Effect of Cryopreservation by Vitrification on Viability of Nuclear Transplant Rabbit Embryos

Vitrification 동결보존이 토끼 핵이식 수정란의 생존성에 미치는 영향

For a large sclase production of genetically identical or cloned animals, the effect of cryopreservation by vitrification on the post-thaw viability of nuclear transplant rabbit embryos were investigated. The embryos of 16-cell stage were collected from the mated does at 48 hours post-hCG injection, and they were synchronized to G1 phase of 32-cell stage were injected into enucleated recipient cytoplasms by micromanipulation. After culture until 20h post-hCG injection, the nuclear transplant oocytes were electrofused and activated by electrical stimulation. After in vitro culture for 48h, the nuclear transplant embryos developed to morula stage were cryoperserved with EFS solution by vitrification method. The forzen nuclear transplant embryos were thawed and cultured for 72h and the nuclear transplant of blastomeres under a fluorescence microscopy. The in vitro development to blastocyst of intact-fresh and intact-frozen 16-cell embryos was found to be 96.9 and 63.9%, respectively. The in vitro development to blastocyst of nuclear transplant and frozen-thawed nuclear transplant embryos was found to be 74.5 and 42.9%, respectively. Also, their mean blastomere numbers and mean cell cycles/day was 153 and 105, 145 and 1.34, respectively. From the above results it was concluded that the present cryopreservation by vitrification of nuclear transplant rabbit embryos might be useful though was decreased significantly.