SUCCESSFUL CULTURE <i>IN VITRO</i> OF SHEEP AND CATTLE OVA

Abstract

Fertilized sheep and cattle ova have not been reported to develop readily during culture in vitro. Up to 60% of sheep morulae develop normally during culture (Moor &amp; Cragle, 1971) but earlier cleavage stages undergo limited development (Hancock, 1963; Kraemer, 1966; Tervit &amp; McDonald, 1969; Moore, 1970) and it has been suggested that there is a block to development in vitro at the eight- to twelve-cell stage (Wintenberger, Dauzier &amp; Thibault, 1953). Only the early cleavage stages of cattle ova have been cultured and these have not been reported to develop beyond the twenty-four-cell stage in vitro (Thibault, 1966; Brinster, 1968; Sreenan, 1968; Sreenan, Scanlon &amp; Gordon, 1968). This communication describes the successful culture of one-cell to eight-cell sheep ova and one-cell and eight-cell cattle ova to the morula and blastocyst stages and reports a high embryo survival after transfer of cultured ova to recipient animals. Welsh mountain ewes were induced to superovulate and were mated at the