Two-cell and four-cell mouse embryos were cultured in Cytochalasin D (CD) for 40-48 h. They were fixed for light and electron microscopy at various times after washing off the CD. Cleavage-arrested embryos in CD had well separated blastomeres but by 1 h from washing the embryos had compacted, in most cases without undergoing cell division. By 2 h after release from arrest one blastomere of the ...

The sensitivity of early preimplantation mouse embryos to drugs which disrupt microfilament function (cytochalasin B-CB and cytochalasin D-CD and microtubule assembly (colchicine, colcemid, vinblastine and griseofulvin) was examined. CD inhibited cleavage at a concentration 35-fold lower than CB (3 X 10-7 M v. 1 X 10-5 M). Treatment of 2-cell embryos for 6 h with 1 X 10-5 M CB or 1 X 10-6 M CD...

Development of the rat embryo is arrested at the 2-cell stage in vitro in the presence of inorganic phosphate (Pi). Rat embryos were affected by exposure to 1.19 mM KH2PO4 in modified hamster embryo culture medium-1 at the late 2-cell stage only. When exposure durations were 6 h, embryos whose exposure timings were prior to cleavage had a reduced rate of development to the blastocyst stage (2-8...

introduction: the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rpmi and t6 medium on two cell mouse embryo co-culture with vero cells. materials and methods: two cell mouse embryos (nmri strain) were flushed from the excised uteri of superovulated mice. morphologically normal embryos were divided into four groups: the first control group was cultured on t6 media. the first experimenta...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of 5% and 21% oxygen concentrations on chimeric embryo development. Inner cell mass (ICM) from parthenogenetic activated blastocyst were used produce ES cell-like cells. A pair zona-free tetraploid embryos one clump pESCs at passage 2 3 aggregated granulosa monolayer in such a manner that sandwiched between embryos. The aggregates prepared randoml...

One-cell CF-1 x B6SJLF1/J embryos, which usually exhibit a 2-cell block to development in vitro, have been cultured to the blastocyst stage using CZB medium and a glucose washing procedure. CZB medium is a further modification of modified BMOC-2 containing an increased lactate/pyruvate ratio of 116, 1 mM-glutamine and 0.1 mM-EDTA but lacking glucose. Continuous culture of one-cell embryos in CZ...

We have examined the distribution of histone H1 in oocytes and preimplantation embryos of the mouse, using a polyclonal antibody raised against the histone H1 subtypes present in somatic cells. Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting analyses failed to detect somatic histone H1 in germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes. In contrast, somatic histone H1 was detectable by immunofluorescence in the nucl...

Polycomb-group proteins assemble into two primary complexes—Polycomb repressive complex (PRC) 1 and 2—that safeguard cell fate by repressing gene transcription. Two new studies explore the PRC1 landscape during transition from gametes to embryos in mice, thus providing insight intergenerational transmission of epigenetic information regulation dynamics as prepare for gastrulation.

Background: Embryo vitrification was effectively used for assisted reproductive techniques. Despite the undeniable benefits of vitrification, cooling and warming stress, and cytotoxicity of cryoprotectant may affect the DNA methylation that have an important role in gene activation and silencing. In the present study effects of 2-cell embryo vitrification on DNA methylation in hatched blastocys...