THE PREIMPLANTATION EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT AND 植入前胚胎发育与.docVIP

THE PREIMPLANTATION EMBRYO: DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL MANIPULATION D. Sakkas and *J.D. VassalliInfertility and Gynecologic Endocrinology Clinic,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology,University Cantonal Hospital, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland*Institute of Histology and Embryology, Department of MorphologyUniversity Medical Centre, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland ? ? ? Introduction In mammals, the meeting of the oocyte and sperm, and subsequent fertilization, take place in the ampulla of the oviduct. During the following days, the embryo travels down the oviduct to the uterus, and prepares for implantation. Preimplantation development, which can also occur in vitro, is the subject of the present chapter. In all mammalian species studied the preimplantation stages are characterized by a relatively synchronous doubling of cell numbers until the 8-cell stage followed by asynchronous cell divisions after compaction. At the 8- to 16-cell stage the embryo enters the uterine environment, developing into a blastocyst, in which the first events of cellular differentiation are observed. At the blastocyst stage the embryo hatches from the surrounding zona pellucida and subsequently implants in the uterus. In 1956, Whitten (48), using a serum-free medium based on Krebs Ringer’s bicarbonate buffer, supplemented with glucose, bovine plasma albumin and antibiotics, successfully cultured mouse 8-cell embryos to the blastocyst stage. The following year Whitten (49) demonstrated that the addition of calcium lactate allowed late 2-cell embryos to develop to blastocysts. The ability to culture embryos in simple serum-free media has greatly benefited subsequent studies on the mechanisms controlling early embryo development. Furthermore, this has also allowed the cellular and genetic manipulation of early embryos from a number of species. In this chapter we will discuss the metabolic and developmental changes that take place during preimplantation development and conclude with a di