Cytogenetic analysis of spontaneously activated noninseminated oocytes and parthenogenetically activated failed fertilized human oocytes--implications for the use of primate parthenotes for stem cell production.
OBJECTIVE
[corrected] Spontaneous parthenogenetically activated noninseminated oocytes and failed fertilized oocytes after ART activated by puromycin were studied to assess cleavage ability and the cytogenetic constitution of the resulting embryos.


METHODS
Failed fertilized oocytes were exposed to puromycin, and whenever activation occurred, they were further cultured until arrest of development. FISH was used to assess the ploidy of spontaneous (group A) and induced parthenotes (group B).


RESULTS
The mean number of oocytes exposed to puromycin and the percentage and type of activation were identical in IVF and ICSI patients. The more frequent types of activation were one or two pronuclei and one polar body suggesting that retention of the second polar body is a common event after parthenogenetic activation.


CONCLUSIONS
Retention of the second polar body and chromosome malsegregation were observed after parthenogenetic activation, either spontaneous or induced by puromycin. This means that using parthenogenetic embryos for stem cell research will require great care and attention.
Serviço de Genética Médica da Faculdade de Medicina de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. anateresasantos@hotmail.com
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D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010312:Parthenogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*