Follicular oocytes better support development in rabbit cloning than oviductal oocytes.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of rabbit oocytes collected from ovaries or oviducts on the developmental potential of nuclear transplant embryos. Donor nuclei were obtained from adult skin fibroblasts, cumulus cells, and embryonic blastomeres. Rabbit oocytes were flushed from the oviducts (oviductal oocytes) or aspirated from the ovaries (follicular oocytes) of superovulated does at 10, 11, or 12 h post-hCG injection. The majority of collected oocytes were still attached to the sites of ovulation on the ovaries. We found that follicular oocytes had a significantly higher rate of fusion with nuclear donor cells than oviductal oocytes. There was no difference in the cleavage rate between follicular and oviductal groups, but morula and blastocyst development was significantly higher in the follicular group than in the oviductal group. Two live clones were produced in follicular group using blastomere and cumulus nuclear donors, whereas one live clone was produced in the oviductal group using a cumulus nuclear donor. These results demonstrate that cloned rabbit embryos derived from follicular oocytes have better developmental competence than those derived from oviductal oocytes.
Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Li-Ying
LY
Sung
Chien-Hong
CH
Chen
Jie
J
Xu
Tzu-An
TA
Lin
Hwa-Yun
HY
Su
Wei-Fang
WF
Chang
Chia-Chia
CC
Liu
Yun-Shao
YS
Sung
Winston T K
WT
Cheng
Jifeng
J
Zhang
X Cindy
XC
Tian
Jyh-Cherng
JC
Ju
Y Eugene
YE
Chen
Shinn-Chih
SC
Wu
Fuliang
F
Du
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D019976:Cloning, Organism; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009028:Morula / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006080:Ovarian Follicle; D010057:Oviducts; D011817:Rabbits