Dairy Science Commons^™

Using Cytoplasmic Biopsies To Determine Bovine Oocyte Quality, Madison Lindsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Embryos resulting from assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), develop with lower efficiencies than embryos resulting from their in vivo counterparts. The reasons behind the developmental discrepancies remain largely unknown. Because the egg is the primary determinant of embryo developmental success, it is reasonable to consider inherent egg quality as a possible cause. The hypothesis for this project is that there are distinct mRNA transcript patterns, or molecular “fingerprints,” that distinguish high- versus low-quality eggs developing within the same environment. In this study, a small cytoplasmic biopsy was removed from 40 eggs …