Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos
Embryo splitting can be used in cattle in vitro production (IVP) to improve embryo availability and to increase selection intensity. Despite this widespread utility, a comparative investigation of the viability of IVP embryos split at Day 2 (2-cell stage), Day 3 (8-cell stage), and blastocyst stage...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-12-01
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| Series: | The European Zoological Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24750263.2022.2077994 |
| _version_ | 1818468492826902528 |
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| author | G. Silvestri K. J. Turner J. L. Silcock K. D. Sinclair D. K. Griffin |
| author_facet | G. Silvestri K. J. Turner J. L. Silcock K. D. Sinclair D. K. Griffin |
| author_sort | G. Silvestri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Embryo splitting can be used in cattle in vitro production (IVP) to improve embryo availability and to increase selection intensity. Despite this widespread utility, a comparative investigation of the viability of IVP embryos split at Day 2 (2-cell stage), Day 3 (8-cell stage), and blastocyst stage has not been undertaken. Similarly, the suitability of splitting Day 3 embryos with atypical numbers of blastomeres, and the feasibility of serial-splitting cleavage stage embryos, have not been investigated in cattle. Here, we demonstrate that the strategy most likely to produce the greatest output of viable embryos is the splitting of Day 3 embryos into four parts, regardless of whether embryos with exactly eight cells or an atypical number of blastomeres are used. This approach was found to produce 1.8 blastocysts per zygote on average compared to just 0.4 blastocysts per zygote for non-split controls. Single-splitting was also found to be superior to serial-splitting which, whilst feasible, impaired embryo viability as judged by cell number at day 7 post-insemination. Interestingly, zygotes (≥2 cells) split once on either Day 2 or Day 3 post-insemination, whilst resulting in smaller blastocysts than control embryos, displayed higher cell counts than expected at the blastocyst stage, suggesting a compensatory mechanism might be at play. Indeed, time-lapse imagery revealed that zygotes split at 2-cells reached the compact morula and expanded blastocyst stages earlier than either those split at Day 3 or non-split controls. Developmental events between splits originating from the same progenitor appeared well synchronized only up to the third cleavage division. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:12:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-15845caf161f4a0b8f377cbc4569389b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2475-0263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:12:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The European Zoological Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-15845caf161f4a0b8f377cbc4569389b2022-12-22T02:29:47ZengTaylor & Francis GroupThe European Zoological Journal2475-02632022-12-0189168068910.1080/24750263.2022.2077994Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryosG. Silvestri0K. J. Turner1J. L. Silcock2K. D. Sinclair3D. K. Griffin4School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UKSchools of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UKEmbryo splitting can be used in cattle in vitro production (IVP) to improve embryo availability and to increase selection intensity. Despite this widespread utility, a comparative investigation of the viability of IVP embryos split at Day 2 (2-cell stage), Day 3 (8-cell stage), and blastocyst stage has not been undertaken. Similarly, the suitability of splitting Day 3 embryos with atypical numbers of blastomeres, and the feasibility of serial-splitting cleavage stage embryos, have not been investigated in cattle. Here, we demonstrate that the strategy most likely to produce the greatest output of viable embryos is the splitting of Day 3 embryos into four parts, regardless of whether embryos with exactly eight cells or an atypical number of blastomeres are used. This approach was found to produce 1.8 blastocysts per zygote on average compared to just 0.4 blastocysts per zygote for non-split controls. Single-splitting was also found to be superior to serial-splitting which, whilst feasible, impaired embryo viability as judged by cell number at day 7 post-insemination. Interestingly, zygotes (≥2 cells) split once on either Day 2 or Day 3 post-insemination, whilst resulting in smaller blastocysts than control embryos, displayed higher cell counts than expected at the blastocyst stage, suggesting a compensatory mechanism might be at play. Indeed, time-lapse imagery revealed that zygotes split at 2-cells reached the compact morula and expanded blastocyst stages earlier than either those split at Day 3 or non-split controls. Developmental events between splits originating from the same progenitor appeared well synchronized only up to the third cleavage division.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24750263.2022.2077994Reproductive cloningembryo multiplicationtwinningbisectioningblastomere separation |
| spellingShingle | G. Silvestri K. J. Turner J. L. Silcock K. D. Sinclair D. K. Griffin Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos The European Zoological Journal Reproductive cloning embryo multiplication twinning bisectioning blastomere separation |
| title | Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos |
| title_full | Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos |
| title_fullStr | Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos |
| title_short | Effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos |
| title_sort | effects of single or serial embryo splitting on the development and morphokinetics of in vitro produced bovine embryos |
| topic | Reproductive cloning embryo multiplication twinning bisectioning blastomere separation |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24750263.2022.2077994 |
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