Totipotency, pluripotency and nuclear reprogramming.

I-8: Somatic Cell Nuclear Reprogramming byMouse Oocytes Endures Beyond ReproductiveDecline

Background: The mammalian oocyte has the unique feature of supporting fertilization and normal development while being able of reprogramming the nuclei of somatic cells towards pluripotency, and occasionally even totipotency. Whilst oocyte quality is known to decay with somatic ageing, it is not a given that different biological functions decay concurrently. In this study, we tested whether ooc...

Nuclear Reprogramming in Mouse Primordial Germ Cells: Epigenetic Contribution

The unique capability of germ cells to give rise to a new organism, allowing the transmission of primary genetic information from generation to generation, depends on their epigenetic reprogramming ability and underlying genomic totipotency. Recent studies have shown that genome-wide epigenetic modifications, referred to as "epigenetic reprogramming", occur during the development of the gamete ...

Building up the nucleus: nuclear organization in the establishment of totipotency and pluripotency during mammalian development.

In mammals, epigenetic reprogramming, the acquisition and loss of totipotency, and the first cell fate decision all occur within a 3-d window after fertilization from the one-cell zygote to the formation of the blastocyst. These processes are poorly understood in molecular detail, yet this is an essential prerequisite to uncover principles of stem cells, chromatin biology, and thus regenerative...

Improved Development of Somatic Cell Cloned Mouse Embryos by Vitamin C and Latrunculin A

Impaired development of embryos produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is mostly associated with faulty reprogramming of the somatic nucleus to a totipotent state and can be improved by treatment with epigenetic modifiers. Here we report that addition of 100 μM vitamin C (VitC) to embryo culture medium for at least 16 h post-activation significantly increases mouse blastocyst formatio...

Higher chromatin mobility supports totipotency and precedes pluripotency in vivo.

The fusion of the gametes upon fertilization results in the formation of a totipotent cell. Embryonic chromatin is expected to be able to support a large degree of plasticity. However, whether this plasticity relies on a particular conformation of the embryonic chromatin is unknown. Moreover, whether chromatin plasticity is functionally linked to cellular potency has not been addressed. Here, w...

Developmental Competence and Pluripotency Gene Expression of Cattle Cloned Embryos Derived from Donor Cells Treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine