58 ESTRUS SYNCHRONIZATION OF DAIRY GOATS UTILIZED AS RECIPIENTS FOR CAPRINE NUCLEAR TRANSFER EMBRYOS

The timing of estrus synchrony between donor and recipient does is an important consideration in an embryo transfer program. Experiments were conducted to determine the optimal time of estrus synchrony between donor and recipient dairy goats used in a commercial nuclear transfer (NT) program. Donor and recipient synchronization was achieved by implanting either a 3-mg norgestomet ear implant (Crestar®, Intervet Int. B.V., Boxmeer, Holland) or a 300-mg progesterone vaginal implant (CIDR-G®, Pharmacia and Upjohn Ltd. Co., Auckland, NZ) on Day 0. A single 5 mg intramuscular injection of prostaglandin (Lutalyse®, Pharmacia and Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) was administered on Day 7. Recipients received a single 200–500 IU intramuscular injection of PMSG (Calbiochem, LaJolla, CA, USA) on Day 13. Alternatively, starting on Day 12 donors received twice daily intramuscular injection (64 mg/day) of FSH (Folltropin®, Vetrepharm, Ontario, Canada) over four consecutive days. On Day 15 the implants were removed from both donors and recipients and the animals were mated several times daily to vasectomized bucks over two consecutive days. In Experiment 1, estrus synchrony or asynchrony was achieved by removing the implant from recipients at the same time or 12 h later than donors, respectively. In Experiment 2, only estrus asynchrony was utilized and was achieved by removing the implant from recipients either 12 or 18 h later than donors. In vivo-ovulated MII oocytes surgically recovered from superovulated donors on Day 17 were enucleated and reconstructed with transfected caprine fetal or adult skin cells or transgenic adult skin cells. Couplets were simultaneously fused, activated, and then cultured in SOF/BSA for 48 h at 38°C. Two-to-eight-cell NT embryos at 48 h post-fusion and activation were surgically transferred to the oviducts of surrogate recipients with similar implant types and PMSG doses. Pregnancies were determined by ultrasonography starting at approximately Day 28 post-fusion and activation and then monitored weekly. In Experiment 1, there were significantly more pregnant asynchronous recipients compared with synchronous recipients (6 of 24 v. 12 of 124 does, respectively). While there were no significant differences, more offspring were produced per embryo transferred to asynchronous recipients compared with synchronous recipients (5 of 135 v. 11 of 690 offspring per embryo transferred, respectively). In Experiment 2, while not significant, there were more pregnant +12-h asynchronous recipients compared with +18-h asynchronous recipients (16 of 72 v. 5 of 36 does, respectively). Again, while there were no significant differences, more offspring were produced per embryo transferred to +12 h compared with +18 h asynchronous recipients (11 of 424 v. 3 of 224 offspring per embryo transferred, respectively). These results suggest that asynchrony of estrus between recipients and donors is more beneficial in a commercial caprine NT program, and that +12 h may be a more optimal period of asynchrony for recipient does receiving NT embryos. Table 1 Summary of recipient estrus synchronization

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