Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
10:59
Human Blastocyst Biopsy and Vitrification
Published on: July 26, 2019
Uncoupled embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues compromise blastocyst development after somatic cell nuclear transfer
Séverine A Degrelle1, Florence Jaffrezic, Evelyne Campion
1INRA, UMR 1198 Biologie du Développement et Reproduction, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Plos One
|June 16, 2012
Summary
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in cattle shows developmental issues, with gastrulation defects and embryonic/extra-embryonic uncoupling impacting implantation success. Reprogramming efficiency influences embryo loss, highlighting SCNT
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology and developmental science.
- Cellular and molecular biology.
- Animal biotechnology and cloning.
Background:
- Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is an efficient bovine reprogramming technique.
- SCNT blastocysts perform comparably to controls post-transfer, but exhibit pre-implantation defects.
- Understanding embryonic/extra-embryonic interactions is crucial for SCNT success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze morphological and molecular features of SCNT conceptuses during elongation and gastrulation.
- To investigate developmental implications of embryonic/extra-embryonic interactions in SCNT.
- To correlate reprogramming efficiency and SCNT outcomes with embryo loss.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of 30 SCNT conceptuses with 20 control conceptuses (AI and IVP) at Day 18.
- Morphological analysis of conceptus elongation and gastrulation.
- Molecular analysis of gene expression differences between SCNT and control groups.
Main Results:
- Half of SCNT conceptuses showed atypical elongation and gastrulation; significant embryonic/extra-embryonic discordance ('uncoupling') was observed.
- Elongation defects were secondary; gastrulation stages revealed hypoblast/epiblast differentiation issues.
- Embryonic abnormalities and uncoupling correlated strongly with implantation loss; extra-embryonic differences related to molecular plasticity and pregnancy loss.
Conclusions:
- SCNT in cattle leads to gastrulation defects and embryonic/extra-embryonic uncoupling, impacting developmental progression.
- Reprogramming efficiency is linked to embryo loss, suggesting molecular plasticity influences pregnancy outcomes.
- SCNT reprogramming uniquely reveals temporally and spatially restricted cell/tissue interactions critical for development.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for injury repair.
01:33Cleavage and Blastulation
After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.
01:10Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...