Reconstituted animal embryos prepared by using unactivated oocytes as cytoplast recipients for nuclear transfer

摘要

A method of reconstituting a non-human animal embryo which involves transferring a diploid nucleus into an oocyte which is arrested in the metaphase of the second meiotic division. The oocyte is not activated at the time of transfer, so that the donor nucleus is kept exposed to the recipient cytoplasm for a period of time sufficient to re-program the nucleus and subsequently activate the reconstituted embryo. The diploid nucleus can be donated by a cell in either the G0 or G1 phase of the cell cycle. Correct ploidy is maintained during activation, for example, by incubating the reconstituted embryo in the presence of a microtubule inhibitor such as nocodazole. The reconstituted embryo may then give rise to one or more live animal births.