improvements on embryo micromanipulation techniques led to the use of embryo biopsy in commercial embryo transfer programs for genetic analysis of preimplantation bovine embryos. the aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of bovine blastocyst derived from embryos biopsied at different precompacted morulae stages by assessment of cryosurvivability of the resulting blastocysts. the in vitr...

Glucose is the most important energy substrate for mammalian blastocysts. Its uptake is mediated by glucose transporters (GLUT). In muscle and adipocyte cells insulin stimulates glucose uptake by activation of the insulin receptor (IR) pathway and translocation of GLUT4. GLUT4 is expressed in bovine preimplantation embryos. A new insulin-responsive isoform, GLUT8, was recently described in mous...

In an attempt to enhance embryo development, we have co-cultured 1-cell OF1 mouse embryos on bovine kidney epithelia (Madine-Darby bovine kidney; MDBK) cells in a complex medium called complex mouse tubal fluid (cMTF; based on the energy substrate levels found in the mouse oviduct, containing non-essential amino acids, glutamine and EDTA). To determine the quality of the blastocysts obtained, w...

BACKGROUND The purposes of this study were to compare the survival rate of human blastocysts thawed by two different methods after vitrification using electron microscopic (EM) grids, and to report the successful pregnancies and live births resulting from the transfer of blastocysts that had survived the established thawing method. METHODS The blastocysts produced from three pronuclei zygotes...

BACKGROUND The process of implantation is mediated by various molecules, one of which is anandamide (AEA), a lipid signalling ligand belonging to the family of endocannabinoids. AEA exerts its effects on implantation by binding to the Type 1 Cannabinoid Receptor (CB1-R), expressed in both blastocysts and uterus. We wanted to know whether the endocannabinoid signalling system was present also in...

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is considered to be a critical tool for propagating valuable animals. To determine the productivity calves resulting from embryos derived with different culture media, enucleated oocytes matured in vitro were reconstructed with fetal fibroblasts, fused, and activated. The cloned embryos were cultured in modified synthetic oviduct fluid (mSOF) or a chemically...

Low viability of manipulated or in vitro cultured is caused primarily by the reduced cell number in the implanting blastocysts. In order to investigate the effect of implantation delay on embryo viability and cell number, mouse blastocysts were transferred into oviducts of day 0 pseudopregnant females. This type of transfer improved embryo survival rates, indicating that embryos retarded by in ...

We demonstrated previously that ultra-rapid freezing of mouse oocytes with 3.5 M dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) decreased cell numbers in day 5 in-vitro cultured blastocysts. In the present study we counted cell numbers of trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) separately following differential labelling of TE with propidium iodide (red) and ICM with bisbenzimide (blue). Blastocysts were from ...

MicroRNAs interact with multiple mRNAs resulting in their degradation and/or translational repression. This report used the delayed implantation model to determine the role of miRNAs in blastocysts. Dormant blastocysts in delayed implanting mice were activated by estradiol. Differential expression of 45 out of 238 miRNAs examined was found between the dormant and the activated blastocysts. Five...