title: Pre- and Peri-/Post-Compaction Follistatin Treatment Increases In Vitro Production of Cattle Embryos.
abstract: Our previous studies demonstrated that maternal (oocyte derived) follistatin (FST) expression is positively associated with bovine oocyte competence and exogenous follistatin treatment during the pre-compaction period of development (d 1-3 post insemination) is stimulatory to bovine early embryogenesis in vitro [blastocyst rates and cell numbers/allocation to trophectoderm (TE)]. In the present study, bovine embryos were treated with exogenous follistatin during d 1-3, d 4-7 and d 1-7 post insemination to test the hypothesis that embryotropic effects of exogenous follistatin are specific to the pre-compaction period (d 1-3) of early embryogenesis. Follistatin treatment during d 4-7 (peri-/post-compaction period) of embryo culture increased proportion of embryos reaching blastocyst and expanded blastocyst stage and total cell numbers compared to controls, but blastocyst rates and total cell numbers were lower than observed following d 1-3 (pre-compaction) follistatin treatment. Follistatin supplementation during d 1-7 of embryo culture increased development to blastocyst and expanded blastocyst stages and blastocyst total cell numbers compared to d 1-3 and d 4-7 follistatin treatment and untreated controls. A similar increase in blastocyst CDX2 mRNA and protein (TE cell marker) was observed in response to d 1-3, d 4-7 and d 1-7 follistatin treatment. However, an elevation in blastocyst BMP4 protein (TE cell regulator) was observed in response to d 1-3 and d 1-7, but not d 4-7 (peri-/post-compaction) follistatin treatment. In summary, our study revealed the potential utility of follistatin treatment for increasing the success rate of in vitro embryo production in cattle. Such results also expand our understanding of the embryotropic actions of follistatin and demonstrate that follistatin actions on blastocyst development and cell allocation to the TE layer are not specific to the pre-compaction period.
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry Research Institute of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS), Harbin, P.R. China.|Laboratory of Mammalian Reproductive Biology and Genomics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Guo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhenhua
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mammalian Reproductive Biology and Genomics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.|Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Sandeep K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rajput
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mammalian Reproductive Biology and Genomics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.|Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Joseph K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Folger
authors.affiliation: Animal Husbandry Research Institute of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS), Harbin, P.R. China.|Laboratory of Mammalian Reproductive Biology and Genomics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.|Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jason G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Knott
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Mammalian Reproductive Biology and Genomics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.|Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America.
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D002417:Cattle; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D038681:Follistatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D038681:Follistatin