Reproduction Abstracts

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, propagate by self-renewal and can give rise to all cells of the body. Thus, they are a useful model to investigate a range of degenerative disorders such as type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. However, hESCs are notoriously difficult to maintain in culture as colonies have a propensity to spontaneously differentiate making it difficult to unifo...

Endometrial function is orchestrated by endogenous ovarian steroid hormones, oestradiol (E) and progesterone (P). P plays a crucial role in the functional modification of the endometrium in preparation for pregnancy (differentiation of stromal fibroblasts, maturation of spiral arterioles and influx of immune cells). In the peri-menstrual phase cyclical tissue ‘injury and repair’ in the local endometrial environment is a consequence of P-withdrawal which initiates a c...

The aim of the present study was to evaluate fertility of vitrified rat matured-oocytes with surrounding cumulus cells after IVF with cryopreserved sperm. Oocytes with surrounding cumulus cells and cumulus cells denuded oocytes were vitrified with 30% (v/v) ethylene glycol+0.5 M sucrose+20% (v/v) FCS in PBS (PB1) by using Cryotop. After warming, oocytes were co-cultured with fresh or cryopreserved epididymal sperm for 10 h. Although the fertilization (two pronuclei formation: ...

Early pregnancy loss (EPL) in the mare is defined as loss of pregnancy between initial detection and day 65 of gestation. It occurs in 7–10% of pregnancies and yet little is known about the underlying pathologies. A lack of suitable conceptus material has limited investigation into the role of chromosomal defects in EPL. The objective of this study was to develop a method to isolate and culture placental cells isolated from failed pregnancies to enable further genetic cha...

Introduction: Preventing spontaneous maturation in vitro by adding cAMP regulators is thought to maintain the communication between oocyte and cumulus cells via gap junction communication (GJC), hence promoting developmental competence. We aimed to assess the integrity of gap junction maintenance in cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) after pre-maturation with IBMX and Forskolin (FSK) and the influence on bovine embryo development.Materials...

Introduction: Previous studies suggest that progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1) plays an essential role during bovine oocyte meiosis, since it i) localizes to the centromeres at metaphases I and II and ii) concentrates between the separating chromosomes at ana/telophase I. Moreover, injection of an antibody to PGRMC1 significantly impairs completion of meiosis. The aim of the present study is to expand these findings by using siRNA (RNAi)-mediated gene silencin...

The research in my laboratory is focused on defining the essential factors that regulate the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis in women and men. To investigate this axis, we have been using multiple in vitro and in vivo strategies. In particular, we have created over 60 knockout mouse models, have begun to study over a dozen conditional knockout mouse lines, and have produced several important recombinant growth factors and small molecules. In the...

Background: Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are a phenotypically distinct population of tissue-resident immune cells that are reported to regulate vascular remodelling within the endometrium. The mechanisms that control accumulation of uNK cells in the endometrium remain unresolved although there is evidence to suggest that homing and differentiation of peripheral blood NK (pbNK) cells may contribute to the rapid increase in cell numbers during the secretory phase of the me...

Introduction: Embryonic diapause is a period of developmental arrest in which the embryo is maintained in a dormant state for an extended period of time. Over 130 species of mammals undergo embryonic diapause, but the molecular control mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the potential role of polyamines during embryonic diapause in the mouse. Polyamines play essential roles in cell growth and proliferation, and the regulation of their expression is contro...

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. They proliferate by self-renewal and have the potential to develop into all cells of the three germ layers. Thus, hESCs hold great potential for use in regenerative medicine. hESCs are difficult to maintain in culture and have a tendency to spontaneously differentiate. Culture at a low, 5% oxygen concentration is beneficial for the maintenance of a wholly pluripotent cell population comp...