Timing of meiotic progression in bovine oocytes and its effect on early embryo development

This study was designed to investigate the effect of the kinetics of nuclear maturation in bovine oocytes on early embryo development and to examine whether the time of insemination of mature oocytes affects the oocytes' ability to support events of early embryo development. The time required for completion of nuclear maturation was influenced by gonadotropins used to supplement the maturation medium. Luteinizing hormone (LH) enhanced the speed of nuclear maturation when compared to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Oocytes completing their nuclear maturation early (by 16 hours after the initiation of culture) were more likely to complete the first embryonic cell cycle (78% in LH vs. 43% in FSH) and develop to the blastocyst stage (47% in LH vs. 34% in FSH). As the age of the oocytes at the time of MII arrest increased (extrusion of the polar body by 20 or 24 hours), a decrease in their ability to cleave and develop to the blastocyst stage was observed. Differences in the oocyte's ability to decondense chromatin and form pronuclei were also observed. Early maturing oocytes started forming pronuclei earlier than their later maturing counterparts. The time of insemination of mature oocytes played an equally important role. Generally, when insemination of mature oocytes was delayed for 8 hours, higher proportions of fertilized oocytes developed to advanced preimplantation stages than did the oocytes inseminated immediately after metaphase II arrest.