_2$ or $^.OH$ radical levels were measured. $In$ $vitro$ fertilization (IVF) was performed for controls. The samples were examined with a fluorescent microscope, and fluorescence intensity was analyzed in each oocyte and embryo. The $H_2O_2$ and $^.OH$ radical levels of reconstituted oocytes were increased during manipulation (37.2~49.7 and 51.0~55.2 pixels, respectively) as compared to those of mature oocytes ($p$<0.05). During early $In$ $vitro$ culture, the ROS levels of SCNT embryos were significantly higher than those of IVF embryos ($p$<0.05). These results suggest that the cellular stress during micromanipulation procedures can generate the ROS in bovine SCNT embryos.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.92-93
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the KSAR Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.291-291
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• 2004

Micromanipulation and fusion are essential to generate nuclear transfer embryos. In this process cytoplasmic damage is unavoidable. This study investigated the hypothesis that higher osmolarity than normal culture medium could help oocytes recover from cytoplasmic damage from micromanipulation and electric pulse. Oocytes derived from a local slaughter house were matured for 42 ∼ 44 h and enucleated. (omitted)

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 1995

This study was conducted to examine the efficiency of enucleation and blastomere isolation from recipient oocytes and donor embryos, respectively and to determine the effect of oocyte age and electric voltage on the fusion rate and in vitro development of the fused oocytes in rabbit nuclear transplantation. Immature oocytes collected from ovarian follicles were matured in vivo for 12 h in TCM-199 containing FCS and hormones and in vivo matured oocytes were collected 17 to 18 h post-HCG. The fresh and frozen donor embryos of 8- to 16-cell stage were collected from the oviduct of superovulated does. The proportion of successfully enucleated oocytes was greatly lower in in vitro matured oocytes (42.3%) than that (62.7%) in in vivo matured oocytes The level of cytochalasin B for in vivo matured oocytes did not affect the efficiency of enuleation, but 7.5 $\mu$g /mL cytochalasin B for in vitro matured oocytes showed a high enucleation rate significantly. The isolation efficiency of a single blastomere nucleus did not differ between 8- and 16-cell stage embryos. The percentage of single blastomeres isolated from 16-cell stage fresh embryos after 0.5% pronase treatment was greatly higher at 16-min treatment (94.4%) than at 8-min(78. 1%) and the blastomeres(61.5%) isolated from frozen-thawed embryos after 16-min pronase were significantly fewer than those of fresh embryos. The age of recipient oocytes affected nuclear fusion rate. The reconstituted oocytes fused at 24-h age showed slightly higher fusion rate (77.8%) than those (65.0%)fused at 18-h age. The fusion rate of in vitro and in vivo matured oocytes inserted with fresh blastomere did not differ among electric voltages, but the cleavage rate and development to morula-blastocysts of in vitro matured oocytes was more higher under 0.6 kV/cm than under 0.8 to 1.2 kV/cm, while the cleavage rate and development of in vivo matured oocytes was higher under 0.8 to 1.0 kV/cm than under 1.2 kV/cm. The fusion and cleavage rate fol1owing insertion with frozen-thawed blastomere was not different between the in vitro and in vivo matured oocytes and was similar to those from fresh blastomere insertion.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.171-179
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• 1997

The objectives of the present study were improvements in the efficiency of developmental rates to morula and blastocyst stages to produce a large number of genetically identical nuclear transplant embryos. The oocytes collected from slaughterhouse ovaries were matured for 24 h and then enucleated and cultured to allow cytoplasmic maturation and gain activation competence. And then the donor embryos were treated for 12 h with 10 $\pi$g /ml nocodazole and 7.5 $\pi$g /ml cytochalasin B to synchronize the cell cycle stage at 26 h after the onset of culture. The blastomeres were transferred into the perivitelline space of the enucleated nocytes and blastomeres and oocytes were fused by electrofusion. The cloned embryos were then cultured in various conditions to allow further development. The age of the recipient(30 vs 40 h) had no significant effect on the fusion rates(82.4 vs 82.1%) and the developmental rates to morula /blastocyst(9.8 vs 11.0%). Effect of Nocodazole treatment on the donor cell cyle synchronization to improve the developmental rates of bovine nuclear transplant embryos was significantly higher than control group(21.4 vs 10.1%, p<0.05). Significant differences were in the percentage of fusion rates(72.9,77.1vs 61.9%) in three types of fusion medium(PBS(+), mannitol and sucrose, p<0.01). The developmental rates of bovine nuclear transplant embryos appeared to be highest in mSOF medium under 5% 0$_2$ condition, but no significant differences were found when compared with TCM199-BOEC and mSOF under two different oxygen ratio(5 and 20%).

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2008

We attempted to control the maturation promoting factors (MPF) activity and nuclear remodeling of somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) bovine embryos. Bovine ear skin fibroblasts were fused to enucleated oocytes treated with either 5 mM caffeine for 2.5 h or 0.5 mM vanadate for 0.5 h and activated. The nuclear remodeling type of the reconstituted embryos was evaluated 1.5 h after activation. MPF activity was assessed in enucleated and chemical treated oocytes before the injection of a donor cell. Effect of chemicals on the embryonic development was evaluated with parthenogenetic embryos. MPF activity increased significantly by caffeine treatment, but decreased by vanadate treatment (p<0.05). Caffeine or vanadate had no deleterious effect on the parthenogenetic embryo development. In caffeine treated group, premature chromosome condensation (PCC) was occurred in 72.2% of NT embryos (p<0.05). In contrast, vanadate induced the formation of a pronucleus-like structure (PN) in a high frequency (68.9%, p<0.05) without PCC (NPCC). Blastocyst development of NT embryos increased by treating with caffeine (30.3%), whereas decreased by treating with vanadate (11.4%) compared to control (22.1%, p<0.05). The results indicate that caffeine or vanadate can control of MPF activity and remodeling type of NT embryos, resulting in the increased or decreased in vitro development.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.229-238
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• 1997

Chromosome condensation and swelling of the donor nucleus have been known as the early morphological indicators of chromatin remodelling after injection of a foreign nucleus into an enucleated recipient cytoplasm. The effects of non-preactivation and electrical preactivation of recipient cytoplasm, prior to fusing a donor nucleus, on the profile of nuclear remodelling in the nuclear transplant rabbit embryos were evaluated. The embryos of 16-cell stage were collected and synchronized to G1 phase of 32-cell stage. The recipient cytoplasms were obtained by removing the first polar body and chromosome mass by non-disruptive microsurgical procedure. The separated G1 phase blastomeres of 32-cell stage were injected into non-preactivated recipient cytoplasms. Otherwise, the enucleated recipient cytoplasms were preactivated by electrical stimulation and the separated G1 phase blastomeres of 32-cell stage were injected. After culture until 20h post-hCG injection, the nuclear transplant oocytes were electrofused by electrical stimulation. The nuclei of nuclear transplant embryos fused into non-preactivated and/or preactivated recipient cytoplasm were stained by Hoechst 33342 at 0, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 hrs post-fusion and were observed under an fluorescence microscopy. Accurate measurements of nuclear diameter were revealed with an ocular micrometer at 200$\times$. Upon blastomere fusion into non-preactivated recipient cytoplasm, a prematurely chromosome condensation at 1.5 hrs post-fusion and nuclear swelling at 8 hrs post-fusion were occurred as 91.6% and 86.1%, respectively. But the nuclei of nuclear transplant embryos fused into preactivated recipient cytoplasm, as o, pp.sed to non-preactivated recipient cytoplasm, were not occurred chromosome condensation and extensive nuclear swelling. Nuclear diameter fused into non-preactivated and preactivated recipient cytoplasm at hrs post-fusion was 30.2$\pm$0.74 and 15.2$\pm$1.32${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, respectively. These results indicated that onset of unclear condensation and swelling which was associated with oocytes activation were critical steps in the process of chromatin swelling. Futhermore, complete reprogramming seemed only possible after remodelling of the donor nucleus by chromosome condensation and nuclear swelling.