The microenvironment created by non-blocking embryos in aggregates may rescue blocking embryos via cell–embryo adherent contacts

Under our culture conditions, mouse embryos from the BALB/c inbred mouse strain develop successfully in culture only from the late 2-cell stage onwards (so-called 2-cell block), whether or not EDTA is added to the culture medium. (CBA × C57BL) F2 embryos do not exhibit a 2-cell block. Medium conditi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zygote (Cambridge) 1995-11, Vol.3 (4), p.313-324
Main Authors: Sekirina, Galina G., Neganova, Irina E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregates of embryos/chimeras
Animals
Cell Adhesion - drug effects
Cell Adhesion - physiology
Chimera - drug effects
Chimera - physiology
Culture in vitro
Culture Media, Conditioned - pharmacology
Culture Techniques - methods
Embryo, Mammalian - anatomy & histology
Embryo, Mammalian - drug effects
Embryo, Mammalian - physiology
Female
G2 Phase - physiology
G2/M 2-cell block
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Inbred CBA
Mitosis - physiology
Mouse embryos
Phytohemagglutinins - pharmacology
Plant Lectins
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Summary:Under our culture conditions, mouse embryos from the BALB/c inbred mouse strain develop successfully in culture only from the late 2-cell stage onwards (so-called 2-cell block), whether or not EDTA is added to the culture medium. (CBA × C57BL) F2 embryos do not exhibit a 2-cell block. Medium conditioned by culture of non-blocking embryos from the 2-cell to the 8-cell stage did not improve the development of blocking embryos, nor did co-culture of blocking and non-blocking embryos, with or without conditioned medium. On the other hand phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-assisted aggregation of an early 2-cell BALB/c embryo with five surrounding non-blocking F2 embryos (2-cell or 8-cell) or five BALB/c 8-cell embryos allowed the early 2-cell BALB/c embryos to develop into blastocysts within 72 h. Aggregation of blocking BALB/c 2-cell embryos with each other had no ‘rescue’ effect. When blocking and non-blocking 2-cell embryos were aggregated together, an integrated blastocyst was formed; but when the early 2-cell BALB/c embryos were aggregated with non-blocking 8-cell embryos, the blocking embryos formed a separate small blastocyst, which nonetheless retained adherent contact with the non-blocking embryos throughout the culture period. Ultrastructural analysis showed that 2-cell embryos aggregated with the aid of PHA form close adherent cell contacts up to several micrometres in length.
ISSN:0967-1994
1469-8730
DOI:10.1017/S0967199400002744