The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of donor cell passage, size and type on the development of nuclear transfer embryos. Porcine cumulus cells, fetal fibroblasts and oviductal epithelial cells from 1-2, 3-6 and 7-10 passages were used for the nuclear transfer. In the oocytes with the cumulus donor cells, fusion and cleavage rates of oocytes and cell numbers per blastocyst among...

Preimplantation or pre-attachment development encompasses the "free"-living period of mammalian embryogenesis, which directs development of the zygote through to the blastocyst stage. Blastocyst formation is essential for implantation, establishment of pregnancy and is a principal determinant of embryo quality prior to embryo transfer. Cavitation (blastocyst formation) is driven by the expressi...

UNLABELLED Blastocyst formation is essential for implantation and maintenance of pregnancy and is dependent on the expression and coordinated function of a series of proteins involved in establishing and maintaining the trans-trophectoderm ion gradient that enables blastocyst expansion. These consist of Na/K-ATPase, adherens junctions, tight junctions (TJ) and aquaporins (AQP). While their role...

OBJECTIVE To document the risk of in vitro monochorionic dizygotic twin formation in the implementation of a program of blastocyst biopsy with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS). DESIGN Case report. SETTING Private infertility laboratory. PATIENT(S) Prospective PGS patients with intracytoplasmic sperm injection-derived, group-cultured blastocysts over a 3-year period. INTERVENTION(...

background: the values of embryonic stem cell and cloning are evident. production of clone from embryonic stem cells can be achieved by introduction of stem cell into a tetraploid blastocyst. tetraploid blastocyst can be produced in vitro by electrofusion of 2-cell embryos. objective: the aim of this study was to assess the effect of different voltages and durations on fusion rate of bovine 2-c...

objective: the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of laser assisted hatching on the development and quality of vitrified-warmed 4-cell stage mouse embryos. materials and methods: the vitrified-warmed 4-cell mouse embryos were divided into two groups: control group (without laser assisted hatching) and experiment group (with laser assisted hatching). all embryos in both groups were ...

Objective Vitrification has been shown as one of the most effective methods of cryopreservation for mammalian embryos. However, there is no consensus which stage of embryonic development is the most appropriate for vitrification with subsequent maximal development after thawing. This study was carried out to explore and compare the effect(s) of vitrification on mouse 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, mor...

Background: It is demonstrated that c-Kit( receptor of stem cell factor) mRNA is expressed in late 2-cell stage to the expanded and hatched blastocyst and the stem cell factor (SCF) transcript is detected in the oviduct and uterus. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different doses of SCF on mouse 2-cell embryo development in vitro. Materials and Methods: 4-6 weeks old femal...

The trophectoderm epithelium is the first differentiated cell layer to arise during mammalian development. Blastocyst formation requires the proper expression and localization of tight junction, polarity, ion gradient and H2O channel proteins in the outer cell membranes. However, the underlying transcriptional mechanisms that control their expression are largely unknown. Here, we report that tr...