Nuclear transfer in mouse oocytes and embryos

Abstract

Nuclear transfer methods provide an invaluable means of dissecting the genetic and epigenetic control of development, as well as the interactions between ooplasm and nucleus in the oocyte and early embryo. These procedures also provide novel means of manipulating animal genomes (e.g., through cloning with genetically engineered cells), and also have been applied for clinical purposes to treat infertility. This chapter reviews methods employed for a range of nuclear transfer techniques including germinal vesicle transfer, spindle transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, pronuclear transfer, and somatic cell nuclear transfer.