Xenooplasmic transfer between buffalo and bovine enables development of homoplasmic offspring.
Nuclear-mitochondrial incompatibilities may be responsible for the development failure reported in embryos and fetuses produced by interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT). Herein we performed xenooplasmic transfer (XOT) by introducing 10 to 15% of buffalo ooplasm into bovine zygotes to assess its effect on the persistence of buffalo mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Blastocyst rates were not compromised by XOT in comparison to both in vitro fertilized embryos and embryos produced by transfer of bovine ooplasm into bovine zygotes. Moreover, offspring were born after transfer of XOT embryos to recipient cows. Buffalo mtDNA introduced in zygotes was still present at the blastocyst stage (8.3 vs. 9.3%, p = 0.11), indicating unaltered heteroplasmy during early development. Nonetheless, no vestige of buffalo mtDNA was found in offspring, indicating a drift to homoplasmy during later stages of development. In conclusion, we show that the buffalo mtDNA introduced by XOT into a bovine zygote do not compromise embryo development. On the other hand, buffalo mtDNA was not inherited by offspring indicating a possible failure in the process of interspecies mtDNA replication.
Chiaratti
Marcos Roberto
MR
Departamento de Ciências Básicas, FZEA-USP, Pirassununga-SP, Brazil. chiaramr@fcm.unicamp.br
Ferreira
Christina Ramires
CR
Meirelles
Flávio Vieira
FV
Méo
Simone Cristina
SC
Perecin
Felipe
F
Smith
Lawrence Charles
LC
Ferraz
Márcio Leão
ML
de Sá Filho
Manoel Francisco
MF
Gimenes
Lindsay Unno
LU
Baruselli
Pietro Sampaio
PS
Gasparrini
Bianca
B
Garcia
Joaquim Mansano
JM
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002020:Buffaloes; D002417:Cattle; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D015053:Zygote
D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial