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Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics
Published in: Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics 5/2017

01-05-2017 | Technological Innovations

Polar body transfer restores the developmental potential of oocytes to blastocyst stage in a case of repeated embryo fragmentation

Authors: Shuo-Ping Zhang, Chang-Fu Lu, Fei Gong, Ping-Yuan Xie, Liang Hu, Shun-Ji Zhang, Guang-Xiu Lu, Ge Lin

Published in: Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics | Issue 5/2017

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Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to determine the developmental potential of human reconstructed oocytes after polar body genome transfer (PBT) and to report the case of a woman with multiple cycles of severe embryo fragmentation.

Methods

Fresh and cryopreserved first polar bodies (PB1s) were transferred to enucleated metaphase II oocytes (PB1T), while fresh PB2s were removed from fertilized oocytes and used instead of the female pronucleus in donor zygotes. Reconstructed oocytes underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and were cultured to blastocyst. Biopsied trophectoderm cells of PBT-derived blastocysts were screened for chromosomes by next-generation sequencing (NGS). Then, cryopreserved PB1T was carried out in one woman with a history of several cycles of extensive embryo fragmentation, and the blastocysts derived from PB1T were screened for aneuploidy but not transferred to the patient.

Results

There were no significant differences in the rates of normal fertilization and blastocyst formation between fresh and cryopreserved PB1T and control oocytes. Of the three fresh and three cryopreserved PB1T-derived blastocysts, two and one blastocysts exhibited normal diploidy respectively. In contrast, 17 PB2 transfers yielded 16 two pronuclei (2PN) zygotes with one normal and one small-sized pronucleus each and no blastocyst formation. In the female patient, 18 oocytes were inseminated by ICSI in the fourth cycle and the PB1s were biopsied. Although the embryos developed from the patient’s own oocytes showed severe fragmentation, the oocytes reconstructed after PB1T produced three chromosomally normal blastocysts.

Conclusions

Normal blastocysts can develop from human reconstructed oocytes after PB1T. The application of the first PB transfers may be beneficial to patients with a history of poor embryo development and excessive fragmentation.
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Metadata
Title
Polar body transfer restores the developmental potential of oocytes to blastocyst stage in a case of repeated embryo fragmentation
Authors
Shuo-Ping Zhang
Chang-Fu Lu
Fei Gong
Ping-Yuan Xie
Liang Hu
Shun-Ji Zhang
Guang-Xiu Lu
Ge Lin
Publication date
01-05-2017
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics / Issue 5/2017
Print ISSN: 1058-0468
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7330
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-017-0881-y

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