Genetically identical parthenogenetic mouse embryos produced by inhibition of the first meiotic cleavage with cytochalasin D

Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 763-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kubiak ◽  
A. Paldi ◽  
M. Weber ◽  
B. Maro
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Division ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Cytochalasin D ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Glucose Phosphate ◽  
First Polar Body ◽  
Histone Kinase ◽  
Parthenogenetic Mouse Embryos ◽  
Parthenogenetic Embryos

The microfilament inhibitor cytochalasin D inhibits extrusion of the first polar body when present during the first meiotic division of mouse oocytes; however, it does not interfere with anaphase movement of chromosomes, and thus induces the formation of tetraploid oocytes. After the separation of chromosomes in anaphase, two spindles start to assemble. However, they merge rapidly and a single meiotic spindle forms. During the transition between metaphase I and metaphase II, in the presence of cytochalasin D, a drop in histone kinase activity takes place demonstrating a transitional decrease in the activity of the maturation promoting factor. These oocytes can be activated parthenogenetically a few hours after washing out the inhibitor. After completion of the second meiotic division and extrusion of a polar body, they contain a diploid number of chromosomes. They are genetically identical to each other and to their mother. Such eggs develop to the blastocyst stage and can implant in the uteri of foster mothers. Most of these fetuses die before the 9th day of gestation, as do diploid control fetuses treated with cytochalasin D during the second meiotic division. The heterozygous state of the experimental embryos obtained after activation of eggs recovered from heterozygous females and treated with cytochalasin D during the first meiotic division was confirmed using a glucose-phosphate isomerase assay. This technique allows the production of genetic clones of parthenogenetic embryos by simple means.

Complete preimplantation development in culture of parthenogenetic mouse embryos

Development ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-190
Author(s):  
Matthew H. Kaufman ◽  
Leo Sachs
Keyword(s):  
Polar Body ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Mouse Embryos ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Haploid Nucleus ◽  
Second Polar Body ◽  
Haploid Embryos ◽  
Parthenogenetic Mouse Embryos ◽  
Parthenogenetic Embryos ◽  
Better Than

The present experiments were undertaken to determine whether, in parthenogenesis, heterozygous embryos develop better than homozygous embryos. Such experiments may provide an approach to elucidating whether fertilized embryos develop better than parthenogenetic ones because of heterozygosity, or if the sperm provides another contribution necessary for complete embryonic development. The parthenogenetic embryos studied included uniform haploids after extrusion of the second polar body, mosaic haploids in which each blastomere contained a genetically different haploid nucleus, and heterozygous diploid mouse embryos. Eggs were activated and cultured in a chemically denned medium. About three times as many mosaic haploid or heterozygous diploid eggs developed beyond the 4-cell stage after 98–100 h and to the blastocyst stage after 120 h in culture, than uniform haploid eggs. This indicates that the development of parthenogenetic embryos is probably under genetic control and that there was a better development of the heterozygous embryos. Mosaic haploid embryos showed the same high frequency of development as heterozygous diploids. The results therefore indicate that heterozygosity provided a developmental advantage even when distributed between two genetically different clones of cells in the same embryo.

Developmental profile of glucose phosphate isomerase allozymes in parthenogenetic and tetraploid mouse embryos

Development ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-476
Author(s):  
U. Petzoldt
Keyword(s):  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Mouse Strains ◽  
Glucose Phosphate Isomerase ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Glucose Phosphate ◽  
Embryonic Genome ◽  
Allele Type ◽  
Enzyme Molecules ◽  
Degree Of Degradation ◽  
Parthenogenetic Embryos

Glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) allozymes were compared in eggs and embryos of the mouse strains C57BL/6-JHan (GPI-1BB) and 129/Sv (GPI-1AA) under different experimental conditions. The quantitative differences in eggs of the two strains disappeared by the blastocyst stage at day 4 to 5, both in fertilized and diploid parthenogenetic embryos. The degree of degradation of oocyte-coded enzyme molecules and the activation of the embryonic genome for GPI appeared to be equivalent in parthenogenetic embryos from heterozygous females when only one or other maternal allele type remained in the egg after meiosis. Also in tetraploid embryos, generated by electrofusion of homozygous fertilized eggs from the two strains, both genomes seemed to be activated at the same time at day 4; here, however, the GPI-1BB allozyme remained predominant up to day 6.

Participation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in rat oocyte activation

Zygote ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Tan ◽  
An Peng ◽  
Yong-Chao Wang ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Qing-Yuan Sun
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Division ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Oocyte Activation ◽  
Parthenogenetic Activation ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway ◽  
Ubiquitin Proteasome ◽  
Proteasome Pathway ◽  
Second Polar Body

The role of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) in mitosis is well known. However, its role in meiotic division is still poorly documented, especially in the activation of mammalian oocytes. In this study, the role of proteasome in the spontaneous and parthenogenetic activation of rat oocytes was investigated. We found that ALLN, an inhibitor of proteasome, when applied to metaphase II oocytes, inhibited spontaneous activation, blocked extrusion of the second polar body (PB) and caused the withdrawal of the partially extruded second PB. ALLN also inhibited the parthenogenetic activation induced by cycloheximide, but had no effect on the formation of pronuclei in activated eggs. In metaphase and anaphase, ubiquitin and proteasome localized to the meiotic spindle, concentrating on both sides of the oocyte–second PB boundary during PB extrusion. This pattern of cellular distribution suggests that UPP may have a role in regulating nuclear division and cytokinesis. Ubiquitin was seen to form a ring around the pronucleus, whereas proteasome was evenly distributed in the pronuclear region. Taken together, our results indicate that (1) UPP is required for the transitions of oocytes from metaphase II to anaphase II and from anaphase II to the end of meiosis; and (2) the UPP plays a role in cytokinesis of the second meiotic division.

scholarly journals Proline-rich tyrosine kinase2 is involved in F-actin organization during in vitro maturation of rat oocyte

Reproduction ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
pp. 859-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qian Meng ◽  
Ke-Gang Zheng ◽  
Yong Yang ◽  
Man-Xi Jiang ◽  
Yan-Ling Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oocyte Maturation ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
First Polar Body

Microfilaments (actin filaments) regulate various dynamic events during meiotic maturation. Relatively, little is known about the regulation of microfilament organization in mammalian oocytes. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase2 (Pyk2), a protein tyrosine kinase related to focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is essential in actin filaments organization. The present study was to examine the expression and localization of Pyk2, and in particular, its function during rat oocyte maturation. For the first time, by using Western blot and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we detected the expression of Pyk2 in rat oocytes and found that Pyk2 and Try402 phospho-Pyk2 were localized uniformly at the cell cortex and surrounded the germinal vesicle (GV) or the condensed chromosomes at the GV stage or after GV breakdown. At the metaphase and the beginning of anaphase, Pyk2 distributed asymmetrically both in the ooplasm and the cortex with a marked staining associated with the chromosomes and the region overlying the meiotic spindle. At telophase, Pyk2 was observed in the cleavage furrows in addition to its cortex and cytoplasm localization. The dynamics of Pyk2 were similar to that of F-actin, and this kinase was found to co-localize with microfilaments in several developmental stages during rat oocyte maturation. Microinjection of Pyk2 antibody demolished the microfilaments assembly and also inhibited the first polar body (PB1) emission. These findings suggest an important role of Pyk2 for rat oocyte maturation by regulating the organization of actin filaments.

111 SLOW FREEZING AND VITRIFICATION OF IN VITRO-MATURED DOMESTIC CAT OOCYTES

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Braun ◽  
C. Otzdorff ◽  
T. Tsujioka ◽  
S. Hochi
Keyword(s):  
Polar Body ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Slow Freezing ◽  
Developmental Potential ◽  
Freezing Medium ◽  
First Polar Body ◽  
Blastocyst Rate ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

The effects of slow freezing or vitrification as well as exposure to the cryoprotective media without cooling and warming of in vitro-matured domestic cat oocytes on the in vitro development to the blastocyst stage was investigated. Cumulus–oocyte complexes were matured for 24 h in TCM-199 supplemented with 3 mg mL−1 BSA, 1 µg mL−1 estradiol, 0.1 IU mL−1 FSH, and 0.0063 IU mL−1 LH. Denuded oocytes with a detectable first polar body were inseminated with 2 × 106 cells mL−1 cauda epididymal spermatozoa for 22 h in TALP solution. Presumptive zygotes were cultured in modified SOF medium at 38.5°C in 5% CO2 in air. For slow freezing, oocytes were equilibrated for 20 min at ambient temperatures in PBS with 20% FCS containing either 1.5 M ethylene glycol (EG) + 0.2 M sucrose or 1.5 M EG + 0.2 M trehalose. Oocytes were loaded into 0.25-mL straws, cooled to −7°C at 2°C min, held for 5 min, seeded, cooled down to −30°C at 0.3°C min, and finally plunged into liquid nitrogen. The straws were thawed for 5 s at room temperature and for 30 s in a waterbath at 30°C. Oocytes were washed 3 times before insemination. In vitro-matured oocytes were exposed to the cryoprotective media for 30 min before they were inseminated and then they were cultured for 7 days. For vitrification (Hochi et al. 2004 Theriogenology 61, 267–275), a minimum-volume cooling procedure using Cryotop (Kitazato Supply Co., Tokyo, Japan) as a cryodevice was applied. No blastocysts could be obtained after slow freezing with a cryoprotective medium containing 0.2 M sucrose. Simple exposure to the same freezing medium after in vitro maturation without cryopreservation resulted in a blastocyst rate of 7.9% (control oocytes, 10.7%; not significant (NS); chi-square analysis). Use of trehalose as an extracellular cryoprotectant resulted in the harvest of one blastocyst (0.6%) after slow freezing. Exposure to the same cryoprotective medium resulted in a blastocyst rate of 10.0% (fresh control, 10.9%; NS). After exposure of in vitro-matured oocytes to the vitrification solution, a blastocyst rate of 16.0% was observed (8/50), which was not statistically different from the blastocyst rate in fresh control oocytes (16.3%; 15/92). No blastocysts could be obtained after vitrification (0/64). The results (Table 1) demonstrate that there is no obvious toxic effect of the cryoprotectants employed here for slow freezing or vitrification on the in vitro-matured oocytes, but the developmental potential of cryopreserved oocytes to the blastocyst stage is severely impaired. Table 1. Effect of slow freezing or exposure to freezing medium of matured cat oocytes on the development to the blastocyst stage in vitro

159 LOCALIZATION OF CLAUDIN FAMILY PROTEINS IN PIG EMBRYOS DURING PRE-IMPLANTATION DEVELOPMENT

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 197
Author(s):  
S. Xu ◽  
J. Lee ◽  
H. Harayama ◽  
M. Miyake
Keyword(s):  
Polyclonal Antibodies ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Boundary Region ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Igg Antibody ◽  
Cell Complexes ◽  
Bright Spots ◽  
First Polar Body ◽  
Morula Stage ◽  
Unique Distribution

Tight junctions (TJ) are critical for blastocoel formation in mammalian pre-implantation embryos. Claudin family proteins, which are TJ proteins, are generally important for the barrier function of TJ. However, the expression and localization of claudin proteins are not clarified in mammalian pre-implantation embryos. The present study was designed to examine changes in the localization of claudin isoforms, claudin-1, -2, and -4, in pig parthenogenetic diploids through pre-implantation development. Oocyte–cumulus–granulosa cell complexes were collected from the follicles 4–6 mm in diameter, and then maturation-cultured. Only oocytes with a prominent first polar body were subjected to electro-stimulation after maturation, and they were treated with cytochalasin B to produce parthenogenetic diploids. Presumptive diploids were then cultured for 168 h and observed every 24 h. Embryos of each developmental stage from 2-cell to blastocyst were subjected to immunofluorescence staining of the anti-TJ proteins. Zona-free embryos were fixed and treated with rabbit anti-claudin-1 and -2 polyclonal antibodies or mouse anti-claudin-4 monoclonal antibody, followed by treatment with Alexa fluor 488-labeled goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody or goat anti-mouse IgG antibody. Some embryos were treated with rabbit anti-occludin antibody or anti-ZO-1 antibody for the detection of the TJ-net work. All embryos were counterstained with Hoechst 33342 and observed under an epifluorescence microscope after whole-mounting. The specific fluorescence for all TJ proteins examined was observed in embryos at all pre-implantation stages. Occludin and ZO-1 were detected in the cytoplasm before the morula stage (96 h), and localized toward the boundary region among cells from the morula and early blastocyst stages, reflecting the distribution of the tight junction in embryos. Claudin-1 and -2 localized in the cytoplasm at early-cleaving stages. They were detected in the nucleus after compaction, and the distribution of these proteins in the nucleus was dominant at the blastocyst stage. The distribution of the 2 claudin proteins in the nucleus was quite different; claudin-1 distributed rather homogeneously, but claudin-2 formed several bright spots in the nucleus. Claudin-4 also showed a unique distribution pattern in embryos; it was detected in the cytoplasm with strong fluorescence at the periphery of the nucleus of the 2- and 4-cell embryos. Claudin-4 changed its localization toward the boundary region of cells around the early blastocyst stage (120 h), and then the distribution of claudin-4 was restricted to the boundary region later in the blastocyst stage (144 h). These results indicate that claudin-4, but not claudin-1 and -2, is responsible for the formation of TJ in the pre-implantation embryos, although the function of these claudin proteins in the nucleus is unknown.

Defects in the allocation of cells to the inner cell mass and trophectoderm of parthenogenetic mouse blastocysts

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Mognetti ◽  
D Sakkas
Keyword(s):  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Cell Lineage ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Trophectoderm Cells ◽  
Parthenogenetic Development ◽  
Preimplantation Stage ◽  
Parthenogenetic Mouse Embryos ◽  
Parthenogenetic Embryos

Diploid parthenogenetic mouse embryos (which possess two maternally-derived genomes) can develop only as far as the 25-somite stage when transferred in utero and exhibit a substantial reduction in trophoblast tissue. The loss of cultured parthenogenetic embryos during postimplantation indicates that a defect in cell lineage may be evident as early as the blastocyst stage. The possibility that a defect may already be reflected at the preimplantation stage was investigated by examining the allocation of cells to the trophectoderm (trophoblast progenitor cells) and the inner cell mass of haploid and diploid parthenogenetic mouse blastocysts. Utilizing a differential labelling technique for counting cells, diploid parthenogenetic blastocysts were found to have fewer inner cell mass cells and trophectoderm cells than their haploid counterparts and normal blastocysts. In addition, both haploid and diploid parthenogenetic blastocysts had a lower inner cell mass: trophectoderm ratio than normal blastocysts. Thus, the relatively poor development of the trophectoderm lineage at the postimplantation stage is not reflected by a reduction in its allotment of cells at its first appearance. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that parthenogenetic development is already compromised at the blastocyst stage, and provide evidence that the expression of imprinted genes has significance for the development of the embryo at the preimplantation stage.

40 TRICHOSTATIN A TREATMENT EFFECTS ON IN VITRO DEVELOPMENT OF INTERSPECIES NUCLEAR TRANSFER CAT EMBRYOS DEPEND ON RECIPIENT CYTOPLASM SPECIES

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
L. T. K. Do ◽  
Y. Sato ◽  
M. Taniguchi ◽  
T. Otoi
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Transfer ◽  
Treatment Effects ◽  
Trichostatin A ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Fluid Medium ◽  
First Polar Body ◽  
Bovine Oocytes

The developmental ability of interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) embryos decreases as the taxonomic distance between the donor and recipient species increases. Treatment of cat iSCNT embryos using bovine oocytes with 50 nM of trichostatin A (TSA) improves in vitro embryonic development (Wittayarat et al. 2013 Cell. Reprogram. 15, 301–308). This study investigated whether the TSA treatment effects differ between the development of cat iSCNT embryos reconstructed with porcine and bovine oocytes. Porcine and bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes were in vitro matured for 44 h and 24 h, respectively. After cumulus cell removal, enucleation was performed by aspiration of the metaphase II plate and the first polar body using a piezo-driven pipette. A cat fibroblast cell was then injected into cytoplasm of successfully enucleated oocyte. Reconstructed cybrids were electrically activated by a single 1.5 kV cm–1 pulse for 100 µs (pig-cat embryos), or a 2.3 kV cm–1 pulse for 30 µs (cow-cat embryos). Pig-cat and cow-cat embryos were cultured in porcine zygote medium (PZM)-5 and modified synthetic oviducal fluid medium (mSOF), respectively. After electrical activation, pig-cat and cow-cat embryos were cultured in medium supplemented with 5 µg mL–1 cytochalasin B + 50 nM TSA (TSA group) or without TSA (control group), and the cow-cat embryo medium was also supplemented with 10 µg mL–1 cycloheximide. After 2 h, TSA-treated pig-cat and cow-cat embryos were incubated in medium supplemented with TSA for 22 h, followed by 48 h incubation without TSA. Pig-cat and cow-cat control embryos were cultured in medium without TSA for 70 h after activation. Then, all pig-cat and cow-cat embryos were cultured in porcine blastocyst medium (PBM) or mSOF medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum, respectively, for 5 additional days. Four to seven replicates were performed for each experiment. Data were analysed using Student's t-test. For pig-cat embryos, no difference was observed in cleavage rates between both groups, but development to the blastocyst stage was higher in the pig control group (n = 147, 8.0%) than that of pig TSA group (n = 131, 0.7%; P < 0.05). In contrast, development to the blastocyst stage in cow-cat embryos was not observed in the cow control group (n = 125, 0%), but it was observed in cow TSA group (n = 136, 3.7%). These results indicate that TSA treatment effects are species-specific, but those effects remain to be clarified.

032. Cdh1: A CELL CYCLE PROTEIN INVOLVED IN FEMALE MEIOSIS AND PREVENTION OF ANEUPLOIDY

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
K. T. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Division ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Cyclin B1 ◽  
Cell Cycle Protein ◽  
Prophase I ◽  
First Polar Body ◽  
A Cell

Mammalian oocytes are arrested at the dictyate stage of prophase I in the ovary. In growing follicles, oocytes can become responsive to Luteinising Hormone and will undergo meiotic resumption just before ovulation. During the first meiotic division, homologous chromosomes are segregated, a process that is very error prone in human oocytes. By ovulation the oocyte has extruded its first polar body and has re-arrested at metaphase of the first meiotic division. Recent work from our lab has established that the protein Cdh1 is involved uniquely in both in the process of prophase I arrest and the correct segregation of homologs in meiosis I. Thus in cultured oocytes, in vitro antisense knockdown of Cdh1 induces both meiotic resumption and high rates of aneuploidy as a result of non-disjunction during first meiosis. Cdh1 causes prophase I arrest by inducing cyclin B1 degradation and maintaining low levels of the kinase CDK1, whose activity induces meiotic resumption. Cdh1 is an activator of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex (APC), a ubiquitin ligase that earmarks proteins such as cyclin B1 for proteolysis. Cdh1 prevents aneuploidy by causing the degradation of Cdc20, a protein that is responsible for activating the APC once all homologs are correctly aligned at metaphase. Thus loss of Cdh1 seems to prematurely activate APC(Cdc20) activity. It is interesting that a single protein can affect two important meiotic transitions in oocytes. However to explore its functions more fully, and confirm that an in vitro knockdown is faithfully replicated by in vivo loss, a targeted knockout of Cdh1 is needed. Therefore we have generated an oocyte specific Cdh1 knockout by ZP3 promoter driven Cre- recombinase activity in oocytes carrying loxP insertions in the single copy Cdh1 gene. This talk will therefore focus on the effects of an in vivo Cdh1 knockout.

scholarly journals Assembly and Positioning of the Oocyte Meiotic Spindle

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 381-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binyam Mogessie ◽  
Kathleen Scheffler ◽  
Melina Schuh
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Meiotic Division ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Mitotic Division ◽  
Model System ◽  
Small Cell ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Polar Body Extrusion ◽  
Shed Light

Fertilizable eggs develop from diploid precursor cells termed oocytes. Once every menstrual cycle, an oocyte matures into a fertilizable egg in the ovary. To this end, the oocyte eliminates half of its chromosomes into a small cell termed a polar body. The egg is then released into the Fallopian tube, where it can be fertilized. Upon fertilization, the egg completes the second meiotic division, and the mitotic division of the embryo starts. This review highlights recent work that has shed light on the cytoskeletal structures that drive the meiotic divisions of the oocyte in mammals. In particular, we focus on how mammalian oocytes assemble a microtubule spindle in the absence of centrosomes, how they position the spindle in preparation for polar body extrusion, and how the spindle segregates the chromosomes. We primarily focus on mouse oocytes as a model system but also highlight recent insights from human oocytes.

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