Production of cloned lambs from an established embryonic cell line: A comparison between in vivo- and in vitro-matured cytoplasts

Nuclear transfer procedures were used to determine the in vivo developmental potential of an ovine embryonic cell line isolated from the inner cell mass of a Day 8 blastocyst-stage embryo. This cell line possessed a differentiated epithelial-like cell morphology. In this study, a comparison was made between in vivo- and in vitro-derived oocytes used as recipient cytoplasts in the nuclear transfer procedure. Cultured cells were induced to quiesce and enter presumptive G0 before being used as donor karyoplasts between passages 8 and 16 of culture. After cell fusion, reconstructed embryos were cultured for 6 days in vitro in embryo culture medium. Blastocyst-stage embryos were subsequently transferred to synchronized recipient ewes (n = 37), and development was allowed to proceed to term. There was a significant effect of source of recipient cytoplast, with development being consistently greater with in vivo compared to in vitro cytoplasts in terms of, respectively, blastocysts produced (24.2 +/- 3.8% vs. 17.1 +/- 2.3%; p = 0.1), Day 35 pregnancy rate (40.0% vs. 9.1%; p < 0.05), and Day 35 embryo survival (19.4% vs. 4.5%; p < 0.05). A high proportion of fetuses died during late gestation (5 of 8). The major abnormalities were associated with the urogenital tract. However, three lambs were delivered alive following cesarean section on Day 147. One lamb, derived from an in vitro-matured oocyte, died after 10 min, while the remaining two from in vivo-ovutated oocytes are apparently normal and healthy. DNA microsatellite markers conclusively show that the three lambs are genetically identical and were derived from the embryonic cell line. In conclusion, some cells from this blastocyst-derived embryonic cell line are totipotent by nuclear transfer and can produce viable offspring.