“…Although mtDNA amounts do not change during in vivo preimplantation development (Kameyama et al, 2007;PikĂł and Taylor, 1987;Smith et al, 2005;Steinborn et al, 1998), embryos cultured in vitro often show increased mtDNA amounts between zygote and blastocyst stages in a number of species (Chiaratti et al, 2010;Kameyama et al, 2007;May-Panloup et al, 2005;McConnell and Petrie, 2004;Mtango et al, 2008;Smith et al, 2005;Spikings et al, 2007) including after iSCNT within the Bos genus, for example, B. gaurus and B. taurus (Mastromonaco et al, 2007). Nonetheless, although variations in embryo in vitro culture systems may account for part of the differences in mtDNA levels (Kameyama et al, 2007;McConnell and Petrie, 2004;Mtango et al, 2008), complete lack of amplification of donor mtDNA in these XOT embryos during in vitro development may further reflect the nuclearmitochondrial incompatibilities (Bowles et al, 2008;GĂł mez et al, 2009;Kenyon and Moraes, 1997;Lanza et al, 2000;Loi et al, 2001;Trounce and Pikert, 2007) between the phylogenetically distant Bubalus and Bos genera (MacEachern et al, 2009). Moreover, detailed screening for buffalo mtDNA in offspring using a real-time protocol able to detect as little as 0.01% of buffalo mtDNA, was unsuccessful in identifying any vestige of buffalo mtDNA in somatic (blood, skin, muscle, and liver) and germline (oocytes) tissues of both calves born from XOT.…”