Comparative Embryo Culture

This detailed volume contains embryo culture techniques that should inspire embryologists to consider comparative studies. The species included in this volume represent a broad range of taxa, whose embryos have vastly different culture requirements and developmental characteristics. Among the species described in this volume, significant differences exist in the rates of cell division, the timing of the maternal to embryonic transition, the relative lipid content of the cytoplasm, the sensitivity of the embryo to specific environmental ions, the preferred nutrients and associated metabolic pathways used by the embryo, the timing and mechanisms of early lineage specification, the presence or absence of embryonic diapause, and the time from fertilization to implantation. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introduction to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Authoritative and practical, Comparative Embryo Culture: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal aid for scientists seeking another species whose embryos have evolved a unique mechanism that could provide a valuable, comparative context for experimentation.

Includes cutting-edge techniques Provides step-by-step detail essential for reproducible results Contains key implementation advice from the experts

Inhalt
Historical Note: Lessons learned from developing the first semi-defined medium for culture of one-cell rabbits embryos to expanding blastocysts.- Culture of the mouse preimplantation embryo.- In-vitro culture of rat pre-implantation embryos.- Enabling hamster embryo culture system: development of preimplantation embryos.- Culture of preimplantation rabbit embryos.- In vitro maturation, fertilization, and culture of pig oocytes and embryos.- In vitro culture of late stage pig embryos in a chemically defined medium, Porcine Blastocyst Medium (PBM).- Production and culture of the bovine embryo.- In vitro embryo production in sheep.- In vitro culture of embryos from LOPU-derived goat oocytes.- Small ruminants: prepubertal oocyte donor.- In vitro production of bison embryos.- In vitro embryo production in buffalo species (Bubalis bubalis).- In vitro culture of deer embryos.- In vitro culture of camelid embryos.- In vitro culture of embryos from horses.- In vitro culture of embryos from domestic cats.- The domestic dog embryo: in vitro fertilization, culture, and transfer.- Culture of mink preimplantation embryos.- Culture of marsupial oocytes and conceptuses.- In vitro culture of embryos from the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).- In vitro culture of embryos from the cynomolgus macaque (Macca fascicularis).- In vitro culture of rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) embryos.- Culture of human preimplantation embryos in a clinical ART setting.- Isolation and culture of peri-implantation and early post-implantation mouse embryos.