Maternal spindle transfer overcomes embryo developmental arrest caused by ooplasmic defects in mice

The developmental potential of early embryos is mainly dictated by the quality of the oocyte. Here, we explore the utility of the maternal spindle transfer (MST) technique as a reproductive approach to enhance oocyte developmental competence. Our proof-of-concept experiments show that replacement of...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Costa Borges, Nuno Luis; Spath, Katharina; Miguel Escalada, Irene; Mestres, Enric; Balmaseda, Rosa; Serafín, Anna; Garcia Jiménez, Maria; Vanrell, Ivette; González, Jesús; Rink, Klaus; Wells, Dagan; Calderón, Gloria
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repository:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10230/44541
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/44541
http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.48591
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Cell biology
Developmental biology
Mouse
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Summary:The developmental potential of early embryos is mainly dictated by the quality of the oocyte. Here, we explore the utility of the maternal spindle transfer (MST) technique as a reproductive approach to enhance oocyte developmental competence. Our proof-of-concept experiments show that replacement of the entire cytoplasm of oocytes from a sensitive mouse strain overcomes massive embryo developmental arrest characteristic of non-manipulated oocytes. Genetic analysis confirmed minimal carryover of mtDNA following MST. Resulting mice showed low heteroplasmy levels in multiple organs at adult age, normal histology and fertility. Mice were followed for 5 generations (F5), revealing that heteroplasmy was reduced in F2 mice and was undetectable in the subsequent generations. This pre-clinical model demonstrates the high efficiency and potential of the MST technique, not only to prevent the transmission of mtDNA mutations, but also as a new potential treatment for patients with certain forms of infertility refractory to current clinical strategies.