RFD Award Lecture 2009. In vitro maturation of farm animal oocytes: a useful tool for investigating the mechanisms leading to full-term development
Fulvio Gandolfi A B and Tiziana A. L. Brevini AA Laboratory of Biomedical Embryology, Department of Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria, 10-20133, Milano, Italy.
B Corresponding author. Email: fulvio.gandolfi@unimi.it
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 22(3) 495-507 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD09151
Submitted: 25 June 2009 Accepted: 11 September 2009 Published: 12 February 2010
Abstract
Due to logistical and economic reasons, assisted reproduction of domestic animals has been based mostly on the use of oocytes isolated from ovaries collected at the slaughterhouse. In order to propagate valuable or rare genetic material, perform somatic cell nuclear transfer or generate genetically modified animals, it is essential to obtain fully competent oocytes that will allow full-term development of the in vitro-produced embryos. Such a need makes clear the crucial role played by oocyte quality. In fact, it is easy to compromise the oocyte’s developmental potential but it is impossible to restore once it has been lost. Almost three decades after the first cow, sheep, goat, horse and pig in vitro-generated offspring were born, a large body of information has accumulated on the mechanisms regulating oocyte competence and on how the latter may be preserved during all the required manipulations. The amount of knowledge is far from complete and many laboratories are actively working to further expand it. In this review we will highlight the aspects of the ongoing research in which we have been actively involved.
Additional keywords: developmental competence, mitochondria, mRNA polyadenylation, oocyte maturation, parthenogenesis, stem cells.
Acknowledgements
The work of the authors was supported by the Ministry of Education PRIN 2006, 2007, PUR 2007, 2008. We are grateful to Umberto Fascio and Arianna Vanelli for their help with confocal microscopy and computer graphics.
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