Nuclear transfer (NT) is used to elucidate fundamental biological issues such as reversibility of cell differentiation and interactions between the cytoplasm and nucleus. To obtain an insight into interactions between the somatic cell nucleus and oocyte cytoplasm, nuclear remodeling and gene expression were compared in bovine oocytes that had received nuclei from bovine and mouse fibroblast cells. While the embryos that received nuclei from bovine fibroblast cells developed into blastocysts, those that received nuclei from mouse fibroblasts did not develop beyond the 8-cell stage. Similar nuclear remodeling procedures were observed in oocytes reconstructed with mouse and bovine fibroblast cells. Foreign centrosomes during NT were introduced into embryos reconstructed with both fibroblast cell types. A number of housekeeping mouse genes (hsp70, bax, and glt-1) were abnormally expressed in embryos that had received nuclei from mouse fibroblast cells. However, development-related genes, such as Oct-4 and E-cad, were not expressed. The results collectively suggest that the bovine oocyte cytoplasm supports nuclear remodeling, but not reprogramming of mouse fibroblast cells.
Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.