In this study, we examined the feasibility of using subzonal cell injection with electrofusion for interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) to produce sei whale embryos and to improve their developmental capacity by investigating the effect of osmolarity and macromolecules in the culture medium on the in vitro developmental capacity. Hybrid embryos produced by the electrofusion of fet...

The recent development of designer nucleases allows for the efficient and precise introduction of genetic change into livestock genomes. Most studies so far have focused on the introduction of random mutations in cultured cells and the use of nuclear transfer to generate animals with edited genotypes. To circumvent the intrinsic uncertainties of random mutations and the inefficiencies of nuclea...

The accumulation of maternal mRNA and protein during oogenesis for supporting oocyte maturation and the newly fertilised zygote marks the beginning of developmental process in mammals. MicroRNAs (approximately 18-22 nt long) which are known for post-transcriptional gene regulation are evidenced for their essential role during animal development. We, therefore, aimed to investigate the expressio...

The development of lotic-breeding Bufo torrenticola is described from zygote to completion metamorphosis in captivity at 13±1°C. We delimit 56 developmental stages based on external features. describe so as be comparable common that are widely used for anurans. also compare the larval between B. lotic water and lentic water, with lentic-breeding japonicus formosus water. Our results suggest tad...

Screening for suppressor mutations is a powerful method to isolate genes that function in a common pathway or process. Because suppressor mutations often do not have phenotypes on their own, cloning of suppressor loci can be challenging. A method combining whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mapping (WGS/SNP mapping) was developed to identify mutations with vi...

Gamete formation requires the sequential action of two extrinsic cues, nitrogen deprivation and blue light. The mutants described here are specifically altered in the light-dependent step. Mutations lrg1, lrg3, and lrg4 overcome this light dependence while mutation lrg2 results in a delayed execution of the light-mediated step. The four mutations are linked. The recessive nature of the lrg1, lr...

We present a case of inferior conjunction in a rare type of conjoined twins, dicephalus in a male fetus. The male fetus was born to a 24-year-old, gravida 2, and para 0, who had medical abortion at 15 weeks of gestation due to anencephaly with meningoencephalocele revealed by ultrasound examination. The fetus was born with 2 anencephalic heads with a bifurcation of the vertebral column and pres...

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system is an adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea that has recently been exploited for genome engineering. Mutant mice can be generated in one step through direct delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 components into a mouse zygote. Although the technology is robust, delivery remains a bottlene...