• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 1995

Production of calves after transfer of nuclear transplant embryos is the latest technology to be applied in commercial livestock breeding. The objective of this study was to establish an efficient procedure to produce offsprings from nuclear transplant embryos. The fusion rates (72.7% vs. 80.8%), cleavage rates (62.5% vs. 71.4%) and rates of development in vitro (12.0% vs. 15.2%) of nuclear transplant embryos were not significantly different between 30 and 40h maturation age of cytoplast. The in vivo and in vitro-derived embryos as nuclei donor were used in this system of bovine nuclear transplantation. Fusion rates of nuclear transplant embryos were not significantly different between in vivo and in vitro-derived embryos (73.0 and 79.2%, respectively). The percentage of embryos reaching the morulae or blastocysts were 21.8% for in vivo-derived embryos and 11.9% for in vitro-derived embryos (p<0.01). Pregnancy rates after embryo transfer of nuclear transplant embryos were not significantly different between in vivo and in vitro-derived embryos (45.9 and 40.5%, respectively). However, calving rates after embryo transfer of nuclear transplant embryos were significantly higher in the in vivo-derived embryos than in vitro (p<0.01). Further research for age of cytoplast and use of in vitro-derived embryos as nuclei donor is required in this system. In conclusion, these results clearly show that the use of in vitro-derived oocytes as recipient cytoplast can improve the nuclear transplant system for genetic progress in cattle.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.275-280
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate on the survival and in vitro developmental rates of bisected bovine embryos by microblade, micropipette and pronase methods. Bisected embryos cultured for 1∼7 days in TCM-199 media with 10 FCS＋hormones. Survival and in vitro developmental rates was defined on in vitro culture or FDA-test. The results are summarized as follows ; 1. The survival and in vitro developmental rates of bisected bovine embryos by microblade, micropipette and pronase methods were 22.2, 16.7, 15.0% and 22.2, 23.3, 18.8%, respectively. In vitro developmental rate of bisected bovine embryos was significantly lower than that of non-bisection embryos(27.8% and 25.0%). 2. In vitro developmental rates of bovine embryos bisected for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 cells stages during in vitro culture in 10% FCS＋TCM-199 media were 25.0, 20.0, 20.0, 15.0 and 6.7%, respectively. 3. In vitro developmental rates of intact and free-zona pellucida of bisected demi-embryos during in vitro culture in 10% FCS＋TCM-199 media were 25.6, 16.7%, respectively. 4. In vitro developmental rates of biopsied embryos and biopsied blastomeres during in vitro culture in 10% FCS＋TCM-199 media were 20.0, 11.1%, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.179-190
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• 1996

Sexing and developing from splitted embryos which were fertilized in vitro implicate a possibility of production of the superior and sex controlled individuals. This study was carried out to investigate the production of transferable late blastocysts from in vitro fertilized embryos and to analyze sex by chromosome analysis from same embryos. In results, the ratio of cleavage and fertility of bovine follicular oocytes matured in vitro was 90% in co-cultured with granulosa cells. The competence of embryonic development from in vitro matured and fertilized bovine oocytes was 38% in co-cultured with bovine oviductal epithelial cells. To produce a lot of transferable embryos, therefore, the best conditon of culture system was co-cultured with granulosa cells for immature bovine oocytes and then co-cultured with bovine oviductal eptithelial cells for matured and fertilized oocytes. In chromosome analysis, 93% of in vitro fertilized embryos were very important aspect in chromosome preparation from bovine embryos such as duration of colcemid treatment, weakening of zona pellucida, methods of hypotonic treatment and fixation treatment.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.205-211
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• 1990

Single nuclei from two-, four- and eight-cell mouse embryos were transplanted into enucleated two-cell mouse embryos by micromanipulation and sendai virum mediated fusion. no significant difference in successful injectin rate and fusion rate was found between the cell stages of nuclear donor embryos. There nuclear transplant embryos receiving different cell stage nuclei were cultured in vitro for 96 hours. 75.3% of 255 embryos receiving 2-cell nuclei, 68.2% of 236 embryos reciving 4-cell nuceli and 46.9% of 228 embryos receiving 8-cell nuclei were developed to blastocyst, respectively. The number of blastomeres was significantly(P<0.05) reduced in the embryos receiving 8-cell nuclei, compared with the embryos receiving 2-cell, 4-cell nuclei or the intact embryos. Also the size of blastocysts was significantly(P<0.05) smaller in the embryos receiving 8-cell nuclei, compared with the intact or other nuclear transplant embryos. These results suggest that single nuclei introduced into the enucleated two-cell embryos are able to support the in vitro development of the reconstituted embryos to blastocysts. The prominant retardation of blastocoele formation and cell division was shown in nuclear transplant embryos receiving eight-cell nuclei when they were cultured in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 1996

This study was carried out to investigate on the survival rates and in vitro developmental rates of bisected bovine embryos by micromanipulator and micropipette. Bisected embryos were cultured for 1∼5 days in 20% FCS＋TCM-199 medium. Survival rate and in vitro developmental rate were defined as development rate on in vitro culture or FDA-test. The results are summarized as follows ; 1. The survival rates of intact or free zona pellucida of bisected embryos were 30.3 and 25.0%, respectively. And the survival rates of bisected embryos by micromanipulator and micropipette were 33.3 and 26.7%, respectively. The survival rate of bisected embryos was significantly lower than that of non-bisection embryos(65.0%). 2. The survival rates of bisection embryos in cultured for 12, 24, 48, 72 hrs with 20% FCS＋TCM-199 medium were 40.0, 30.0, 23.3 and 13.3%, respectively. 3. The in vitro developmental rates of intact of free zona pellucida of bisected embryos by micromainipulator and micropipettes were 33.3 and 26.7%, respectively. The survival rate of bisection embryos was significantly lower than that of non-bisection embryos(45.0%).

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.269-275
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to develop a rapid and reliable PCR method for sexing of morula or blastocyst stage bovine embryo. BOV97M and bovine 1.715 satellite DNA sequences were selected for amplification of male and bovine specific DNA, respectively. But the unbalanced number of copies of these two repetitive sequences required some modification of PCR method. Karyotyping of blastomeres were carried for the confirmation of sex determination in bovine embryos. The coincidence rate of sex between biopsied-single blastomere and matched blastocyst was 80.0%. When in vivo- and in vitro- derived embryos were compared, 61.8% and 56.7% were male in in vitro- and in vivo-derived embryos, respectively. In vivo-derived embryos showed better hatching rate than in vitro-derived embryos following biopsy of blastomeres. In conclusion, rapid and effective PCR could be applied to sexing of bovine preimplantation embryos using single blastomere. The sensitivity of this assay may eliminate the need for biopsy of more than one nucleated blastomere and reduce trauma to the embryos derived from biopsy procedure.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 1995

The purposes of this study were to produce cloned rabbit embryos and offsprings by nuclear transplantation(NT) using in vitro matured oocytes as nuclear recipient cytoplasm and to determine the effect of frozen nuclei donor embryos on the production efficiency of cloned embryos. The 8cell embryos were collected from the mated does by flushing oviducts with Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline containing 10% fetal calf serum(FCS) at 40 hours after hGG injection. A portion of collected embryos were preserved at 4$^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours and a portion of them were frozen by vitrification method. The embryos used for donor nuclei were synchronized in the phase of Gi /S transition. The in vitro matured oocytes were used as recipient cytoplasm following removing the nucleus and the first polar body. The synchronized blastomeres from fresh, cooled or frozen embryos were injected into the enucleated oocytes by micromanipulation and were electrofused by electrical stimulation of three pulses for 60 $\mu$sec at 1.0 W /cm in 0.28 M mannitol solution. The fused oocytes were co-cultured with a monolayer of rabbit oviductal epithelial cells in M-199 solution containing 10% FCS for 120 hours at 39$^{\circ}C$ in a 5% $CO_2$incubator. Following in vitro culture of the NT embryos to blastocyst stage, they were stained with Hoechst 33342 dye for counting the number of blastomeres by fluorescence microscopy. The nuclear transplant embryos developed in vitro to 2- to 4-cell stage were transferred into the oviducts of synchronized recipient does. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. The fusion rates of the blastomeres from fresh, cooled and frozen embryos with the in vitro matured and enucleated oocytes were 100, 95.8 and 64, 3%, respectively. 2. Development in vitro to blastocyst was significantly(p<0.05) different between the cloned embryos with the blastomeres from fresh, cooled or frozen embryos as 39.0, 20. 9 and 15.7%, respectively. 3. The mean numbers of cell cycle per day during in vitro culture of cloned embryos blastomeres from fresh, cooled or frozen embryos was 1.31, 1.29 and 1.16, respectively. 4. A total of 77 nuclear transplant embryos were transferred into 6 recipient does, of which two offsprings were produced from a foster mother 31 days after embryo transfer.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.101-104
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• 1998

This study examined the effects of growth factors in TCM199 on bovine 1-cell embryos development in vitro. After 6 day to 11 day in culture, 15.8%(19/120), 15.3%(20/130), 21.8%(35/160), 27.0%(56/207), 26.3%(53/201) and 30.7%(40/130) of the 1-cell embryos developed into expanding blastocysts in su, pp.ementing TCM199 with control, insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II, FGF and EGF, respectively. Hatching rate of 1-cell embryos in su, pp.ementing TCM199 with FGF, EGF and IGF-II were 21.4%(53/247), 20.3%(42/206) and 16.8%(41/243), respectively. The beneficial effect of growth factors on embryo development in vitro could be duplicated. These data indicate that the presence of FGF, EGF or IGF-II in the culture medium is beneficial for embryo development in vitro and accelerate cell differentiation.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.98-104
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• 1989

Successful techniques of in vitro fertilization(IVF) are valuable for studying the process of fertilization and for developing economical procedures for gene and nuclear transfer in farm animals. To date, bovine IVF system has been developed with oocytes in vitro or vitro, but the resulting zygotes exhibit limited embryonic development after in vitro culture. Even though in vitro matured oocytes achieved high fertilization and cleavage rates, these embryos appear extremly low rate of pregnancies when transferred to synchronized recipients. Development of early bovine embryos in vitro is generally arrested at the 8-to 16-cell stage. However, recent use of somatic cells such as trophoblastic vesicle, granulosa and oviduct epithelial cell for co-culture with early bovine embryos has proven effective for development of embryos, matured and fertilized in vitro, past the in vitro cell blocks. These factors clearly indicate the value of the co-culture system in promoting development of bovine oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro to morula or blastocyst stage in vitro. In addition, co-culture system may beome a tool for evaluation of viability of ova that have been manipulated by procedures such as splitting, microinjection and nuclear transfer.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 1999

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of paternal sex chromosome on early development of buffalo embryos fertilized and cultured in vitro. Embryos were produced in vitro from abattoir derived buffalo oocytes. The cleaved embryos were cocultured with buffalo oviductal epithelial cells and evaluated on day 7 under the phase contrast microscope to classify development. The embryos which reached the morula/blastocyst stage were fast developing, the embryos which were at 16-32 cell stage were medium developing and the embryos below 16 cell stage were slow developing. The embryos which showed some fragmentation in the blastomeres or degenerated blastomeres, were degenerating. Sex of emberyos (n=159) was determined using PCR for amplification of a male specific BRY. 1 (301 bp) and a buffalo specific satellite DNA (216 bp) fragments. The results thus obtained show that 1) X and Y chromosome bearing sperms fertilize oocytes to give almost equal numbers of cleaved XX and XY embryos, 2) male embryos develop faster than female embryos to reach advanced stage and 3) degeneration of buffalo embryos is not linked with the paternal sex chromosome. We suggest that faster development of males is due to differential processing of X and Y chromosome within the zygote for its activation and / or differential expression of genes on paternal sex chromosome sex chromosome during development of buffalo embryos fertilized and cultured in vitro which may be attributed to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.