Park Jihyun, Bang Seonggyu, Lee Wonyou, Song Kilyoung, Park Miyun, Chung Junseo, Saadeldin Islam M, Lee Sanghoon, Yi Junkoo, Cho Jongki
College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
Lartbio Ltd., Kwangmyeong 14322, Korea.
J Anim Sci Technol. 2024 Sep;66(5):920-935. doi: 10.5187/jast.2023.e98. Epub 2024 Sep 30.
Embryo transfer plays a crucial role in enhancing the breeding value of livestock; it has been applied in Hanwoo cattle, which is a popular breed for beef production in Korea. Both -derived (IVD) and -produced (IVP) embryos are used for this purpose; however, IVP embryos have been preferred recently owing to advancements in ovum pick-up (OPU) technology and genomic selection. Despite technological advancements, comprehensive data on large-scale OPU/IVEP/embryo transfer in Hanwoo cows are lacking. In this study, 16 elite Hanwoo donor cows were selected on the basis of specific criteria. Oocytes were retrieved from 241 cows using OPU. The collected cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured, fertilized, and cultured to produce transferable embryos. Embryos were classified according to their developmental stage and then transferred to 675 recipient cows. A total of 3,317 COCs were collected, with an average of 13.76 COCs per cow. The number of transferable embryos produced per cow was 3.7. Hanwoo OPU-derived IVP embryos exhibited a higher production yield than the global average, indicating a stable IVEP environment. Both fresh and frozen IVP embryos yielded similar conception rates; hence, the use of vitrified-thawed embryos in transfer plans feasible. However, frozen-thawed embryos at Stage 7 had a lower conception rate than those at earlier stages. There was no significant difference between the conception rates of sexually mature heifers and postpartum cows used as recipients. The male-to-female offspring ratio increased as the developmental stage progressed. Seasonal effects on conception rates were not observed; however, higher abortion rates and a higher proportion of male offspring were observed during winter. This study provides valuable data for the Korean embryo transfer industry, enabling more strategic growth of the domestic Hanwoo embryo industry.
胚胎移植在提高家畜育种价值方面发挥着关键作用；它已应用于韩国牛肉生产中颇受欢迎的韩牛品种。体外受精（IVD）胚胎和体外生产（IVP）胚胎都用于此目的；然而，由于采卵（OPU）技术和基因组选择的进步，IVP胚胎近来更受青睐。尽管技术有所进步，但缺乏关于韩牛母牛大规模OPU/IVEP/胚胎移植的全面数据。在本研究中，根据特定标准挑选了16头优质韩牛供体母牛。使用OPU从241头母牛中采集卵母细胞。收集到的卵丘-卵母细胞复合体（COC）经成熟、受精和培养以生产可用于移植的胚胎。胚胎根据其发育阶段进行分类，然后移植到675头受体母牛体内。共收集到3317个COC，每头母牛平均13.76个COC。每头母牛产生的可移植胚胎数量为3.7个。韩牛OPU来源的IVP胚胎的产量高于全球平均水平，表明IVEP环境稳定。新鲜和冷冻的IVP胚胎受孕率相似；因此，在移植计划中使用玻璃化冻融胚胎是可行的。然而，第7阶段的冻融胚胎受孕率低于早期阶段。用作受体的性成熟小母牛和产后母牛的受孕率之间没有显著差异。随着发育阶段的推进，雄性与雌性后代的比例增加。未观察到受孕率的季节性影响；然而，在冬季观察到较高的流产率和较高比例的雄性后代。本研究为韩国胚胎移植行业提供了有价值的数据，有助于国内韩牛胚胎产业更具战略性地发展。
