Treatment of cloned bovine embryos with histone deacetylase inhibitors increases in vitro development but not in vivo cloning efficiency.

Abstract

Previous studies in the mouse have shown treatment of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) to significantly increase cloning efficiency (Kishigami S et al. 2006 BBRC 340, 183&#x2013;189; van Thuan N 2007 Asian Reproductive Biology Society 4, 9 abst). Increasing histone acetylation may open donor chromatin allowing better access for oocyte cytoplasmic factors to facilitate reprogramming. Here, we determined the effect of two HDACi, Trichostatin A (TSA), and scriptaid (Sigma-Aldrich, Castle Hill, NSW, Australia), on bovine cloning efficiency. Zona-free SCNT was performed with serum starved fibroblasts fused to enucleated MII-arrested IVM oocytes. After 4 h, reconstructs were activated with 5 &#x3bc;m ionomycin and 2 mm 6-dimethylaminopurine (DMAP) and cultured individually in 5 &#x3bc;L drops of AgResearch synthetic oviduct fluid (SOF) medium. Treatment with HDACi commenced concomitant with the 4 h DMAP incubation and continued in SOF for the remainder of the treatment period; totalling either 18 or 48 h post activation (hpa). TSA concentrations examined were: 0, 5, 50, and 500 nm, with all treatments containing 0.5% DMSO (n = 1121). Following TSA treatment, increased histone (H) acetylation at lysine (K) of H4K5 was confirmed by semi-quantitative immunofluorescence at the eight-cell stage. Scriptaid concentrations examined were: 0, 5, 50, 250, and 1000 nm, with all treatments containing 0.5% DMSO during DMAP and 0.1% DMSO during IVC (n = 1059). In vitro development on Day 7 was expressed in terms of transferable quality embryos as a percentage of reconstructs cultured. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear model with binomial variation and logit link. Embryos from selected treatments were transferred singularly to recipient cows on Day 7 with pregnancy data analyzed using Fisher's exact test. Day 7 in vitro development was significantly greater with 5 nm TSA treatment for 18 hpa compared to controls (47.1% v. 34.5%; P &lt; 0.02). Treatment of embryos with TSA for 48 hpa had no effect at any concentration tested. In contrast, scriptaid treatment for 18 hpa had no effect in vitro, while exposure for 48 hpa at 1000 nm significantly increased the development of transferable quality embryos compared to 0 nm (44.0% v. 32.4%; P &lt; 0.005). There was no significant difference in embryo survival rates at D150 of gestation between embryos treated with 0 or 5 nm TSA for 18 hpa (8/48 v. 10/48; 16.7% v. 20.8%). However, in vivo development at Day 150 of gestation following treatment of embryos with 1000 nm scriptaid for 48 hpa was significantly lower compared to controls (1/37 v. 6/31; 2.7% v. 19.4%; P &lt; 0.05). Contrary to the mouse, TSA or scriptaid treatment as used in this study did not increase cloning efficiency in cattle. The use of various HDACi either alone or in combination with DNA demethylating agents may still prove beneficial for reprogramming following nuclear transfer.<fn-group><fn>Supported by FRST C10X0303.</fn></fn-group>