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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Livestock Bio-Systems » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #336484
Title: In vitro porcine blastocyst development in three-dimentional alginate hydrogels

Author
item Miles, Jeremy
item LAUGHLIN, TAYLOR - University Of Nebraska
item SARGUS-PATINO, CATHERINE - University Of Nebraska
item PANNIER, ANGELA - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Molecular Reproduction and Development
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2017
Publication Date: 9/1/2017
Citation: Miles, J.R., Laughlin, T.D., Sargus-Patino, C.N., Pannier, A.K. 2017. In vitro porcine blastocyst development in three-dimentional alginate hydrogels. Molecular Reproduction and Development. 84(9):775-787. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.22814.

Interpretive Summary: The pre-implantation period of porcine pregnancy is characterized by many developmental hallmarks that are initiated by the dramatic morphological change that occurs as pig blastocysts elongate from spherical to filamentous blastocysts. Little is known about the exact mechanisms by which porcine (or other species) blastocysts initiate and progress through the elongation process partly due to the difficultly to replicate this process in the laboratory and therefore be able to study blastocyst elongation in real-time in a controlled environment. Tissue engineering approaches provide innovative, more physiological alternatives to traditional 2-D systems for in vitro models of development. With these principles, we have developed a 3-D culture system using alginate hydrogels that can encapsulate pig blastocysts, maintain viability and blastocyst architecture, and facilitate morphological changes, consistent with the initiation of elongation in the uterus. This report highlights new insights on the utility of 3-D hydrogel culture systems to study initiation of blastocyst elongation in real-time and provide complementary and confirmatory approaches to live animal analysis.

Technical Abstract: Appropriate embryonic and fetal development significantly impact pregnancy success and, therefore, the efficiency of swine production. The pre-implantation period of porcine pregnancy is characterized by several developmental hallmarks, which are initiated by the dramatic morphological change that occurs as pig blastocysts elongate from spherical to filamentous blastocysts. Deficiencies in blastocyst elongation contribute to approximately 20% of embryonic loss, and have a direct influence on within-litter birth weight variation. Although factors identified within the uterine environment may play a role in blastocyst elongation, little is known about the exact mechanisms by which porcine (or other species’) blastocysts initiate and progress through the elongation process. This is partly due to the difficulty of replicating elongation in vitro, which would allow for its study in a controlled environment and in real-time. We developed a three dimensional (3-D) culture system using alginate hydrogel matrices that can encapsulate pig blastocysts, maintain viability and blastocyst architecture, and facilitate reproducible morphological changes with corresponding expression of steroidogenic enzyme transcripts and estrogen production, consistent with the initiation of elongation in vivo. This review highlights key aspects of the pre-implantation period of porcine pregnancy and the difficulty of studying blastocyst elongation in vivo or by using in vitro systems. This review also provides insights on the utility of 3-D hydrogels to study blastocyst elongation continuously and in real-time as a complementary and confirmatory approach to in vivo analysis.