Aggregation of Leopardus geoffroyi hybrid embryos with cat tetraploid blastomeres

DUQUE RODRIGUEZ, MATTEO; GAMBINI, ANDRÉS; RATNER, LAURA D; SESTELO, ADRIÁN J.; BRISKI, OLINDA; GUTNISKY, CYNTHIA; RULLI, SUSANA B; FERNANDEZ-MARTÍN, RAFAEL; CETICA, PABLO; SALAMONE, DANIEL F

REPRODUCTION

BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD

Año: 2021

1470-1626

Heterospecific embryo transfer of an endangered species has been carried out usingrecipients from related domestic females. Aggregation of an embryo from an endangered species with a tetraploid embryo from the specie to be transferred could improve the development of pregnancy to term. The main objective of the present study was to analyze embryo aggregation in domestic cat model using hybrid embryos. To do this purpose we compared in vitro development of synchronic (Sync) or asynchronic (Async) and asynchronic with a tetraploid (Async4n) aggregation of domestic cat IVF embryos.Furthermore, aggregated blastocyst quality was analyzed by evaluation of the total cell number, cell allocation by mitotrackers staining of embryonic cells, expression of Oct4, Nanog, Sox2, Cdx2 genes, number of OCT4+ nuclei, and presence of DNA-fragmentation. Additionally, the developmental rates of Async4n aggregation of domestic cat with Leopardus geoffroyi hybrid (hLg) embryos were evaluated. Async aggregationincreased blastocyst cell number and the number of OCT4+ nuclei as compared to non-aggregated diploid (2n) and tetraploid (4n) embryos. Moreover, blastocysts produced by Async4n aggregation showed reduced rates of fragmented DNA. No differences were found in the expression of the pluripotent genes, with exception of the Cdx2 expression, which was higher in 4n and aggregated embryos as compared to the control group. Interestingly, hybrids embryos derived by Async4n aggregation with domestic cat embryos had similar rates of blastocysts development as the control. Altogether, the findings support the use of 2cell fused embryos to generate tetraploid blastomeres and demonstrate that Async4n aggregation generates good quality embryos.