Scriptaid improves in vitro development and nuclear reprogramming of somatic cell nuclear transfer bovine embryos

The present study evaluated the effect of Scriptaid, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), on the in vitro development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) bovine embryos. Average fluorescence intensity of two epigenetic markers (H3K9ac and H3K9m2) at two-cell, eight-cell, and blastocyst stages, and the expression levels of two developmental important genes (Oct4 and IFN-t) at the blastocyst stage were also examined to assess the influence of Scriptaid on the nuclear reprogramming of bovine SCNT embryos. The results showed that treatment with 500 nM Scriptaid for 14 h after activation significantly increased the cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate, and blastocyst hatching rate of SCNT embryos compared with those of nontreated counterparts, but the total number of blastomeres per blastocyst did not differ. Scriptaid treatment also significantly increased the immunofluorescent signal for H3K9ac in SCNT embryos at two-cell, eight-cell, and blastocyst stages, and the fluorescent signal for H3K9m2 was decreased at two-cell, eight-cell, and blastocyst stages. The expression levels of Oct4 and IFN-t were significantly higher in Scriptaid-treated SCNT blastocysts than in Scriptaid nontreated SCNT blastocysts. The results indicated that Scriptaid treatment improved the in vitro developmental capacity and the nuclear reprogramming of bovine SCNT embryos.