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The absence of a DNA replication checkpoint in porcine zygotes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2006

Irena Vackova
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Production, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 114, Czech Republic. Center for Cell Therapy and Tissue Repair, VUZV Labs, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 114, Czech Republic.
Radomir Kren
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Production, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 114, Czech Republic. Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Science, CS-277 21 Libechov, Czech Republic.
Pasqualino Loi
Affiliation:
University of Teramo, Teramo 64100, Italy.
Vladimír Krylov
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Production, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 114, Czech Republic.
Josef Fulka
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Production, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 114, Czech Republic. Center for Cell Therapy and Tissue Repair, VUZV Labs, POB 1, CS-104 01 Prague 114, Czech Republic.

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that in the zygotes of some mammals a unique checkpoint controls the onset of DNA replication. Thus, DNA replication begins in the maternal pronucleus only after the paternal pronucleus is fully formed. In our experiments we have investigated whether this checkpoint also operates in porcine zygotes produced either by in vitro fertilization (IVF) or by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Our results show that the onset of DNA replication occurs in the maternal pronucleus even in the presence of an intact sperm head in zygotes produced by ICSI, as well as in polyspermic eggs where some sperm heads are intact or male pronuclei are not yet fully developed. We conclude that in porcine zygotes there is an absence of the DNA replication checkpoint that is typical for some other mammals.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Cambridge University Press 2006

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