Synchronization of cell division in eight-cell bovine embryos produced in vitro: effects of nocodazole

Current methods of arresting and synchronizing cell division have not been very successful and have had few applications in embryo studies. Our objective was to determine the reliability of a metaphase arrest agent, nocodazole, for halting and synchronizing blastomere division in cleavage-stage bovine embryos, and to verify its reversibility and toxicity in vitro. Eight-cell-stage embryos obtained at 58 hr postinsemination were treated with varying concentrations of nocodazole for 12 hr. Treated embryos were assessed for cleavage arrest, chromatin morphology, DNA synthesis, and histone H1 and myelin basic protein (MBP) kinase activity, and were scored for blastocyst formation and hatching rate. They were subsequently fixed to count the number of nuclei. Complete arrest of cell division was observed at concentrations of 0.4 micrograms ml-1 and above. Removal from nocodazole treatment led to immediate release from cleavage arrest, and was followed by synchronized mitosis, histone H1 kinase deactivation, and reentry into interphase within 3-5 hr. DNA synthesis was reinitiated at 6 hr after release. Although cell numbers and hatching rate decreased, the proportion of embryos reaching blastocyst stage was not significantly affected in nocodazole-treated embryos. It is concluded that nocodazole is a suitable choice for the cell-cycle synchronization of donor embryos for use in studies on the interactions between nucleus and cytoplasm during early embryogenesis.