This study was performed to determine the developmental potentials of nuclear transfer (NT) embryos using life-span extended cells transfected with a foreign gene as donor cells. A life-span extended bovine embryonic fibroblast cell line was transfected with an expression vector in which the human type II collagen (BOMAR) and ear fibroblasts were used as a donor cell. Cytogenetic analysis was performed to analyze the chromosomal abnormality of donor cells. The fusion rate of 1.8 kV/cm for 15 µsec given twice was significantly higher than that of other groups (p<0.05) and the embryos lysed were significantly higher after 1.8 kV/cm for 20 µsec given once compared to other groups (p<0.01). The blastocyst development in the ear cell group was statistically significant compared to both BOMAR groups (p<0.01). Both BOMAR groups cultured more than 40 passages (>40 passages) had a lower number of chromosomes; however, fresh granulosa cell (GC) and BOMAR groups cultured less than 20 passages had normal chromosome numbers. Both >40 passages BOMAR groups had numerous obscure debris in metaphase spreads. The transfected foreign gene was expressed in all BOMAR groups, but not in the GC group. Based on these results, the lower developmental potential of NT embryos using life-span extended donor cells transfected with a foreign gene might be a cause of chromosomal abnormality in donor cells.

Assessment of nuclear status is important when a biopsied single blastomere is used for embryo sexing. In this study we investigated the nuclear status of blastomeres derived from 8- to 16-cell stage in vitro fertilised bovine embryos to determine the representativeness of a single blastomere for embryo sexing. In 24 embryos analysed, the agreement in sex determination between a biopsied single blastomere and a matched blastocyst by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was 83.3%. To clarify the discrepancies, karyotypes of blastomeres in 8- to 16-cell stage bovine embryos were analysed. We applied vinblastine sulfate at various concentrations and for different exposure times for metaphase plate induction in 8- to 16-cell stage bovine embryos. The 1.0 mg/ml vinblastine sulfate treatment for 15 h was selected as the most effective condition for induction of a metaphase plate (>45%). Among 22 embryos under these conditions, only 8 of 10 that had a normal diploid chromosome complement showed a sex chromosomal composition of XX or XY (36.4%) and 2 diploid embryos showed mosaicism of the opposite sex of XX and XY in blastomeres of the embryo (9.1%). One haploid embryo contained only one X-chromosome (4.5%). Four of another 11 embryos with a mixoploid chromosomal complement contained a haploid blastomere with a wrong sex chromosome (18.2%). In conclusion, assessment of nuclear status of 8- to 16-cell stage bovine embryos revealed that morphologically normal embryos had a considerable proportion of mixoploid blastomeres and sex chromosomal mosaicism; these could be the cause of discrepancies in the sex between biopsied single blastomeres and matched blastocysts by PCR.