Expression of interferon-tau mRNA in bovine embryos derived from different procedures.
Interferon-tau (IFN-tau) is a secreted conceptus protein which plays a critical role in the establishment of ruminant pregnancy by its antiluteolytic and antiviral effects. In the present study, we hypothesized that IFN-tau expression was temporally and spatially regulated in different pre-implantation embryos and the levels of IFN-tau expression were different among bovine embryos derived from parthenogenetic activation (PA), in vitro fertilization (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). By using in situ hybridization with Digoxingenin (DIG)-labelled IFN-tau cDNA as a probe, we detected IFN-tau mRNA in bovine embryos from days 3 to 9 in culture. However, the timing of the initiation of IFN-tau mRNA expression was different among PA, IVF and SCNT embryos. Interferon-tau mRNA was first expressed in 16-cell stage IVF embryos on day 4, in SCNT morula on day 5 and early PA blastocyst on day 6. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of IFN-tau mRNA did not differ significantly among IVF, SCNT and PA embryos on day 7. In addition, freezing and thawing did not have a major impact either on IFN-tau mRNA expression in IVF or in vivo-produced bovine blastocysts.
Yao
N
N
Laboratory of Animal Embryonic Biotechnology, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Wan
P-C
PC
Hao
Z-D
ZD
Gao
F-F
FF
Yang
L
L
Cui
M-S
MS
Wu
Y
Y
Liu
J-H
JH
Liu
S
S
Chen
H
H
Zeng
S-M
SM
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000737:chemistry; D002417:Cattle / Q000196:embryology*; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000662:veterinary; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000662:veterinary; D015870:Gene Expression; D005865:Gestational Age; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000235:genetics*; D009028:Morula / Q000737:chemistry; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D010312:Parthenogenesis; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012099:Reproductive Techniques / Q000662:veterinary*
D007370:Interferon Type I; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C020947:interferon tau