title: Effect of fibronectin on early embryo development in cows.
abstract: Two-cell bovine embryos produced in vitro were cultured in serum-free medium containing the soluble glycoprotein fibronectin (50 micrograms ml-1) to study the function of the extracellular matrix in early development. Some of the embryos (48/164, 29.3%), developed beyond the 16-cell stage compared with none of the 179 controls. Fibronectin at lower (5 micrograms ml-1) or higher (300 micrograms ml-1) concentrations did not promote embryo development (0/89 and 0/82, respectively). Indirect immunofluorescence demonstrated the presence of both fibronectin and its receptor on the surface of eight-cell embryo blastomeres, and biotinylated fibronectin demonstrated that exogenous fibronectin could cross the zona pellucida. These results, demonstrating the successful culture of bovine embryos in serum-free medium, support the hypothesis that the extracellular matrix, specifically fibronectin, plays a role in early development of bovine embryos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Ignotz
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Currie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002417:Cattle; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D017469:Receptors, Fibronectin / Q000378:metabolism; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D017469:Receptors, Fibronectin; C049554:glycyl-arginyl-glycyl-aspartyl-serine