Live, full-term mouse pups from oocytes grown and matured in vitro with serum substitutes.

For in vitro growth and maturation of mouse oocytes (IVG-IVM), serum is added to media up to and including the stage of oocyte maturation; this subsequently supports oocytes through fertilization and early embryo development. However, problems may occur with sera, such as batch differences and issues of biosafety. The purpose of the present study was to determine the capacity for fertilization and pre- and post-implantation development of oocytes that underwent IVG-IVM with a serum substitute.

Transgenic Monkey Model of the Polyglutamine Diseases Recapitulating Progressive Neurological Symptoms.

Age-associated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and the polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, are becoming prevalent as a consequence of elongation of the human lifespan. Although various rodent models have been developed to study and overcome these diseases, they have limitations in their translational research utility owing to differences from humans in brain structure and function and in drug metabolism. Here, we generated a transgenic marmoset model of the polyQ diseases, showing progressive neurological symptoms including motor impairment.

Cryopreservation of ovaries from neonatal marmoset monkeys.

The ovary of neonatal nonhuman primates contains the highest number of immature oocytes, but its cryopreservation has not yet been sufficiently investigated in all life stages. In the current study, we investigated cryodamage after vitrification/warming of neonatal ovaries from a nonhuman primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). A Cryotop was used for cryopreservation of whole ovaries.

A phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor, sildenafil, induces sperm capacitation and penetration into porcine oocytes in a chemically defined medium.

The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of a phosphodiesterase (PDE) type-5 (cyclic guanosine monophosphate-specific) inhibitor, sildenafil, on capacitation and penetration of boar spermatozoa in a basic chemically defined medium (adenosine- and theophylline-free PGM-tac4). When ejaculated spermatozoa were cultured for 90 minutes in the absence or presence of sildenafil at 2.5 mM, the inhibitor significantly increased the percentage of capacitated/acrosome-reacted spermatozoa, as a result of the chlortetracycline assay.

Effect of the size of zona pellucida opening on hatching in the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) embryo.

The use of the common marmoset monkey in biomedical research has increased recently, and further attention has been devoted to this model after the successful production of transgenic marmosets. To extend genetic engineering approaches to widespread biomedical research fields, efficient prolonged in vitro culturing of embryo development is necessary. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the size of the zona pellucida opening on promoting the hatching process in the marmoset embryo.

Ultrasound-guided non-surgical embryo collection in the common marmoset.

Experimental primate embryology has been hampered by limited access to embryos. In addition to surgical techniques, the less stressful non-surgical technique of uterine flushing has been developed but has had only limitedly used in recovering pre-implantation embryos from marmoset monkeys. In this study, we introduce the use of ultrasonography during marmoset non-surgical uterine flushing to make the cannulation easier, to further reduce stress, and to ensure thorough uterine flushing.

Efficient embryo transfer in the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus) with a reduced transfer volume: a non-surgical approach with cryopreserved late-stage embryos.

Among primates, the common marmoset is suitable for primate embryology research. Its small body size, however, has delayed the technical development of efficient embryo transfer. Furthermore, three factors have been determined to adversely affect the performance of marmoset embryo transfer: nonsurgical approaches, the use of cryopreserved embryos, and the use of late-stage embryos.

Live offspring from cryopreserved embryos following in vitro growth, maturation and fertilization of oocytes derived from preantral follicles in mice.

This study was undertaken to examine pre- and postimplantation developmental potency of cryopreserved embryos that had undergone in vitro growth (IVG), maturation (IVM) and fertilization (IVF) of oocytes from the preantral follicle stage. An oocyte culture system for IVG and IVM was used in oocyte-granulosa cell complexes (OGCs) derived from preantral follicles in 12-day-old mice. The rate of oocyte maturation was improved by the addition of gonadotropins (FSH/LH) and cytokines (IGF-I/SCF) to culture medium for IVG.

Effects of in vitro culture of mouse fetal gonads on subsequent ovarian development in vivo and oocyte maturation in vitro.

Under organ culture, female fetal gonads in mice cannot develop beyond the preantral follicle stage unless the follicles are individually isolated and cultured again. In this study, we investigated the effect of in vitro culture of female fetal gonads before transplantation on subsequent in vivo development. The gonads derived from female fetuses 12.

Developmental and ultrastructual characteristics of mouse oocytes grown in vitro from primordial germ cells.

The aim of this study was to clarify the developmental and ultrastructual characteristics of oocytes grown in vitro from primordial germ cells. The female genital ridges at 12.5 days post coitus were cultured for 18 days on an insert membrane in Waymouth's MB752/1 medium, supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum and 1 mM sodium pyruvate; subsequently, the follicles isolated from the tissue were cultured for eight days in Waymouth's medium supplemented with 5 microg/ml insulin, 5 microg/ml transferrin, 5 ng/ml selenium, 10 mIU/ml follicle stimulating hormone, and 100 ng/ml stem cell factor.