Mucin coat is deposited on the embryos during passage through the oviduct in rabbit. When in vitro cultured blastocysts were transferred to the recipients, the lack of mucin coat might account in part for failure of pregnancy after transfer. The present study were carried out to investigate whether deposition of mucin coat were induced when in vitro cultured blastocysts were transferred to recipients. At 19 ～20 hours post-coitus one-cell embryos were collected by flushing oviducts. These embryos cultured for 72 hours were reached to blastocyst stage. And these blastocysts were transferred to the oviduct of asynchronized (one day later than the donors) and synchronized recipient. To confirm deposition of the mucin coat, blastocysts transferred to the oviduct were recovered at 24 and 48 hours after the transfer. Fifty eight percent of blastocysts recovered from uterus of asynchronous recipient at 24 hours after transfer and 92.9% of blastocysts recovered from uterus of synchronous recipient were 0～10 ㎛ of mucin coat thickness. And 11.8% of blastocysts of asynchronized recipients and 7.1% of blastocysts from asynchronized recipients were in 11～20 ㎛ of mucin coat thickness. When blastocysts were recovered from uterus at 48 hours after transfer, 87.0% of blastocysts from asynchronized recipients and 5.9% of blastocyst from synchronized recipients were in 0～10 ㎛ of mucin coat thickness. And 76.5% of blastocysts of synchronized recipients and 4.4% of blastocysts from asynchronized recipients were in 11～20 ㎛ of mucin coat thickness. From these results it is speculated that the low implantation rate of in vitro cultured rabbit blastocysts transferred to oviduct of recipient was caused by high degeneration of the embryo after transfer and inappropriate deposition of mucin coat.

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of glucose and sodium phosphate on in vitro development of porcine oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro. When the culture medium was supplemented with various concentrations of glucose, the higher proportions (23 and 26%) of oocytes developed to morular or blastocyst stages were at the concentrations of 2.78 and 5.56 mM than 0 (9%; P<0.05) and 11.12 mM (18%). In experiment to evaluate effect of sodium phosphate during in vitro development of porcine oocytes, a significantly (P<0.05) higher proportions of embryos developed to morular or blastocyst stages was obtained with sodium phosphateof 0.28 (25%) and 0.53 (27％) mM than 0 (15%), 1.05 (19%) and 2.10 (10%) mM. On the other hand, when oocytes were cultured in medium with (0.53 mM) sodium phosphate, the proportions of developed embryos were significantly (P<0.05) higher in medium without (29%) that than with (14%) 5.56 mM glucose. However, a higher proportion of embryos developed to morular or blastocyst stages were obtained in medium with (23%) that than without (8%) glucose (P<0.05). The minimum essential medium (MEM) added to the culture medium were higher regardless of presence of sodium phosphate and glucose on the development of embryos. Although sodium phosphate and glucose could support morular and blastocyst development to a limited extend (10∼24%), significantly higher proportion (36%) at morular or blastocyst stages was obtained by MEM adding in the medium with sodium phosphate and glucose. These results suggest that the early development of in vitro fertilized porcine oocytes can be maintained efficiently by glucose and sodium phosphate when they were cultured in medium with MEM.

This study was performed to test the cellulose digestibility using the transgenic pigs harboring cellulose degradation gene D (CelD). After delivered offsprings between normal pig and transgenic swine, DNA was isolated from piglets tail for PCR analysis. In first generation, five out of 65 piglets showed CelD positive. Unfortunately, four CelD-positive pigs were died during growing, but one survived pig was used as a transgenic founder to produce F₁ descendents. Among 3 F₁ transgenic pigs produced, one died and the remaining two pigs were used to test the fiber digest efficiency. An assorted feed was composite of 5％ fiber with other ingredients. The feed of 3 kg per day was provided to the pigs including transgenic founders and littermate controls. The manure quantity was measured daily for a month, and all manures were dried for three days to analysis nitrogen, phosphate and fiber concentrations. The fiber digestion efficiencies of the transgenic F₁ pigs showed approximately 10％ higher than those of control pigs. Fiber digestion was not greatly improved in transgenic pigs as it had been expected approximately 30％. Nitrogen concentration of transgenic pig′s manure was slowly decreased compare to the control pigs. Because there were only two transgenic pigs tested, a large number of transgenic pigs may be necessary to obtain more reliable data. Breeding of animals to obtain sufficient transgenic pigs subjected for a further study is on progress. Taken together, this study demonstrated successful production of transgenic pigs with increase of cellulose digestibility in the porcine feed.

The present study were performed to analysis the hematocrit and the red blood cells content into the blood plasma of the transgenic pigs harboring recombinent human erythropoietin gene (rhEPO). Mouse whey acidic protein (mWAP) linked to rhEPO gene was microinjected into pronuclei of porcine one-cell zygotes. After delivered of offspring, PCR analyses identified one mWAP-rhEPO transgenic founder offspring(F/sub 0/). The first generation of transgenic pig (F/sub 0/) harboring mWAP-hEPO appeared to be a male, and the second generation (F₁) pigs were made by natural mating of F/sub 0/ with domestic swine, and male and female transgenic pigs (F₁) were identified by PCR. The blood samples from transgenic and normal pigs were collected for 50 days during lactation and were counted the red blood cell (RBC) numbers and Hematocrit (HCT) content into the blood. The transgenic pigs expressing rhEPO in their blood gave rise to higher RBC numbers and HCT contents than control animals. rhEPO was secreted both in the blood and milk of genetically engineered pigs harboring rhEPO gene. Therefore, this study provides a model regarding the production of transgenic pig carrying hEPO transgene for biomedical research.

This study was carried out to find out the changes on serum concentrations of estradiol-17β, progesterone in primiparous Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire sows weaned at 7 or 21 days. Also, we compared the litter size at birth and weaning among the breeds weaned after lactation for 7 or 21 days. The estradiol-17β concentrations among the breeds were 6.9∼8.8 pg/ml and 6.4∼8.8 pg/ml after lactation for 7 or 21 days, respectively. The progesterone concentrations ranged from 0.3 ng/ml to 1.6 ng/ml. Duroc sow showed higher progesterone concentration compared with Landrace and Yorkshire sows weaned after lactation for 7 or 21 days. Also, we found out that litter size at birth and weaning, respectively, did not show any differences between day 7 and day 21 of lactation. From the facts mentioned above, it was suggested that very early weaning systems could work with no apparent adverse effect on prolificacy.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of cysteamine addition during in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture of porcine oocytes. Oocytes were matured for the first 22 h in mTCM -199 media supplemented with or without 150 μM cysteamine. They then were matured for an additional 22 h in mTCM-199 media without hormones supplemented with or without 150 μM cysteamine. When cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured in the mTCM-199 media supplemented with cysteamine, the rates of GVBD and maturation (metaphase Ⅱ) were enhanced as compared to the media without the addition of cysteamine. Also, when COCs were matured in the mTCM-199 media supplemented with cysteamine, the rates of sperm penetration, male pronucleus formation, cleavage and blastocyst formation after in vitro fertilization were enhanced as compared to the media without the addition of cysteamine. In conclusion, it was suggested that oocytes matured for the first 22 h in mTCM-199 media supplemented with 150 μM cysteamine increased the rates of metaphase Ⅱ, sperm penetration, male pronucleus and blastocyst formation were higher as compared to the media without addition of cysteamine.