Invited review: Genetic contributions underlying the development of preimplantation bovine embryos

In recent years, it has become evident that genetic selection to improve milk production has resulted in a decline in dairy cattle fertility. Growing evidence suggests that the greatest loss occurs early in pregnancy around the time of embryo implantation. As a means to make genetic improvements and to assist in reproductive performance, use of artificial reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination and in vitro production of embryos have been widely used. Both of these technologies rely on the competence and quality of gametes for successful development of embryos. Often, selection of animals is based on the genetic merit of the animal, although specific fertility markers are relatively underdeveloped compared with markers for production traits. Similarly, current in vitro fertilization systems could benefit from a uniform method for selection of the best quality embryos to transfer into recipients for successful implantation and delivery of healthy offspring. As genetics underlie biological processes such as fertility, the need exists to further identify and characterize genes that affect fertility and development within both the parental gametes and the embryo. Furthermore, the magnitude of the contribution of each parental genome to the success of embryo development and pregnancy is not clear. As such, the objective of this review is to provide an overview of studies relating to genetic markers at the DNA level, parental and embryonic gene expression, and the effects of epigenetics on embryonic development. Future studies should exploit advances in molecular technologies to identify and classify genes underlying fertility and development to establish biomarkers and predictors for improved genetic selection.