title: Coculture of Preimplantation Embryos With Outgrowth Embryos Improves Embryonic Developmental Competence in Mice.
abstract: Mammalian embryonic development is an intricate succession of physiological and morphological events. Many studies have focused on optimizing in vitro culture systems for improvement in embryonic development. In this study, we established a novel coculture method with outgrowth embryos and investigated how this coculture system improves the preimplantation and peri-implantation embryonic development both in vitro and in utero. We found that outgrowth embryos secrete vesicles, as observed by time-lapse monitoring and scanning electron microscopy. Coculture with outgrowth embryos also significantly increased the percentages of morula, blastocyst, hatching, and outgrowth (P < .01). The total number of cells and inner cell mass were increased, and apoptotic index was decreased (P < .05) by upregulating Survivin and Lif messenger RNA expression levels (P < .05) in the coculture compared to the control group. Furthermore, implantation rates in utero after embryo transfer were significantly higher for cocultured embryos than those for the control group (P < .05). We conclude that embryotrophic factors secreted from outgrowth embryos could improve the developmental competence of in vitro cultured mouse preimplantation embryos. Findings of specific embryotrophic factors from outgrowth embryos might be valuable for advancing reproductive technologies in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Senior Healthcare, BK21 Plus Program, Graduated School, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jihyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jaewang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Senior Healthcare, BK21 Plus Program, Graduated School, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, Graduate School of Health Science, Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea Eulji Medi-Bio Research Institute (EMBRI), Eulji University, Daejeon, Korea junjh55@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Jin Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR
keywords: blastocyst; coculture; developmental competence; outgrowth embryo