Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), or cloning, is used to reprogram cells and generate genetically identical embryos and animals. However, the cloning process is inefficient, limiting its application to producing valuable animals. In swine, cloning is mainly utilized to produce genetically modified animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Neurosci
January 2025
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF-produced blastocysts are exposed to different stimuli when compared with ones. This includes the culture of embryos in a sturdy petri-dish, while embryos develop in a soft and dynamic structure. Here we hypothesized that a softer environment could differently modulate the produced embryos To that aim, presumptive zygotes were produced by fertilization and divided into three groups: 1) Cultured in a regular Petri dish - Control (CON); 2) Cultured on top of an alginate hydrogel surface (TOP); 3) Encapsulated inside an alginate hydrogel sphere (ENC) and cultured.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Anat Embryol Cell Biol
January 2025
In this chapter, we explore the multifaceted roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in ovarian biology, focusing on their contributions to folliculogenesis, oocyte competence, corpus luteum function, and immune response regulation. EVs, particularly those derived from follicular fluid (ffEVs), are crucial mediators of cell-to-cell communication within the ovarian follicle, influencing processes such as meiotic progression, stress response, and hormonal regulation. We review preexisting literature, highlighting key findings on the molecular cargo of EVs, such as miRNAs and proteins, and their involvement in regulating the function of the follicle cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeveloping embryos are susceptible to fluctuations in the nutrients and metabolites concentrations within the reproductive tract, which can lead to alterations in their developmental trajectory. Ketotic dairy cows have diminished fertility, and elevated levels of the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) have been associated with poor embryonic development. We used an in vitro model based on either in vitro fertilization (IVF) or parthenogenesis to investigate the effects of BHB on the preimplantation bovine embryo development, epigenome, and transcriptome.
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