• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Objective: Estrogen related receptor ${\beta}$ (Esrrb) is a member of the orphan nuclear receptors and may regulate the expression of pluripotencyrelated genes, such as Oct4 and Nanog. Therefore, in the present study, we have developed a method for delivering exogenous ESRRB recombinant protein into embryos by using cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) conjugation and have analyzed their effect on embryonic development. Methods: Mouse oocytes and embryos were obtained from superovulated mice. The expression of Oct4 mRNA and the cell number of inner cell mass (ICM) in the in vitro-derived and in vivo-derived blastocysts were first analyzed by real time-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and differential staining. Then 8-cell embryos were cultured in KSOM media with or without $2{\mu}g/mL$ CPP-ESRRB protein for 24 to 48 hours, followed by checking their integration into embryos during in vitro culture by Western blot and immunocytochemistry. Results: Expression of Oct4 and the cell number of ICM were lower in the in vitro-derived blastocysts than in the in vivo-derived ones (p<0.05). In the blastocysts derived from the CPP-ESRRB-treated group, expression of Oct4 was greater than in the non-treated groups (p<0.05). Although no difference in embryonic development was observed between the treated and non-treated groups, the cell number of ICM was greater in the CPP-ESRRB-treated group. Conclusion: Treatment of CPP-ESRRB during cultivation could increase embryos' expression of Oct4 and the formation rate of the ICM in the blastocyst. Additionally, an exogenous delivery system of CPP-conjugated protein would be a useful tool for improving embryo culture systems.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.99-106
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• 1998

In this study, we have examined the role of cAMP in gap junctional communication (GJC) in preimplantation mouse embryos. GJC was monitored by Lucifer Yellow (LY) injected into one blastomere of compacted embryos. The speed of GJC was defined as the time taken for the last blastomere of the embryo to become visibly fluorescent. The median time for 8-cell embrvos (140 sec) was similar to that for 16-cell (135 sec). To determine whether cAMP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) are involved in the regulation of GJC, the effects of PKA inhibitor (H8) and cAMP analogues (Rp-cAMP and 8-Br-cAMP) on dye transfer between blastomeres of compacted embryos were examined. Some of the embryos treated with either H8 or Rp-cAMP failed to transfer LY to all blastomeres within 10 min. In contrast, 8-Br-cAMP speeded up fluorescent dye transfer. The median time to fill all blastomeres with LY was 140 sec in untreated controls and 90 sec in siblings treated with 8-Br-cAMP. Inhibition of PKA by H8 or Rp-cAMP induced delay or arrest in embryo development after compaction, but the increase of intracellular cAMP showed no effect. These findings suggest that GJC in preimplantation mouse embryos is regulated by cAMP-PKA pathway and transient interference by PKA inhibitors induces the developmental delay beyond compaction.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.121-126
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• 2012

In this study, a neural network (NN) modeling approach has been used to predict the mechanical and geometrical behaviors of mouse embryo cells. Two NN models have been implemented. In the first NN model dimple depth (w), dimple radius (a) and radius of the semi-circular curved surface of the cell (R) were used as inputs of the model while indentation force (f) was considered as output. In the second NN model, indentation force (f), dimple radius (a) and radius of the semi-circular curved surface of the cell (R) were considered as inputs of the model and dimple depth was predicted as the output of the model. In addition, sensitivity analysis has been carried out to investigate the influence of the significance of input parameters on the mechanical behavior of mouse embryos. Experimental data deduced by Fl$\ddot{u}$ckiger (2004) were collected to obtain training and test data for the NN. The results of these investigations show that the correlation values of the test and training data sets are between 0.9988 and 1.0000, and are in good agreement with the experimental observations.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.235-240
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• 2014

생쥐 2세포기, 4세포기, 8세포기를 각 발생 단계에서 채취하여 동결 보호제를 첨가한 서로 다른 배양액에서 배양하고, 배아의 동결 보존 및 융해 시 급속 처리와 저속 처리 단계로 비교하여 이들 조건이 배아의 생존과 발현에 미치는 영향을 조사하여 다음의 결과를 얻었다. 동결 보호제로 처리하여 배양액을 달리한 경우, 급속 단계에서는 모든 배양액에서 비슷한 발생율을 보였고, 저속단계의 4세포기와 8세포기는 D-PBS에서 높은 발생율을 보였다(P<0.05, P<0.01). 배아의 발생 시기에 따른 동결 보존 후, 발생율은 2, 4, 8세포기로 넘어갈수록 발생율의 증가를 보여 8세포기에서 발생율이 가장 높았다(P<0.01). 동결 보호제의 처리단계에 따른 발생율은 2세포기의 급속 단계에서는 유사하였으나, 4세포기와 8세포기는 저속단계에서 높은 발생율을 보였으며(P<0.05), 특히 8세포기에서 가장 높았다(P<0.01).

• 한국가축번식학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.247-256
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• 1999

본 연구는 한국야생 유래 행동이상 마우스(M. m. molossinus-tt@Kist)의 혈액학 및 혈액생화학치와, 체외수정란과 정자동결보존법, 체외수정과 수정란 이식기법을 이용한 번식장애 개선과 병원성 미생물이 제거된 무병마우스 생산을 위하여 실시하였다. 1. 5주령의 혈액학치에서 RBC, platelet치는 근교계에 비해 높게 나타났다. 혈액생화학치에서는 total cholesterol치가 근교계에 비해 높게 나타났으나 triglyceride, total protein, albumin치는 유사하였다. 2. 과배란 유기시의 평균 채란 수는 PMSG/hCG를 2.5/2.5 lU 투여군에서 11.6개, 5.0/5.0 IU 투여군에서 12.7개로 통계학적 유의 차는 인정되지 않았다. 3. 2.5/2.5 lU 투여군과 5.0/5.0 lU 투여군의 수정율은 각각 87.9%와 52%로 2.5/2.5 lU 부여군이 유의성있게 높은 성적을 나타내었고(p<0.05), 2세포기로의 발달율도 각각 유의성이 인정되는 99.0%와 90.6%였다 (p<0.05). 4. 동결정자를 이용한 체외수정에서의 수정율은 24.8%로 신선정자를 사용했을 때의 87.9% 보다 낮은 성적이었다. 5. 체외 수정란의 이식후의 산자율은 동결 2세포기 체외수정란의 경우 5마리(6.6%), 동결 정사를 이용한 체외 수정란의 경우 6마리(19.4%)와 대조군의 체외수정란의 경우 10마리(21.7%)의 새끼를 얻었다. 6. 이식후 출산한 산자의 미생물학적 검사에서 MHV(Mouse hepatitis virus)와 Staphylo-coccus aureus 등의 병원성 미생물이 무병대리모를 이용한 수정란이식에 의해 제거되었음을 확인하였다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.201-207
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• 2002

Objective: To observe the capability of fertilization and embryo development including blastocyst formation of the oocytes in simple media after thawing of the cryopreserved cumulus-free mouse oocytes by vitrification method. Methods: Oocytes were collected from 5 to 6 weeks old ICR female mice, and were denuded from the cumulus cells by 0.1% hyaluronidase. Recovered mature oocytes in study group were cryopreserved by vitrification method using EM grid for $5{\sim}7$ days. In brief, oocytes were exposed in dPBS containing 1.5 M EG and 5.5 M EG+1 M sucrose for 2.5 minutes and 20 seconds each, and then executed vitrification by plunging in LN2 after loading on EM grid. Thawing treated by exposure of 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125 M sucrose solution for 2.5 minutes each in order and used for experiments. Spermatozoa aspirated form the epididymis of 12 weeks old ICR male mice were used for insemination after capacitation. T6 media containing 0.4% BSA were used for fertilization and development. Results: Survival and fertilization rates after thawing were 76.9% and 79.6% respectively. Fertilization rate was lower (p<0.005) than that of control group (92.9%). There was no difference in embryo developmental rates from 2-cell to morula, however, the blastocyst formation rate and mean cell numbers of blastocysts in study group (63.3%, $58.9{\pm}9.2$) were lower compared with those of control group (76.1%, $63.5{\pm}8.9$). Conclusion: Vitrification is an effective method for mouse mature oocyte cryopreservation with high survival and fertilization rate after thawing. And in simple media, fertilization rates and embryo development of frozen-thawed mouse oocytes are satisfactory.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.377-383
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• 1997

The effects of embryo number and incubation volume on the development of mouse embryos were evaluated. The growth rate of two-cell mouse embryos to attached blastocyst stage and the growth rate of blastocysts to early somite stage were assessed after culture in different incubation volumes and embryo densities. Embryos were collected from ICR female mice superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin and mated by ICR males. In experiment 1, groups of one, five, ten, twenty 2-cell embryos were cultured in 10-, 50-, 500-, 1000-${\mu}l$ drops of BWW media under mineral oil at $37^{\circ}C$ in a humidified atmosphere of 5% $CO_{2}$ and 95% air. As the incubation volume decreased, significantly (p<0.05) higher rates of embryos reached morular and blastocyst stage on day 3 and 4 culture, respectively. In experiment 2, groups of one, five, ten, twenty blastocysts were cultured in 1- and 2-ml volumes of CMRL 1066 media under same condition as in experiment 1. However the reverse was the result. Decreasing the number of embryos incubated per volume from 1 to 20 significantly (p<0.05) increased the number of blastocysts reaching the late egg cylinder (LEC) and early somite (ES) stage on day 6 and 8 culture, respectively, regardless of incubation volume. Blastocysts cultured in 2ml had higher (p<0.05) development rates to LEC and ES stage on day 6 and 8 culture, respectively, than embryos cultured in 1ml. Our results suggest that the effects of embryo number and incubation volume on the development of mouse embryos are stage specific and the shifting point was between hatching and EEC stage.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.325-330
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• 1994

The study has been carried out in order to evaluate the effects of embryonic stage, and cryopreservation method on the rates of viability and development of the cryopreserved mouse early embryos. The results were as following:In the treatment steps of cryoprotectant, for the fertilized oocyte with pronucleus(PN), 2-step was better than the others. And for the other embryos, 4-step was better than 2- or 3-step. In respect to the embryonic stage, as the embryos developed from fertilized oocytes to 8-cell embryos, the rates of viability and development were increased higher. Therefore, 8-cell embryo was better stage than the others. In respect to the kind of cryoprotectants, PROH was better than DMSO for the fertilized oocyte, as a cryoprotectant. DMSO, for the 2-cell embryos and PROH and DMSO for the 4- and 8-cell embryos were suitable for cryopreservation.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.241-248
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• 2014

본 연구에서 생쥐 초기 배아를 이용하여 동결 보존된 배아의 생존율 또는 발달율에 영향을 미치는 요인들의 상관관계를 알아본 결과, 배아의 발달 단계에 따른 동결 - 해동 후 생존율에 있어서는 2세포기 배아가 4~8세포기 배아보다 유의하게 높았으나(p<0.01), 배 발달율에 있어서는 4~8세포기 배아가 유의하게(p<0.01), 높아 생존율과 배 발달율과는 상관관계가 없는 것으로 사료된다. 또한, 동결 보호제에 따른 배아의 생존율에 있어서는 2, 4~8세포기 배아 모두 DMSO에서 유의하게 높았으나(p<0.01), 배 발달율에 있어서는 EG가 DMSO에 비해 더 유의하게 높은 성적을 나타내어(p<0.01, p<0.05) 동해로 인한 상해가 적은 것으로 생각되어 2, 4~8세포기 배아에서 EG가 더 효과적인 동결 보호제로 사료되며, 동결 프로그램으로는 완만 동결 - 급속 해동법이 더 우수한 프로그램으로 보인다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.47-61
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• 2014

Stored maternal factors in oocytes regulate oocyte differentiation into embryos during early embryonic development. Before zygotic gene activation (ZGA), these early embryos are mainly dependent on maternal factors for survival, such as macromolecules and subcellular organelles in oocytes. The genes encoding these essential maternal products are referred to as maternal effect genes (MEGs). MEGs accumulate maternal factors during oogenesis and enable ZGA, progression of early embryo development, and the initial establishment of embryonic cell lineages. Disruption of MEGs results in defective embryogenesis. Despite their important functions, only a few mammalian MEGs have been identified. In this review we summarize the roles of known MEGs in mouse fertility, with a particular emphasis on oocytes and early embryonic development. An increased knowledge of the working mechanism of MEGs could ultimately provide a means to regulate oocyte maturation and subsequent early embryonic development.