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Title: CHEMICALLY-DEFINED CULTURE MEDIUM FOR PORCINE ZYGOTES: BELTSVILLE EMBRYO CULTURE MEDIUM (BECM-3)

Author
item Dobrinsky, John
item Johnson, Lawrence
item RATH, D - MARIENSEE, GERMANY

Submitted to: Biology of Reproduction
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/21/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Media are available that can deliver modest porcine embryonic development from a single cell zygote to the blastocyst stage. However, few embryos develop to hatched blastocysts by day 7 in vitro, indicating deficiencies in media that inhibit early embryonic development. We have developed a defined culture medium, BECM-3, that can support development of porcine zygotes to the blastocyst stage. These experiments show that defined culture medium can support high rates of blastocyst development from cleaved pig zygotes. When fetal bovine serum is added at day 5 (late morulae/early blastocyst stage), almost 80% of total embryos cultured from day 2 develop into hatched blastocysts by day 8. The data is further strengthened by the significant increase in blastocyst and hatched blastocyst mean cell numbers when culturing in BECM-3-based media in the absence of bovine serum albumin Fraction-V. These studies provide a chemically-defined foundation for elucidating key developmental components of preimplantation pig embryos.

Technical Abstract: Media are available that can deliver modest porcine embryonic development from a single cell zygote to the blastocyst stage. However, few embryos develop to hatched blastocysts by day 7 in vitro, indicating deficiencies in media that inhibit early embryonic development. We have developed a defined culture medium, BECM-3, that can support development of porcine zygotes to the blastocyst stage. These experiments show that defined culture medium can support high rates of blastocyst development from cleaved pig zygotes. When fetal bovine serum is added at day 5 (late morulae/early blastocyst stage), almost 80% of total embryos cultured from day 2 develop into hatched blastocysts by day 8. The data is further strengthened by the significant increase in blastocyst and hatched blastocyst mean cell numbers when culturing in BECM-3-based media in the absence of bovine serum albumin Fraction-V. These studies provide a chemically-defined foundation for elucidating key developmental components of preimplantation pig embryos.