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Title: CRYOPRESERVATION OF SWINE EMBRYOS: PRODUCTION POSSIBILITIES FOR THE FUTURE

Author
item Dobrinsky, John

Submitted to: Embryo Transfer Newsletter
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/25/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: While methods exist to preserve boar sperm, there has been little success until recently in preserving pig oocytes and embryos. Use of embryos enable preservation of maternal genetic information, and in addition to sperm, represents a major increase in the efficiency of transmitting improved genetic potential in a form other than the live animal. The development of a repeatable method for long-term preservation of swine embryos would provide numerous applications for production, research and medicine: transport of maternal germplasm, rapid regeneration or expansion of lines, the ability to increase selection pressure, rescue of healthy stock from diseased herds, eliminate quarantine conditions and provide a method for the international export and import of potential breeding stock. This manuscript reviews the state of the art in swine embryo cryopreservation, as well as shows recent data in our laboratory on cryopreserving early hatched blastocysts using cytoskeletal stabilization and vitrification. We have produced unprecedented numbers of live offspring after transfer of stabilized and vitrified embryos to surrogate females. Stabilized vitrification is a viable method for the long term preservation of pig embryos, a first for maternal genetics in swine. As a new production tool for the swine industry, pig embryo cryopreservation will be instrumental in continuous production of animals of high genetic merit capable of having a significant impact on the improvement of the world swine population and medicine.

Technical Abstract: While methods exist to preserve boar sperm, there has been little success until recently in preserving pig oocytes and embryos. Use of embryos enable preservation of maternal genetic information, and in addition to sperm, represents a major increase in the efficiency of transmitting improved genetic potential in a form other than the live animal. The development of a repeatable method for long-term preservation of swine embryos would provide numerous applications for production, research and medicine: transport of maternal germplasm, rapid regeneration or expansion of lines, the ability to increase selection pressure, rescue of healthy stock from diseased herds, eliminate quarantine conditions and provide a method for the international export and import of potential breeding stock. This manuscript reviews the state of the art in swine embryo cryopreservation, as well as shows recent data in our laboratory on cryopreserving early hatched blastocysts using cytoskeletal stabilization and vitrification. We have produced unprecedented numbers of live offspring after transfer of stabilized and vitrified embryos to surrogate females. Stabilized vitrification is a viable method for the long term preservation of pig embryos, a first for maternal genetics in swine. As a new production tool for the swine industry, pig embryo cryopreservation will be instrumental in continuous production of animals of high genetic merit capable of having a significant impact on the improvement of the world swine population and medicine.