• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.341-346
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• 1993

The development of isolated blastomeres from mammalian preimplantation embryos has been basically studied for the multiplication of embryos from superior animals. Therefore, this study was investigated the effect of co-culture with mouse fetal fibroblast cells(MFFC) on in vitro development of blastomeres from mouse preimplantation embryos. Mature female ICR mice were treated with hormone to induce superovulation and embryos were collected at each 2, 4, and 8-cell stage. Then, after removing zona pellucida with protease, blastomeres were isolated by micropipetting, or reconstituted with different stage blastomere, and incubated for 72 hrs either in T6 or TCM199 or on the monolayer of MFFC, which was prepared with fibroblast cells from 14∼14 day mouse fetus. After incubation, we examined their development rates every day and the nuclei numbers of each blastocyst by Hoechst-33342 staining. In the development rates of blastomeres, there were no significant differences between media but the higher rateswere found in the monolayer of MFFC, regardless of reconsititution. In addition, blastomeres cultured with MFFC had slightly greater number of nuclei than those cultured in single media. Generally, the higher development rates of blastomeres were found from earlier stage embryos than the later ones, regardless of culture conditions. Reconsitituted blastomeres had more nuclei but did not show the higher development rates, compared to the single blastomeres. Taken together, our results suggest that co-culture with MFFC have a beneficial effect on the in vitro development of blastomeres from mouse embryos.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 1988

There studies were conducted using inbred ICR mice to examine the sex of preimplantation mouse embryo. The morphological normality of mice embryos treated with the culture medium containing rat H-Y antiserum(10%, v/v) plus complement(20%,v/v) was observed and also the sexing of embryos was investigated by chromosomal analysis. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. The viability of preimplantation mouse embryos, which were incubated in vitro with different media condition, was scored 68.9-85.5% in control group. However, 151 embryos normally developed up to blastocyst and 160 embryos were retarded growth or destroyed out of total 311 embryos treated in the medium containing H-Y antiserum(10%, v/v) plus complement(20%,v/v). 2. H-Y antiserum was prepared from inb red rats (Wistar and Donryu strain) with different immunization times (4, 5 and 6th) to examine the specific titer of embryos by the number of immunization. Precentage of normally developed embryos incubated either in the medium containing the antiserum of Wistar plus complement or Donryu plus complement was revealed 50.9, 47.4 and 50.0% (4, 5 and 6th immunization and 47.8, 41.2 and 48.7%, respectively. 3. Twenty two females and five males were identified out of fourty-eight normally developed embryos incubated in the medium containing H-Y antiserum plus complement by chromosomal analysis.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.253-259
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• 2000

Objective: To verify the effect of Matrigel, a ECM complex from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma on the preimplantation development and apoptosis of mouse fertilized eggs. Method: Late pronucleus stage eggs were cultured through the blastocyst stage in the presence of Matrigel (0.5%, v/v). Characteristics of apoptosis and cell number assesed by Hoecst staining and TUNEL labeling at the blastocyst stage, respectively. Results: Morphological development, number of cells per embryo was significantly increased but rate and number of TUNEL positive nuclei of the embryo were decreased in the presence of Matrigel. Conclusion: This result suggested that at low concentration of Matrigel improves both viability and morphological development in the preimplantation mouse embryos.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.381-385
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• 2000

Objective: To verify the effect of two forms (growth factor and growthfactor-reduced) of solubilized Matrigel on the development in mouse preimplantation embryos. Methods: Late 2-cell stage eggs were cultured through the blastocyst stage in the presence of GF- or GFR-Matrigel (0.5%, v/v). Morphological development, cell number and % apoptotic nuclei of blastocyst were measured by Roecst staining and TUNEL of nuclei. Results: Morphological development, number of cells per embryo was significantly increased in the presence of GF- or GFR-Matrigel. Culture of the embryos in the GF-Matrigel gave the best result. Conclusion: Low concentration of solubilized Matrigel improved development of mouse embryos regardless of growth factor content of the Matrigel. Growth factors and extracellular matrix protein included in the Matrigel synergistically potentiated the development of mouse embryos.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.201-207
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• 2004

Objective: The Id family of helix-loop-helix proteins are thought to affect the balance between cell growth and differentiation by negatively regulating the function of basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of Ids (Id-1, -2, -3, and -4) in preimplantation mouse embryos at mRNA and protein levels. Methods: Oocytes and preimplantation embryos were collected from reproductive organs of female ICR mice following superovulation. RT-PCR was performed to investigate the mRNA expression patterns of Id genes and their protein were localized by immunofluorescence analysis. Results: Id-1 and Id-3 mRNAs were strongly expressed at the germinal vesicle (GV) oocyte and the blastocyst stages. Id-2 mRNA was expressed throughout preimplantation embryo development, but Id-4 was not expressed. Immunofluorescence showed that Id-1 and Id-2 were predominantly localized in cytoplasmic region, but the immunofluorescence signal of Id-3 was weak throughout preimplantation embryo development. Conclusion: These data show for the first time that Ids are expressed in preimplantation mouse embryos and suggest that Ids may play an important role in early preimplantation embryo development and uterine physiological changes.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.1
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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.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 1999

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) play an important regulatory role in premplantation embryonic development. To study the role of IGF-1 during premplantation embryonic development in mouse, the presence of mRNA transcripts for IGF-1 and IGF-lR in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos was examined. In this study, the transcripts of IGF-1 was detected in oocytes using primers for IGF-1. The PCR products were identified by Msp I restriction enzyme digest. We revealed that the transcripts of IGF-1 and IGF-1R were presented in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos. The highest mRNA levels in GV stage oocytes were decreased at 4- or 8-cell stage and then reincreased upto blastocyst. The presence of IGF-1 and IGF-lR in GV-oocytes suggests that the transcripts in the early stage embryos were derived from maternal genome. Additionally, the presence of IGF-1 and IGF-lR in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos suggests that IGF-1 plays an autocrine role during preimplantation embryonic development through IGF-lR as a signalling pathway.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 1988

These studies were carried out to examine the sex of preimplantation mouse embryo. For the investigation of sex-ration of mouse embryos, morula and blastocysts stage embryos treated with H-Y antiserum (10%, v/v) and FITC anti-mouse-IgG were divided into the positive and negative embryos. Positive and negative identified embryos were observed the viability according to the in vitro cultured and the sex ratio was also investigated by chromosomal analysis. The results obtained in these studies were summarized as follows: 1. Two hundred sixty-seven recovered embryos of morula or blastocyst stage were incubated in medium containing H-Y antiserum and FITC anti-mouse-IgG. Positively or negatively identified embryos were 139 and 128. This trend indicated the approximal sex ratio was 1:1. 2. Sex ratio was measured using the embryos treated with indirect immunofluorescence assay to examine the relationship between embryo developmental stage and sex ratio. Sex ratio of morula stage embryos was 45.2% positive and 54.8% negative, on the other hand, the ratio switched to 56.4% positive and 43.6% negative embryo in blastocyst stage. 3. Fourty-seven positive and 57 negative embryos were obtained out of 104 morula stage embryos treated with indirect immunofluorescence assay. Survived positive or negative embryos during in vitro culture were 42 and 49, respectively out of 47 and 57 embryos. 4. The numbers of negative and positive embryos were 171 and 92 out of 163 blastocyst embryos which were incubated in the medium containing H-Y antiserum and FITC anti-mouse-IgG. The result of karyotype test showed the successful rate of sexing embryo is positive and negative embryos was63.0% (58/92) and 62.0% (44/71). The final female to male ratio within 58 positive embryos was 22.7:77.6, and the ratio of the 44 negative embryos was 77.3:22.7.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.197-203
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• 1998

DNA methylation seems to play an important regulatory role in gene expression and cell differentiation during postimplantation embryonic development. However, the significance of DNA methylation which is maintained by the DNA MTase during preimplantation embryonic development, is not fully understood. In order to study the role of DNA methylation in the preimplantation embryos, the expression of DNA MTase transcripts was monitored in the oocytes and preimplantation embryos. The mRNA of DNA MTase was detected in the oocytes and pleimplantation embryos. The relative mRNA levels of DNA MTase were high from the stages of GV-oocytes and pronuclear embryos, and thereafter decreased gradually. By the treatment of $\alpha$-amanitin, it was confirmed that the transcripts presented in pronuclear embryos was derived from the maternal genome. The presence of transcripts of DNA MTase in the oocytes and pronuclear embryos suggests that the maintenance of DNA methylation may be necessary and seems to play an important role in gene expression and cell differentiation during preimplantation embryonic develop-ment in mouse.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.343-359
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• 1989

To study the effects of ibaraki virus on preimplantation mouse embryos collected from prepubertal ICR and BALB/cByJ mice (30~40days old) by superovulation, zona pellucidaintact(ZPI) or free(ZPF) embryos(n=774) of 4- to 8-cell and morulae were exposed to $10^{5.8}$ $TCID_{50}$ of the virus up to 96 hours. The embryos were examined morphologically by observing the degeneration and hatching rates, and virologically and immunologically by determining the presence of infection with the virus, in addition, the effect of washing the embryos to remove virus possibly attached to was also investigated. The ZPI 4- to 8-cell embryos and morulae exposed to the virus showed considerably higher degeneration rate than those not exposed, for 96, and for 72 to 96 hours, respectively(p<0.01). The ZPF 4- to 8-cell embryos and morulae exposed to the virus showed considerably higher degeneration rates than those not exposed, throughout the whole culture hours in vitro (p<0.01). The ZPI 4- to 8-cell embryos and morulae not exposed to the virus showed considerably higher rates of hatched blastocyst than those exposed (p<0.01). The virus infection rates of the ZPF 4- to 8-cell embryos and morulae were significantly higher than those of the ZPI embryos according to cell culture system. The viral antigen was detected exclusively on the zona pellucida of ZPI embryos, while the antigen was evenly distributed in the blastomeres of ZPF embryos by the immunofluorescent assay. In the ZPI embryos exposed to ibaraki virus, the virus was detected in the two times-washing groups, but not in the ten times-washing groups. The results indicated that zona pellucida of murine embryos would provide an effective protection and that ten times-washing of the ZPI embryos previously exposed to the virus was effective to remove virus from the embryos.