Biopsy of human preimplantation embryos and sexing by DNA amplification.
A single cell was removed, through a hole made in the zona pellucida, from each of 30 human embryos at the 6-10 cell cleavage stage three days after in-vitro fertilisation. A normal proportion of the embryos (37%) developed to the blastocyst stage by day six in culture and 6 hatched from the zona. Each male embryo was sexed from the DNA by amplification of a repeated sequence specific for the Y chromosome. In 15 embryos with the normal two pronuclei the sex was determined also by in-situ hybridisation with a Y specific probe or fluorescent chromosome staining to detect metaphase Y chromosomes; the results of Y specific amplification were confirmed. This approach may be valuable for couples at risk of transmitting X-linked disease.
Handyside
A H
AH
Royal Postgraduate Medical School/Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hammersmith Hospital, London.
Pattinson
J K
JK
Penketh
R J
RJ
Delhanty
J D
JD
Winston
R M
RM
Tuddenham
E G
EG
D001706:Biopsy / Q000009:adverse effects; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology; D015342:DNA Probes; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008677:Metaphase; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000379:methods; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011247:Pregnancy; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000032:analysis*
D015342:DNA Probes; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase