Liu Hai-Jun, Oh Serena Jocelyn Wai Yin, Tay Nicole Liling, Lim Christina Yingyan, Hsu Chia-Da, Chua Delia Hwee Hoon, Teo Winnie Koon Lay, Loh Yuin-Han, Ng Soon Chye
Endangered Species Conservation via Assisted Reproduction (ESCAR) Lab, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
Mandai Wildlife Group, 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826, Singapore.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jan 9;15(2):148. doi: 10.3390/ani15020148.
A time-lapse live embryo monitoring system provides a powerful approach to recording dynamic developmental events of cultured embryos in detail. By obtaining continuous short-interval images, blastocyst formation can be predicted and embryos can be selected. The objective of this study was to investigate the morphokinetic parameters of fishing cat-domestic cat interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) embryos from one-cell to blastocyst stages, and in particular, the cleavage patterns of the first division in iSCNT and IVF embryos, as these play a central role in euploidy. Domestic cat in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos were set up as controls. The results show that morula and blastocyst development rates were significantly lower in the iSCNT embryos compared to their IVF counterparts. All earlier time points of embryonic development before the onset of blastulation in the iSCNT embryos were significantly delayed when compared with their IVF counterparts. In iSCNT, normal embryos (defined as those that developed to the blastocyst stage) took a longer time to reach the morula stage, and these morulas were more likely to undergo compaction, compared to their arrested embryo counterparts. Direct cleavage in the first division is a morphological aberration, and was seen with greater prevalence in iSCNT embryos than control IVF embryos; these aberrant embryos displayed a significantly lower blastocyst development rate than embryos that had undergone normal cleavage. In conclusion, the morphokinetic parameters of fishing cat-domestic cat iSCNT embryos at early stages could be used to predict their potential for development to the blastocyst stage. A time-lapse imaging system is potentially a powerful tool for selecting early embryos with developmental potential for transfer, and hence, for improving feline iSCNT efficiency.
延时胚胎实时监测系统为详细记录培养胚胎的动态发育事件提供了一种强大的方法。通过获取连续的短间隔图像，可以预测囊胚形成并选择胚胎。本研究的目的是研究渔猫 - 家猫种间体细胞核移植（iSCNT）胚胎从单细胞到囊胚阶段的形态动力学参数，特别是iSCNT和体外受精（IVF）胚胎第一次分裂的分裂模式，因为这些在整倍体中起着核心作用。将家猫体外受精（IVF）胚胎设为对照。结果表明，与IVF胚胎相比，iSCNT胚胎的桑葚胚和囊胚发育率显著降低。与IVF胚胎相比，iSCNT胚胎在囊胚形成开始前的所有早期胚胎发育时间点都显著延迟。在iSCNT中，正常胚胎（定义为发育到囊胚阶段的胚胎）达到桑葚胚阶段所需的时间更长，并且与停滞的胚胎相比，这些桑葚胚更有可能发生致密化。第一次分裂中的直接分裂是一种形态异常，在iSCNT胚胎中比对照IVF胚胎更普遍；这些异常胚胎的囊胚发育率明显低于经历正常分裂的胚胎。总之，渔猫 - 家猫iSCNT胚胎早期的形态动力学参数可用于预测其发育到囊胚阶段的潜力。延时成像系统可能是一种强大的工具，用于选择具有发育潜力的早期胚胎进行移植，从而提高猫iSCNT的效率。
