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Physical parameters of bovine activated oocytes and zygotes as predictors of development success

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2021

Claire L. Timlin ,
Alexa Lynn ,
Lydia K. Wooldridge ,
Kyungjun Uh ,
Alan D. Ealy ,
Robin R. White ,
Kiho Lee  and
Vitor R.G. Mercadante Open the ORCID record for Vitor R.G. Mercadante [Opens in a new window]
Claire L. Timlin
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA24061USA
Alexa Lynn
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA24061USA
Lydia K. Wooldridge
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA24061USA
Kyungjun Uh
Affiliation:
Division of Animal Sciences, University of Columbia, MO65211, USA
Alan D. Ealy
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA24061USA
Robin R. White
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA24061USA
Kiho Lee
Affiliation:
Division of Animal Sciences, University of Columbia, MO65211, USA
Vitor R.G. Mercadante*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA24061USA Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Blacksburg, VA24061, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Vitor R. G. Mercadante. Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, 175 W Campus Drive, 364 Litton-Reaves Hall (0306), Blacksburg, VA24061, USA. E-mail: mercadante@vt.edu
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Summary

The worldwide production of in vitro-produced embryos in livestock species continues to grow. The current gold standard for selecting quality oocytes and embryos is morphologic assessment, yet this method is subjective and varies based on experience. There is a need for a non-invasive, objective method of selecting viable oocytes and embryos. The aim of this study was to determine if ooplasm area, diameter including zona pellucida (ZP), and ZP thickness of artificially activated oocytes and in vitro fertilized (IVF) zygotes are indicative of development success in vitro and correlated with embryo quality, as assessed by total blastomere number. Diameter affected the probability of development to the blastocyst stage in activated oocytes on day 7 (P < 0.01) and day 8 (P < 0.001), and had a tendency to affect IVF zygotes on day 8 (P = 0.08). Zona pellucida thickness affected the probability of development on day 7 (P < 0.01) and day 8 (P < 0.001) in activated oocytes, and day 8 for IVF zygotes (P < 0.05). An interaction between ZP thickness and diameter was observed on days 7 and 8 (P < 0.05) in IVF zygotes. Area did not significantly affect the probability of development, but was positively correlated with blastomere number on day 8 for IVF zygotes (P = 0.01, conditional R2 = 0.09). Physical parameters of bovine zygotes have the potential for use as a non-invasive, objective selection method. Upon further development, methods used in this study could be integrated into embryo production systems to improve IVF success.

Keywords

Artificial activationBovineIn vitro developmentZygote size
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 29 , Issue 5 , October 2021 , pp. 358 - 364
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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