Development of Mouse Embryos in Vitro and in Vivo, Following Mechanical Division

Mouse embryos were divided in halves and in quarters to determine the capability of fractional embryos to develop into live fetuses. When embryos were divided in half at the 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell and morula stage, a higher percentage of blastocysts developed in vitro from half 8-cell embryos (93%), than from embryos divided at the other cell stages. When half embryos were transferred into pseudo-pregnant recipients, a higher percentage of live fetuses developed from half 4-cell embryos (13%) and half 8-cell embryos (8%), than from half 2-cell embryos (3%) or half morulae (1%). When half 4-cell and half 8-cell embryos were transferred into recipients at various times during the day, the highest percentage of live fetuses developed from half 4-cell embryos (37%) after transfers at 1100 hours, whereas the highest percentage of live fetuses developed from half 8-cell embryos (21%) after transfer at 1900 hours.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Dairy Science

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Lawitts, Joel Arthur

• Biology, Animal Physiology

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8721687

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/71732