The importance of cytoplasm in early embryonic development.
OBJECTIVE
A mouse model was used to evaluate the consequences of partial cytoplasm removal, which mimics the consequence of human early embryo fragmentation, at the one-cell stage on embryonic development to the morula and blastocyst stages.


RESULTS
Opening the zona pellucida at the zygote stage has no detrimental effect on the number of differentiated or total cells at morula/blastocyst stage. However, reduced cytoplasm significantly affects the number of inner cell mass cells, 21.7 (10% cytoplasm removed) vs 27.6 (control) and 15.1 (20% cytoplasm removed) vs 24.7 (control).


CONCLUSIONS
The contribution of cytoplasm of maternal origin is critical to early embryonic development.
Xu
K
K
Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility, Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Rosenwaks
Z
Z
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival; D003571:Cytochalasin B / Q000494:pharmacology; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000378:metabolism; D015053:Zygote / Q000378:metabolism*
D003571:Cytochalasin B