In Vitro Embryo Production in Buffalo:Effects of Culture System on Pre-Implantation Development and Gene Expression Pattern

Expression profile of developmentally important genes can be used to optimize the in vitro culture system to produce superior quality buffalo embryos. In nearly all the studies on in vitro embryo production of buffaloes, the presumptive zygotes are subjected to an in vitro culture system which involves use of TCM-199 or simple media like charles rosenkrans and synthetic oviductal fluid with or without serum; however, these media do not fully mimic the in vivo conditions. The inhibitory or stimulatory effects of culture conditions on the expression of candidate genes involved in buffalo embryo development, quality and stress response will help identify the post-fertilization culture environment effects on in vitro developmental characteristics of embryo. Further, identification of genes whose expression profiles are frequently abnormal in in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryo derived from different culture systems will help provide markers for the diagnosis of IVF embryo viability prior to embryo transfer, and thus negate the time and money-consuming transfer of non-viable embryos to recipient animals. The studies reported here explore the possibility of establishing a suitable culture system which provides greater in vitro-development of embryos in buffalo.