Retinoids during the in vitro transition from bovine morula to blastocyst

Retinoids during the in vitro transition from bovine morula to blastocyst.

BACKGROUND The conversion of retinol (ROH) to retinoic acid (RA) is crucial during development but has been not studied during blastocyst formation. METHODS AND RESULTS In vitro-produced bovine morulae were treated for 24 h with citral (which inhibits the synthesis of RA from ROH), citral + all trans retinoic acid (ATRA), ATRA or no additives. Citral interfered with blastocyst development, wh...

MicroRNA regulation via DNA methylation during the morula to blastocyst transition in mice.

Epigenetic regulation is responsible for transcriptional silencing of genes and parental imprinting. This study addresses the question whether microRNAs (miRNAs) could be affected by DNA methylation during morula-blastocyst transition. Mouse embryos were treated with/without a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, 5-aza-dC, 10 nM-5 μM). Changes of miRNAs were analyzed by quan...

Impact of pro-oxidant agents on the morula-blastocyst transition in bovine embryos.

Exposing day 5 bovine morulae to reactive oxygen species induces a delayed degeneration of some blastocysts on day 8 post-insemination (pi) but without affecting the blastocyst rates. The aim of this study was to characterize the resisting and the degenerating population of blastocysts. The kinetics of degeneration of the embryos exposed to the two pro-oxidant agents: 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinoprop...

Maternal-zygotic knockout reveals a critical role of Cdx2 in the morula to blastocyst transition

The first lineage segregation in the mouse embryo generates the inner cell mass (ICM), which gives rise to the pluripotent epiblast and therefore the future embryo, and the trophectoderm (TE), which will build the placenta. The TE lineage depends on the transcription factor Cdx2. However, when Cdx2 first starts to act remains unclear. Embryos with zygotic deletion of Cdx2 develop normally until...

The Effect of Pestivirus on the in vitro Development of Bovine Morula and Blastocysts.