Seasonal variation in the morphokinetics of in-vitro-derived bovine embryos is associated with the blastocyst developmental competence and gene expression.

ABSTRACT: Summer heat stress is a major cause of reduced development of preimplantation embryos. Nevertheless, seasonal effects on embryo morphokinetics have been less studied. We used a non-invasive time-lapse system that allows continuous monitoring of embryos to study the seasonal impact on embryo morphokinetics. The experiments were performed during the cold and the hot seasons. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were aspirated from ovaries, in-vitro-matured, and fertilized. Putative zygotes were cultured in an incubator equipped with a time-lapse system. The cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were lower in the hot vs. the cold season (p < 0.01). The kinetics of the embryos differed between seasons, reflected by a delay in the second cleavage in the hot vs. the cold season (p < 0

SUBMITTER: Yaacobi-Artzi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9670144 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature