Seiji Katagiri

Relationship between bovine oocyte morphology and in vitro developmental potential.

We investigated the relationship between the morphology of oocytes collected from small antral follicles and their developmental capacity. Immature oocytes were classified into seven groups and cultured in vitro for maturation (IVM), fertilization (IVF) and development to blastocysts (IVC). After IVF, sperm penetration and normal fertilization rates were higher in the oocytes whose cytoplasm appeared brown. The rate of polyspermy was highest in the oocytes whose cytoplasm was black. After IVC, the rates of cleavage and of development to the blastocyst stage were also higher in the brown oocytes. Although the oocytes with dark clusters in a pale cytoplasm showed lower cleavage rates, cleaved zygotes had high developmental rates the same as the oocytes with a brown cytoplasm. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the oocytes with a pale or black cytoplasm had organelles arranged differently from other oocytes before IVM. Most of the oocytes with a brown and homogeneous cytoplasm or small diameter had the characteristics of immature cytoplasm (large clusters of cortical granules) even after IVM. On the other hand, the brown oocytes with a dark zone at the periphery or with dark clusters showed the same arrangement of organelles as in vivo matured oocytes. The oocytes with a pale or black cytoplasm appeared to be degenerating and/or ageing. In conclusion, a dark ooplasm indicates an accumulation of lipids and good developmental potential, while a light-coloured ooplasm indicates a low density of organelles and poor developmental potential. A black ooplasm indicates ageing and low developmental potential.

ATP content and maturational/developmental ability of bovine oocytes with various cytoplasmic morphologies.

We examined the relationship among morphological appearance (six groups) of bovine oocytes, ATP content and maturational/developmental ability. Oocytes with a brown ooplasm (with or without a dark region) had intermediate levels of ATP at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage and showed higher rates of first polar body (PB) extrusion than the other groups. Oocytes with a low level of ATP (oocytes with a pale ooplasm without dark clusters) and oocytes with a high level of ATP (oocytes with a black ooplasm) showed lower rates of PB extrusion. During in vitro maturation, ATP levels in oocytes decreased at around GV breakdown and increased toward metaphase II (MII). MII oocytes having a brown ooplasm with a dark region, which had good developmental capacity, had a relatively high level of ATP. MII oocytes with a brown or pale ooplasm without dark clusters, which had poor developmental capacity, had low ATP levels. MII oocytes with a black ooplasm, which had poor developmental capacity, had an unusually high level of ATP. These results suggest that the morphological appearance of bovine oocytes is closely related to their ATP levels and that cytoplasmic morphology will give an advantage for the selection of oocytes with a high maturational and developmental ability.

Vitrification of bovine oocytes and its application to intergeneric somatic cell nucleus transfer

We determined the efficacy of a microdrop vitrification procedure for cryopreservation of bovine oocytes, using vitrified oocytes as cytoplasts for intraspecies and intergeneric somatic cell nucleus transfer (NT). In vitro matured bovine MII oocytes were vitrified in microdrops with a vitrification solution containing 35% ethylene glycol, 5% polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and 0.4 M trehalose. After warming, approximately 80% of the vitrified oocytes were morphologically normal, and their enucleation rate was similar to that of fresh oocytes. The NT embryos constructed with bovine cumulus cells and the vitrified oocytes developed similar to blastocysts constructed with fresh oocytes, although the cell number of NT blastocysts originating from vitrified oocytes was lower than that of the fresh control. In a second experiment, we examined the development of NT embryos constructed with vitrified bovine oocytes and bovine fibroblasts (intraspecies NT embryos) or swamp buffalo fibroblasts (intergeneric NT embryos). There were no differences between the intraspecies and intergeneric NT embryos in fusion, cleavage and development to blastocysts, except for lower cell numbers in the intergeneric NT blastocysts. In conclusion, the efficacy of this microdrop vitrification procedure and the production of swamp buffalo NT blastocysts using vitrified bovine oocytes was demonstrated.

Development of reconstituted pig embryos by nuclear transfer of cultured cumulus cells

This study tested the effects of oocyte collection method, activation protocol and maturational age of recipient oocytes on the in vitro development of nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with cultured cumulus cells. Cumulus cells synchronized in G0/G1 phase by serum-starvation culture were transferred into enucleated oocytes that were collected by aspiration or dissection method and cultured for 33 or 44 h. Reconstituted embryos were activated with a combination of calcium ionophore A23187 or electric pulse and cycloheximide (CHXM), and cultured for 6 days. Oocyte collection methods, activation treatment in the presence of cytochalasin B and activation protocols did not affect the developmental rate of embryos reconstituted with 44-h-matured recipients. However, the development of embryos reconstituted with 33-h-matured recipients was significantly improved (P<0.05) by activation with the combination of electric pulse and CHXM. The present study shows that reconstituted porcine embryos derived from cultured cumulus cells can develop to the blastocyst stage, and that their development can be improved by reconstruction with young oocyte cytoplasts following activation with a combination of electric pulse and CHXM.

Production of fertile zebrafish (Danio rerio) possessing germ cells (gametes) originated from primordial germ cells recovered from vitrified embryos

This study aimed to produce fertile zebrafish (Danio rerio) possessing germ cells (gametes) that originated from cryopreserved primordial germ cells (PGCs). First, to improve the vitrification procedure of PGCs in segmentation stage embryos, dechorionated yolk-intact and yolk-removed embryos, the PGCs of which were labeled with green fluorescent protein, were cooled rapidly after serial exposures to equilibration solution (ES) and vitrification solution (VS), which contained ethylene glycol, DMSO, and sucrose. Yolk removal well prevented ice formation in the embryos during cooling and improved the viability of cryopreserved PGCs. The maximum recovery rate of live PGCs in the yolk-removed embryos vitrified after optimum exposure to ES and VS was estimated to be about 90%, and about 50% of the live PGCs showed pseudopodial movement. Next, to elucidate the ability of cryopreserved PGCs to differentiate into functional gametes, PGCs recovered from the yolk-removed embryos (striped-type) that were vitrified under the optimum exposure to ES and VS were transplanted individually into 218 sterilized recipient blastulae (golden-type). Two days after the transplantation, 7.5% (14/187) of morphologically normal embryos had PGC(s) in the genital ridges. Six (5 males and 1 female) of the 14 recipient embryos developed into mature fish and generated progeny with characteristics inherited from PGC donors. In conclusion, we demonstrated the successful cryopreservation of PGCs by vitrification of yolk-removed embryos and the production of fertile zebrafish possessing germ cells that originated from the PGCs in vitrified embryos.

The relationship between antral follicle count in a bovine ovary and developmental competence of in vitro-grown oocytes derived from early antral follicles

To clarify the relationship between ovarian reserve and the developmental competence of bovine oocytes, oocyte-granulosa complexes (OGCs) collected from early antral follicles (≤ 1 mm) in ovaries with high (≥ 25) and low (<25) antral follicle counts (AFCs) were used. OGCs derived from different AFC groups were cultured for growth followed by maturation, fertilization and blastocyst formation. Viability of OGCs during growth culture was similar between groups; however, OGCs in the high-AFC group had a larger number of granulosa cells than the low-AFC group at 12 days of growth. The proportion of matured oocytes in the high-AFC group was higher than that in the low-AFC group. Mitochondrial activity of oocytes before maturation in the high-AFC group was higher than that in the low-AFC group; however, accumulation of reactive oxygen species was similar between groups. Cleavage rate in the high-AFC group tended to be higher than that in the low-AFC group, although blastocyst development was similar between groups. In conclusion, oocytes derived from ovaries with high AFC have higher maturational ability and fertilizability than those from low AFC. The difference may be caused by high proliferation of granulosa cells from ovaries with high AFC.

Fertilizability of oocytes derived from Holstein cows having different antral follicle counts in ovaries.

In this study, to clarify the relationship between ovarian reserve and oocyte quality, cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected repeatedly by ovum pick-up (OPU) from cows with high and low antral follicle counts (AFCs) at short (3-4 days) and long (7 days) intervals, and COC morphologies and oocyte fertilizability were examined. The relationship between AFC and follicular growth after OPU was also investigated. Cows showing AFC of ≥30 in at least one OPU session were grouped into the high-AFC group. At a short interval, follicular sizes and COC morphologies were similar between the different AFC groups. However, the normal fertilization rate was higher in the high-AFC group than in the low one, although total penetration rates were similar. At a long interval, the percentage of COCs with poor morphology in the high-AFC group was higher and the normal fertilization rate was lower than in the low one. In the low-AFC group, normal fertilization rates at short and long intervals were similar, and mean follicular size became larger at a long than at a short interval. However, mean follicular sizes at short- and long-interval OPU were similar in the high-AFC group. In conclusion, it is suggested that oocytes derived from cows with high AFC had higher fertilizability than those from cows with low AFC when OPUs were performed at a short (3-4 days) interval. However, oocyte quality in high-AFC cows was impaired by long-interval (7 days) OPU, possibly due to the degradation of follicles.

Sucrose-exposed chemically enucleated mouse oocytes support blastocyst development of reconstituted embryos

This study was carried out to test the ability of sucrose-exposed chemically enucleated mouse oocytes to support the development of reconstituted embryos in vitro. Cumulus-enclosed germinal-vesicle-stage mouse oocytes were matured in vitro to metaphase I stage and were chemically enucleated with 50 microg mL(-1) etoposide in tissue culture medium 199. The chemically enucleated oocytes were grouped into two groups. Group I was exposed to 0.75 M sucrose and group II was not exposed to sucrose. The zonae pellucidae of the chemically enucleated oocytes were removed with acid Tyrodes solution (pH 2.7). They were then aggregated into couplets with karyoplasts from pronuclear-stage embryos using phytohemagglutinin-P. The couplets were electrically fused to form reconstituted embryos. The reconstituted embryos were activated with 7% ethanol and cultured in vitro in simplex optimisation medium to test their developmental ability to the blastocyst stage. Some of the reconstituted embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage were used for chromosome counts to test their ploidy. The results of the present study showed that chemically enucleated oocytes exposed to sucrose supported the development of reconstituted embryos to the blastocyst stage (21.5%), whereas those not exposed to sucrose did not. The chromosome counts showed that the reconstituted embryos had normal ploidy (40 chromosomes). It is concluded that sucrose exposure improves the quality of chemically enucleated mouse oocytes. Thus they can be used as recipients for mouse embryo cloning and nucleocytoplasmic interaction studies.

Comparison of sperm subpopulation structures in first and second ejaculated semen from Japanese black bulls by a cluster analysis of sperm motility evaluated by a CASA system

In the present study, bull sperm in the first and second ejaculates were divided into subpopulations based on their motility characteristics using a cluster analysis of data from computer-assisted sperm motility analysis (CASA). Semen samples were collected from 4 Japanese black bulls. Data from 9,228 motile sperm were classified into 4 clusters; 1) very rapid and progressively motile sperm, 2) rapid and circularly motile sperm with widely moving heads, 3) moderately motile sperm with heads moving frequently in a short length, and 4) poorly motile sperm. The percentage of cluster 1 varied between bulls. The first ejaculates had a higher proportion of cluster 2 and lower proportion of cluster 3 than the second ejaculates.

Early germinal vesicle breakdown is a predictor of high preimplantation developmental competent oocytes in mice.

The preselection of highly developmentally competent oocytes for in vitro maturation (IVM) is crucial for improving assisted reproductive technology. Although several intrinsic markers of oocyte quality are known to be closely related to the onset of nuclear maturation (germinal vesicle break down, GVBD), a direct comparison between GVBD timing and oocyte quality has never been reported. In this study, we established a non-invasive oocyte evaluation method based on GVBD timing for preselecting more developmental competent oocytes in mice. Because the O2 concentration during IVM may affect the nuclear kinetics, all experiments were performed under two distinct O2 concentrations: 20% and 5% O2. First, we determined the time course of changes in nuclear maturation and preimplantation developmental competence of in vitro-matured oocytes to estimate GVBD timing in high developmental competent oocytes. Two-thirds of oocytes that underwent GVBD in early IVM seemed to mainly contribute to the blastocyst yield. To confirm this result, we compared the preimplantation developmental competence of the early and late GVBD oocytes. Cleavage and blastocyst formation rates of early GVBD oocytes (80.2% and 52.7% under 20% O2, respectively, and 67.6% and 47.3% under 5% O2, respectively) were almost double those of late GVBD oocytes (44.8% and 26.0% under 20% O2, respectively, and 40.4% and 17.9% under 5% O2, respectively). With no observable alterations by checking the timing of GVBD in preimplantation developmental competence, oocyte evaluation based on GVBD timing can be used as an efficient and non-invasive preselection method for high developmental competent oocytes.