Influences of somatic donor cell sex on in vitro and in vivo embryo development following somatic cell nuclear transfer in pigs

Abstract

ObjectiveThe present study investigates pre- and post-implantation developmental competence of nuclear-transferred porcine embryos derived from male and female fetal fibroblasts.MethodsMale and female fetal fibroblasts were transferred to in vitro-matured enucleated oocytes and in vitro and in vivo developmental competence of reconstructed embryos was investigated. And, a total of 6,789 female fibroblast nuclear-transferred embryos were surgically transferred into 41 surrogate gilts and 4,746 male fibroblast nuclear-transferred embryos were surgically transferred into 25 surrogate gilts.ResultsThe competence to develop into blastocysts was not significantly different between the sexes. The mean cell number of female and male cloned blastocysts obtained by in vivo culture (143.8±10.5 to 159.2±14.8) was higher than that of in vitro culture of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) groups (31.4±8.3 to 33.4±11.1). After embryo transfer, 5 pregnant gilts from each treatment delivered 15 female and 22 male piglets. The average birth weight of the cloned piglets, gestation length, and the postnatal survival rates were not significantly different (p<0.05) between sexes.ConclusionThe present study found that the sex difference of the nuclear donor does not affect the developmental rate of porcine SCNT embryos. Furthermore, postnatal survivability of the cloned piglets was not affected by the sex of the donor cell.

Epigenetic states of donor cells significantly affect the development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos in pigs

“…Several studies found that donor cell source, passage number, gender, and differentiation status influence SCNT efficiency (Li et al, ; Powell et al, ; Wakayama, Perry, Zuccotti, Johnson, & Yanagimachi, ; Yoo et al, ). For example, pluripotent and undifferentiated donor cells, which possess a loose nuclear chromosome structure, have proven easier to reprogram, suggesting that complete nuclear reprogramming following nuclear transfer is more likely when the genome is easily accessible (Jin et al, ).…”

Effect of sex differences in donor foetal fibroblast on the early development and DNA methylation status of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) nuclear transfer embryos

“…Reprogramming varies with the type of donor nucleus (Kato & Tsunoda, ). Studies demonstrated that the developmental competence of cloned embryos was not significantly different between the sexes (Sandhu et al., ; Yoo et al., ). However, Liu et al.…”

“…Reprogramming varies with the type of donor nucleus (Kato & Tsunoda, 2010). Studies demonstrated that the developmental competence of cloned embryos was not significantly different between the sexes (Sandhu et al, 2016;Yoo et al, 2016). However, Liu et al reported that the donor cells' sex had significant effects on nuclear transfer efficiency of cloned goats (Liu et al, 2016a).…”

Effects of variation in the number and developmental stage of donor embryos and ovulation status of the surrogate mother on the efficiency of pig somatic cell cloning

“…Park et al Effects of the surrogate mother in pig SCNT species, and the production of transgenic animals for therapeutic applications. Pig SCNT has also been studied with the aim of improving the efficiency of production (Betthauser et al, 2000;Huang et al, 2000;Onishi et al, 2000;Polejaeva et al, 2000;Li et al, 2013;Rim et al, 2013;Callesen et al, 2014;Huan et al, 2015;Yoo et al, 2017;Jeong et al, 2020).…”

“…Given the low efficiency of SCNT, many questions on the mechanisms involved remain unanswered in both basic and applied fields. The difficulty in porcine cloning has been attributed to multiple factors, including oocyte quality (in vivo matured vs. in vitro matured), donor cell type, inadequacies in the culture and media used during the micromanipulation process, lack of an efficient activation method, requirement for a minimum number of fetuses, and the appropriate recipient conditions to maintain a pregnancy (Bang et al, 2002;Yoo et al, 2017;Dang-Nguyen et al, 2020). Polejaeva et al (2000) reported the first successful birth of five healthy cloned female piglets by SCNT using in vivo-matured oocytes.…”