title: Developmental potential of mouse follicular epithelial cells and cumulus cells after nuclear transfer.
abstract: The developmental potential after nuclear transfer of mouse follicular epithelial cells cultured in vitro was examined. Follicular epithelial cells surrounding growing oocytes (type 5, diameter of oocytes, 62.6 +/- 5.9 microm; n = 14) were obtained from ovaries of adult mice. Before nuclear transfer, cells were cultured for several passages and subjected to serum starvation for several days. When the nuclear-transfer oocytes were at the 2-cell stage, serial nuclear transfer was performed. Additionally, cumulus cells surrounding ovulated oocytes were used as nuclear donors, with or without thermal stimulation (from -25 degrees C to 60 degrees C for 10 min) before nuclear transfer. Nuclear-transfer oocytes with follicular epithelial cells developed into blastocysts (34%) after serial nuclear transfer, and 4 living fetuses on Day 10.5 (25%, 16 transferred) and 1 dead fetus on Day 19.5 of pregnancy (3%, 30 transferred) were obtained after transfer to recipients. Although blastocysts (20%) were obtained after serial nuclear transfer of cumulus cells, only one implantation site without a fetus was observed on Day 10.5 of pregnancy. Thermal stimulation of cumulus cells before nuclear transfer did not enhance the ability to develop into fetuses or blastocysts.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, College of Agriculture, and Research Institute for Animal Developmental Biotechnology, Kinki University, Nara 631-8505, Japan. yoko@nara.kindai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yabuuchi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Motosugi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology*; D010060:Ovulation; D011247:Pregnancy