title: Effects of glutamine, glycine and taurine on the development of in vitro fertilized bovine zygotes in a chemically defined medium.
abstract: The effects of glutamine, glycine and taurine on the development of bovine zygotes derived from IVM/IVF were determined using a protein-free chemically defined medium. After the cumulus cells were removed at 18 hr post-insemination, the presumptive zygotes were cultured for 4 or 6 days (about 104 or 154 hr) under a gas atmosphere of 5% O2: 5% CO2: 90% N2. A modified synthetic oviduct fluid medium supplemented with 20 amino acids (1 mM glutamine, essential amino acids for basal medium Eagle and non-essential amino acids for minimum essential medium), insulin, and PVA was used as a basic medium (mSOFai). Omitting 1 mM glutamine from mSOFai did not affect the embryonic development after 4 and 6 days of culture. After 4 days of culture, no significant effects of glycine and taurine on the development of zygotes to the morula stage were observed. However, supplementation with glycine or taurine significantly (P < 0.05) affected, with no interaction, the embryonic development to blastocysts after 6 days of culture. Addition of 5 mM glycine and 2 or 10 mM taurine significantly (P < 0.05) increased the percentage of blastocysts. The mean cell number in the blastocysts was affected by the glycine level, and was increased by the addition of 10 mM glycine (P < 0.001). These results demonstrate that glycine and taurine in a chemically defined medium containing a group of essential and non-essential amino acids improve the development of bovine zygotes to the blastocyst stage under 5% O2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanagawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D002417:Cattle; D003470:Culture Media; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009028:Morula / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology; D012661:Semen; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015053:Zygote / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D005973:Glutamine; D013654:Taurine; D005998:Glycine