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Blastocyst hatching site is regularly distributed and does not influence foetal development in mice
Shu-Jun Liu1, Jia-Bo Sun1, Xin Hao1
1State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation & Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.
Scientific Reports
|February 14, 2020
Summary
Blastocyst hatching site location relative to the inner cell mass does not impact mouse embryo implantation or development. These findings suggest hatching site assessment is not a reliable predictor of developmental potential.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Embryology
Background:
- Hatching from the zona pellucida (ZP) is essential for blastocyst implantation and development.
- The influence of hatching site location relative to the inner cell mass (ICM) on embryo development remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the hatching site location of mouse blastocysts affects implantation and subsequent fetal development.
- To determine if blastocyst hatching site distribution is random.
Main Methods:
- Blastocysts were categorized into three groups based on hatching site angle (θ) relative to the ICM.
- Non-surgical embryo transfer (NSET) was used to assess implantation and development.
- Over 1,800 hatching blastocysts were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The majority of blastocysts (43.84%) showed hatching sites between 30° and 60°.
- No significant differences were observed in implantation rates, pregnancy, development to term, litter size, or offspring characteristics across different hatching site categories.
- Blastocyst hatching sites were not randomly distributed.
Conclusions:
- Mouse blastocyst hatching site location is not correlated with implantation success or developmental potential.
- Assessing blastocyst hatching site is not recommended for evaluating developmental potential in mice.
