Regulation of embryonic size in early mouse development in vitro culture system

Zygote ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoka Hisaki ◽  
Ikuma Kawai ◽  
Koji Sugiura ◽  
Kunihiko Naito ◽  
Kiyoshi Kano

SummaryMammals self-regulate their body size throughout development. In the uterus, embryos are properly regulated to be a specific size at birth. Previously, size and cell number in aggregated embryos, which were made from two or more morulae, and half embryos, which were halved at the 2-cell stage, have been analysed in vivo in preimplantation and post-implantation development in mice. Here, we examined whether or not the mouse embryo has the capacity to self-regulate growth using an in vitro culture system. To elucidate embryonic histology, cells were counted in aggregated or half embryos in comparison with control embryos. Both double- and triple-aggregated embryos contained more cells than did control embryos during all culture periods, and the relative growth ratios showed no growth inhibition in an in vitro culture system. Meanwhile, half embryos contained fewer cells than control embryos, but the number grew throughout the culture period. Our data suggest that the growth of aggregated embryos is not affected and continues in an in vitro culture system. On the other hand, the growth of half embryos accelerates and continues in an in vitro culture system. This situation, in turn, implied that post-implantation mouse embryos might have some potential to regulate their own growth and size as seen by using an in vitro culture system without uterus factors. In conclusion, our results indicated that embryos have some ways in which to regulate their own size in mouse early development.

1982 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
GM Harlow ◽  
P Quinn

The culture conditions for the development in vitro of (C57BL/6 X CBA) F2 hybrid two-cell embryos to the blastocyst stage have been optimized. Commercially available pre-sterile disposable plastic culture dishes supported more reliable development than re-usable washed glass tubes. The presence of an oil layer reduced the variability in development. An average of 85 % of blastocysts developed from hybrid two-cell embryos cultured in drops of Whitten's medium under oil in plastic culture dishes in an atmosphere of 5% O2 : 5% CO2 : 90% N2 ? The time taken for the total cell number to double in embryos developing in vivo was 10 h, and in cultured embryos 17 h. Embryos cultured in vitro from the two-cell stage to blastocyst stage were retarded by 18-24 h in comparison with those remaining in vivo. Day-4 blastocysts in vivo contained 25-70 cells (mean 50) with 7-28 (mean 16) of these in the inner cell mass. Cultured blastocysts contained 19-73 cells (mean 44) with 8-34 (mean 19) of these in the inner cell mass. In the uterine environment, inner-cell-mass blastomeres divided at a faster rate than trophectoderm blastomeres and it is suggested that a long cell cycle is associated with terminal differentiation. Although cultured blastocysts and inner cell masses contained the same number of cells as blastocysts and inner cell masses in vivo, the rate of cell division in cultured inner cell masses was markedly reduced.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3111
Author(s):  
Po-Yu Lin ◽  
Denny Yang ◽  
Chi-Hsuan Chuang ◽  
Hsuan Lin ◽  
Wei-Ju Chen ◽  
...  

The developmental potential within pluripotent cells in the canonical model is restricted to embryonic tissues, whereas totipotent cells can differentiate into both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. Currently, the ability to culture in vitro totipotent cells possessing molecular and functional features like those of an early embryo in vivo has been a challenge. Recently, it was reported that treatment with a single spliceosome inhibitor, pladienolide B (plaB), can successfully reprogram mouse pluripotent stem cells into totipotent blastomere-like cells (TBLCs) in vitro. The TBLCs exhibited totipotency transcriptionally and acquired expanded developmental potential with the ability to yield various embryonic and extraembryonic tissues that may be employed as novel mouse developmental cell models. However, it is disputed whether TBLCs are ‘true’ totipotent stem cells equivalent to in vivo two-cell stage embryos. To address this question, single-cell RNA sequencing was applied to TBLCs and cells from early mouse embryonic developmental stages and the data were integrated using canonical correlation analyses. Differential expression analyses were performed between TBLCs and multi-embryonic cell stages to identify differentially expressed genes. Remarkably, a subpopulation within the TBLCs population expressed a high level of the totipotent-related genes Zscan4s and displayed transcriptomic features similar to mouse two-cell stage embryonic cells. This study underscores the subtle differences between in vitro derived TBLCs and in vivo mouse early developmental cell stages at the single-cell transcriptomic level. Our study has identified a new experimental model for stem cell biology, namely ‘cluster 3’, as a subpopulation of TBLCs that can be molecularly defined as near totipotent cells.


2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
S.-G. Lee ◽  
C.-H. Park ◽  
D.-H. Choi ◽  
H.-Y. Son ◽  
C.-K. Lee

Use of blastocysts produced in vitro would be an efficient way to generate embryonic stem (ES) cells for the production of transgenic animals and the study of developmental gene regulation. In pigs, the morphology and cell number of in vitro-produced blastocysts are inferior to these parameters in their in vivo counterparts. Therefore, establishment of ES cells from blastocysts produced in vitro might be hindered by poor embryo quality. The objective of this study was to increase the cell number of blastocysts derived by aggregating 4–8-cell stage porcine embryos produced in vitro. Cumulus–oocyte complexes were collected from prepubertal gilt ovaries, and matured in vitro. Embryos at the 4–8-cell stage were produced by culturing embryos for two days after in vitro fertilization (IVF). After removal of the zona pellucida with acid Tyrode’s solution, one (1X), two (2X), and three (3X) 4–8-cell stage embryos were aggregated by co-culturing them in aggregation plates followed by culturing to the blastocyst stage. After 7 days, the developmental ability and the number of cells in aggregated embryos were determined by staining with Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide. The percentage of blastocysts was higher in both 2X and 3X aggregated embryos compared to that of 1X and that of intact controls (Table 1). The cell number of blastocysts also increased in aggregated embryos compared to that of non-aggregated (1X) embryos and controls. This result suggests that aggregation might improve the quality of in vitro-fertilized porcine blastocysts by increasing cell numbers, thus becoming a useful resource for isolation and establishment of porcine ES cells. Further studies are required to investigate the quality of the aggregated embryos in terms of increasing the pluripotent cell population by staining for Oct-4 and to apply improved aggregation methods in nuclear-transferred (NT) porcine embryos. Table 1. Development, cell number, and ICM ratio of aggregated porcine embryos


Reproduction ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Cui ◽  
Agnes Cheong ◽  
Yongsheng Wang ◽  
Yuran Tsuchida ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
...  

Microspherule protein 1 (MCRS1, also known as MSP58) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that has been implicated in various biological processes. Although a variety of functions have been attributed to MCRS1 in vitro, mammalian MCRS1 has not been studied in vivo. Here we report that MCRS1 is essential during early murine development. Mcrs1 mutant embryos exhibit normal morphology at the blastocyst stage but cannot be recovered at gastrulation, suggesting an implantation failure. Outgrowth (OG) assays reveal that mutant blastocysts do not form a typical inner cell mass (ICM) colony, the source of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Surprisingly, cell death and histone H4 acetylation analysis reveal that apoptosis and global H4 acetylation are normal in mutant blastocysts. However, analysis of lineage specification reveals that while the trophoblast and primitive endoderm are properly specified, the epiblast lineage is compromised and exhibits a severe reduction in cell number. In summary, our study demonstrates the indispensable role of MCRS1 in epiblast development during early mammalian embryogenesis.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
C. N. Murphy ◽  
L. D. Spate ◽  
B. K. Bauer ◽  
R. S. Prather

One barrier to successfully making embryo transfer viable in the swine industry is an inability to consistently cryopreserve oocytes and embryos. This process is made difficult by the high lipid content of porcine oocytes and embryos. The objective of this study was to test the in vivo fertilized embryo’s sensitivity to vitrification. Gilts were inseminated on the first day of standing oestrus (Day 0) and then again 12 h later. On Day 2 the oviducts and tip of the uterine horns were flushed with PVA-treated TL-HEPES and 2-cell stage embryos were collected and placed into PVA-treated TL-HEPES and centrifuged at 17 000 × g. The treatment groups were 1) 300 mOsmo centrifuged for 6 min, 2) 500 mOsmo centrifuged for 6 min, 3) 500 mOsmo centrifuged for 12 min, and 4) 500 mOsmo centrifuged for 18 min. After centrifugation the embryos were transferred to Porcine Zygote Medium 3 (PZM3) and cultured to Day 6 or 7 at which point blastocysts were vitrified using 10% DMSO, 10% ethylene glycol in M199 supplemented with 20% FBS (holding medium) for 2 min. Embryos were transferred to holding media with 20% DMSO and 20% ethylene glycol and drawn into an open pulled straw via capillary reaction; it was then submerged into LN2. Embryos were thawed using a step down concentration of 0.33 mM and then 0.2 mM sucrose in holding media each for 6–7 min and then were moved to holding medium alone for 6 to 7 min. The embryos were washed in PZM3, then transferred to 500 μL of PZM3 and cultured for 18 h. Re-expanded embryos were observed, and the nuclei of all embryos were stained with Biz-benzimide and visualised with UV light to determine total cell number. After the embryos were centrifuged and cultured, there was no difference in development to blastocyst (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA; Proc GLM) with a mean percentage blastocyst of 85.1% and an N of 54, 51, 53, and 51, respectively, for each treatment. After thawing, percentage of embryos re-expanded was 23.5a, 26.4a,b, 43.2a,b, and 45.6b, respectively. Data was analysed using a PROC GLM in SAS (P < 0.05), with 37, 43, 30, and 36 embryos in each group, respectively. No difference in total cell number across treatments was detected after analysis using PROC GLM in SAS (P < 0.05) with a mean cell number of 29.0. These data suggest that in vivo matured and fertilized blastocysts can survive high osmolarity treatment, centrifugation, and vitrification. The data also show that a high osmolarity treatment centrifuged for 18 min leads to a greater number of re-expanded embryos post-thaw, which may be attributed to better separation of the lipid. Funded by the NIH NCRR R21RR025879 and Food for the 21st Century.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
S. Akagi ◽  
B. Tsuneishi ◽  
S. Watanabe ◽  
S. Takahashi

It has been reported that aggregation of two nuclear transfer (NT) mouse embryos shows an improvement in full-term development (Boiani M et al. 2003 EMBO J. 22, 5304–5312). In this study, we examined the effect of aggregation on in vitro development of bovine NT embryos. As donor cells for NT, cumulus cells of passage 3–5 were used following culture in serum-starved medium for 5–7 days. NT was performed as previously described (Akagi S et al. 2003 Mol. Reprod. Dev. 66, 264–272). NT embryos were cultured in a serum-free medium (IVD-101, Research Institute of Functional Peptide Co., Ltd., Shimojo, Yamagat, Japan). Eight-cell-stage embryos on Day 2 or 16- to 32-cell-stage embryos on day 4 were used for embryo aggregation after removal of the zona pellucida. A small depression was made in a 25-μL drop of TCM-199 with 50 μg/mL phytohemagglutinin (TCM199/PHA) or IVD-101 using a darning needle. Two or three NT embryos were placed into the depression in the drop of TCM199/PHA for 20 min. NT aggregates were then moved into the depression in the drop of IVD-101 and cultured until Day 7. In vitro development of NT aggregates was summarized in Table 1. There were no differences in the cell number and ICM ratio of blastocysts between non-aggregated zona-intact and zona-free embryos. All aggregates of three NT embryos developed to the blastocyst stage and the cell number of these blastocysts was significantly higher than that of non-aggregated NT blastocysts. These results indicate that removal of the zona pellucida does not affect the cell number and ICM ratio of blastocysts and that aggregates of three NT embryos can develop to blastocysts with high cell numbers which are equivalent to in vivo-derived embryos (166 ± 11, Knijn HM et al. 2003 Biol. Reprod. 69, 1371–1378). Table 1. Development, cell number, and ICM ratio of NT aggregates


2020 ◽  
pp. jcs.246900
Author(s):  
Pallavi Chinnu Varghese ◽  
Sruthy Manuraj Rajam ◽  
Debparna Nandy ◽  
Aurelie Jory ◽  
Ananda Mukherjee ◽  
...  

Our recent findings demonstrated that histone chaperone and DNA repair factor Aprataxin PNK like factor (APLF) could regulate Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) during reprogramming of murine fibroblast and in breast cancer metastasis. So, we investigated the function of APLF in EMT associated with mouse development. Here we show that APLF is predominantly enhanced in trophectoderm and lineages derived from trophectoderm in pre and post-implantation embryos. Downregulation of APLF induced hatching of embryos in vitro with a significant increase in Cdh1 and Cdx2 expression. Aplf shRNA microinjected embryos failed to implant in vivo. Rescue experiments neutralized the knockdown effects of APLF both in vitro and in vivo. Reduced expression of Snai2, Tead4 and the gain in Cdh1 and sFlt1 level marked the differentiation of APLF-knocked down Trophoblast Stem Cells that might contribute towards the impaired implantation of embryos. Hence, our findings suggest a novel role of APLF during implantation and post-implantation development of mouse embryos. We anticipate that APLF might contribute to the establishment of maternal-fetal connection, as its fine balance is required to achieve implantation and thereby attain proper pregnancy.


Author(s):  
Yulia N Cajas ◽  
Karina Cañón-Beltrán ◽  
Carolina Núñez-Puente ◽  
Alfonso Gutierrez-Adán ◽  
Encina M González ◽  
...  

Abstract During preimplantational embryo development, PI3K/AKT regulates cell proliferation and differentiation and nobiletin modulates this pathway to promote cell survival. Therefore, we aimed to establish whether, when the AKT cascade is inhibited using inhibitors III and IV, nobiletin supplementation to in vitro culture media during the minor (2 to 8-cell stage, MNEGA) or major (8 to 16-cell stage, MJEGA) phases of EGA is able to modulate the development and quality of bovine embryos. In vitro zygotes were cultured during MNEGA or MJEGA phase in SOF + 5% FCS or supplemented with: 15 μM AKT-InhIII; 10 μM AKT-InhIV; 10 μM nobiletin; nobiletin+AKT-InhIII; nobiletin+AKT-InhIV; 0.03% DMSO. Embryo development was lower in treatments with AKT inhibitors, while combination of nobiletin with AKT inhibitors was able to recover their adverse developmental effect and also increase blastocyst cell number. The mRNA abundance of GPX1, NFE2L2, and POU5F1 was partially increased in 8- and 16-cell embryos from nobiletin with AKT inhibitors. Besides, nobiletin increased the p-rpS6 level whether or not AKT inhibitors were present. In conclusion, nobiletin promotes bovine embryo development and quality and partially recovers the adverse developmental effect of AKT inhibitors which infers that nobiletin probably uses another signalling cascade that PI3K/AKT during early embryo development in bovine.


Development ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-547
Author(s):  
Jacek A. Modliński

Up to the present time the function and significance of the zona pellucida in the development of mammalian eggs has not been fully explained. Zona-free mouse eggs will develop in vitro from the 2-cell stage, or later, up to the blastocyst stage (Tarkowski, 1961; Mintz, 1962; Gwatkin, 1963). Single blastomeres isolated at the 2-cell (Mulnard, 1965), 4- and 8-cell stage (Tarkowski & Wróblewska, 1967) will also develop in vitro up to the blastocyst stage. Similar experiments on development in vitro of 1- and 2-cell rabbit eggs (Edwards, 1964) showed that in this species also cleavage can occur when the zona pellucida is absent, although the blastomeres exhibit a tendency to fall away from each other. Tarkowski's observations (unpublished) would appear to show, however, that naked 1-, 2- and 4-cell mouse eggs do not develop when transferred to the oviduct. A few hours after transplanting the naked eggs none could be recovered by flushing the oviduct, whereas eggs surrounded by zonae which were transplanted simultaneously were recovered.


eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Menchero ◽  
Isabel Rollan ◽  
Antonio Lopez-Izquierdo ◽  
Maria Jose Andreu ◽  
Julio Sainz de Aja ◽  
...  

The Notch signalling pathway plays fundamental roles in diverse developmental processes in metazoans, where it is important in driving cell fate and directing differentiation of various cell types. However, we still have limited knowledge about the role of Notch in early preimplantation stages of mammalian development, or how it interacts with other signalling pathways active at these stages such as Hippo. By using genetic and pharmacological tools in vivo, together with image analysis of single embryos and pluripotent cell culture, we have found that Notch is active from the 4-cell stage. Transcriptomic analysis in single morula identified novel Notch targets, such as early naïve pluripotency markers or transcriptional repressors such as TLE4. Our results reveal a previously undescribed role for Notch in driving transitions during the gradual loss of potency that takes place in the early mouse embryo prior to the first lineage decisions.


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