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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 #408261
Research Project: Applying Nutritional Strategies to Improve Early Embryonic Development and Progeny Performance in Beef Cows

Location: Livestock Bio-Systems

Title: The influence of choline and follistatin supplementation during in-vitro bovine oocyte maturation on oocyte maturation and blastocyst development

Author
item Snider, Alexandria - Alex
item KAPS, MARTIM - University Of Veterinary Medicine
item Rempel, Lea
item Wright, Elane
item Cushman, Robert - Bob
item Miles, Jeremy

Submitted to: Zygote
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/6/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Bovine in-vitro embryo production is becoming a popular tool to propagate desirable genetics quicker than a normal breeding program. Development of in-vitro produced embryos per oocyte retrieval is still suboptimal, due to potentially suboptimal in-vitro culture conditions. The current study investigated the incorporation of choline and follistatin during in-vitro oocyte maturation on long term blastocyst quality. The addition of choline 1.8 mM and follistatin together increased transcript makers of blastocyst quality. This information provides a potential method to improve in-vitro culture conditions for improving quality of the developing embryo.

Technical Abstract: Metabolite supplementation during in-vitro embryo development improves blastocyst quality, however, our understanding of the incorporation of metabolites during in-vitro maturation (IVM) is limited. Two important metabolites, follistatin and choline, have beneficial impacts during in-vitro culture (IVC); however, effects of supplementation during IVM are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate combining choline and follistatin during IVM on bovine oocytes and subsequent early embryonic development. We hypothesized that supplementation of choline with follistatin would synergistically improve oocyte quality and subsequent early embryonic development. Small follicles were aspirated from slaughterhouse ovaries to obtain cumulus oocyte complexes for IVM with choline (0, 1.3, or 1.8 mM) and follistatin (0 or 10 ng/mL) supplementation in a 3 x 2 design. A subset of oocytes underwent transcriptomic analysis, the remaining oocytes were used for IVF and IVC. Transcript abundance of CEPT1 tended to be reduced in oocytes supplemented with 1.8 mM choline and follistatin compared to control oocytes (P = 0.07). Combination of follistatin with 1.8 mM choline supplementation during maturation, tended (P = 0.08) to reduce CPEB4 in oocytes. In the blastocysts, HDCA8, NANOG, SAV1 and SOX2 were increased with choline 1.8 mM supplementation without follistatin (P < 0.05), while HDCA8 and SOX2 were increased when follistatin was incorporated (P < 0.05). The combination of choline and follistatin during oocyte maturation may provide a beneficial impact on early embryonic development. Further research is warranted to investigate the interaction between these two metabolites during early embryonic development and long-term influence on fetal development.