Abnormal gene expression in extraembryonic tissue from cloned porcine embryos

Theriogenology. 2009 Jan 15;71(2):323-33. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.07.025. Epub 2008 Sep 3.

Abstract

The birth rate of cloned animals following somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is very low and the surviving animals have various developmental defects. We compared the morphology and transcriptional profile of extraembryonic tissue from three 26-d old SCNT pig fetuses with that from control fetuses. Transcriptional profiling using long-oligonucleotide microarray technology revealed 34 genes that were differentially expressed between the three groups. The differential expression of several genes involved in translational regulation was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis. Interestingly, the expression of a translational inhibition-related gene encoding a eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein was significantly elevated in the SCNT samples. We concluded that the low birth rate of cloned animals could be related to abnormal expression of translational regulators in extraembryonic tissue during early pregnancy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / physiology
  • Biomarkers
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cloning, Organism*
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Eukaryotic Initiation Factors / genetics
  • Eukaryotic Initiation Factors / metabolism
  • Extraembryonic Membranes / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / genetics*
  • Nuclear Transfer Techniques
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Phylogeny
  • Swine / embryology*
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Up-Regulation

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Eukaryotic Initiation Factors