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Birth of cloned miniature pigs derived from somatic cell nuclear transferred embryos activated by ultrasound treatment
Author(s) -
Miyoshi Kazuchika,
Inoue Sumiko,
Himaki Takehiro,
Mikawa Satoshi,
Yoshida Mitsutoshi
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.20730
Subject(s) - blastocyst , embryo , biology , miniature pig , andrology , ultrasound , embryogenesis , duty cycle , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , medicine , power (physics) , physics , radiology , quantum mechanics
Abstract The present study was carried out to determine (1) the optimal duty cycle of ultrasound for activation of pig oocytes and cloned embryos derived from miniature pig fetal fibroblasts and (2) whether cloned embryos can develop to term following activation by ultrasound stimulation. When oocytes were exposed to ultrasound with 20% or 30% duty cycle, the blastocyst formation rates were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher than that of oocytes exposed to ultrasound with 10% duty cycle. In contrast, the blastocyst formation rate of cloned embryos decreased as the duty cycle of ultrasound increased; the value of embryos exposed to ultrasound with 10% duty cycle was significantly ( P < 0.05) higher than that of embryos exposed to ultrasound with 50% duty cycle. When cloned embryos exposed to ultrasound with 10% duty cycle were transferred into the oviducts of two recipient gilts to assess their development in vivo, the pregnancy of one of the gilts was maintained to term and two piglets were delivered via Cesarean section. The results of the present study showed that (1) although the duty cycle of ultrasound affects in vitro development after activation of both pig oocytes and miniature pig cloned embryos, the optimal duty cycle is different between them and (2) miniature pig cloned embryos have the ability to develop into piglets after activation by ultrasound stimulation. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 1568–1574, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.