Biocyclopedia
Toggle navigation
  •   Login
  •   Sign up
    • Search
      • Information
      • People by Name
      • People by Criteria
      • Publications
      • Posts
  • General Botany
    • Plant Science
    • A Brief on Botany
    • Introduction to Botany
    • Botany Subdisciplines
    • Plant Organisms
    • Plant Parts
    • Plant Classification
    • Plant Life Cycles
    • Plant Taxonomy
    • Plant Cells
  • General Zoology
    • Introduction to the Living Animal
    • Continuity and Evolution of Animal Life
    • The Diversity of Animal Life
    • Activity of Life
    • The Animal and Its Environment
    • Animal Defense Mechanism
    • Anatomy of Vertebrate Animals
    • Some Zoological Terms
    • Monitor Lizards
  • Medical Microbiology
    • Microbiology & Infection
    • Bacteriology
    • Virology
    • Mycology
    • Parasitology
    • Systemic Infection
  • Biotechnology
    • Introduction
    • About Biotechnolgy
    • Genes & Genetic Engineering
    • Plant Biotechnology
    • Agriculture Biotechnology
    • Molecular Biology of Plant Pathways
    • Animal Biotechnology
    • Microbial Biotechnology
    • Biotechnology & Environment
    • Rules & Regulations in Biotechnology
  • Biochemistry
    • Introduction
    • Bioenergetics
    • Enzyme Mechanisms
    • Food Colors
    • Glycoconjugates and Carbohydrates
    • Ion Transport Across Biological Membranes
    • Lipoprotein Cholesterol Metabolism
    • Membrane Structure
    • Natural Antioxidants in Foods
    • Nucleic Acid Synthesis
    • Protein Folding
    • Protein Structure
    • Protein Synthesis
    • Vitamins and Coenzymes
  • Cell Biology
    • Introduction
    • Cells
    • Biomolecules
    • Chromosomes
    • Transcription and Gene Regulation
    • Translation
    • Mutations
    • Bacterial Genetics and Bacteriophages
    • Recombinant DNA Technology
    • Nucleic Acid Manipulations
    • Eukaryotic Viruses
    • Cell Communication
    • Molecular Evolution
    • FAQs in Cell Biology
  • Genetics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Bio Lab Protocols
    • Cell Biology Methods
    • Biochemical Methods
    • Biotechnology Methods
    • Environmental Science & Engineering
    • Microbiology Methods
  • Chem Lab Protocols
    • Introduction & Fundamentals
    • Investigative Approach
    • Laboratory Techniques
    • Classical Techniques
    • Instrumental Techniques
    • Analysis Data
  • Edible Plant Species
  • Medicinal Plants
    • Introduction
    • Alkaloids
    • Medicinal Plants: Present & Future
    • Classification & Identification
    • Production & Management on Farm
    • Cultivation
    • Mulching Practices
  • Plant Nutrition
    • Introduction
    • Macro Elements (Nutrients)
    • Micro Elements (Nutrients)
    • Other Important Elements
  • Kingdom Plantae
    • Introduction
    • Explore - Classification Wise
    • List of Genus - Alphabetically
    • List of Families - Alphabetically
  • Horticulture
    • Introduction to Horticulture
    • Principles of Horticulture
    • Small Farm Resources
    • Gardening
    • Floriculture
  • Algae
    • Introduction
    • Anatomy
    • Photosynthesis
    • Biogeochemical Role
    • Working with light
    • Algal culture
    • Algae & Men
  • Universal Ancestors
    • Introduction
    • Chlorobacteria
    • Hadobacteria
    • Cyanobacteria
    • Gracilicutes
    • Eurybacteria
    • Endobacteria
    • Actinobacteria
    • Neomura
General Biotechnology / Animal Biotechnology

In Vitro fertilization (IVF) Technology
The term in vitro means in glass or in artificial conditions, and IVF refers to the fact that fertilization of egg by sperm had occurred not in uterus but out side the uterus at artificially maintained optimum condition. In recent years the IVF technology has revolutionized the field of animal biotechnology because of production of more and more animals as compared to animal production through normal course. For example, an animal produces about 4-5 offsprings in her life through normal reproduction, whereas through IVF technology the same can produce 50-80 offsprings in her life. Therefore, the IVF technology holds a great promise because a large number of animals may be produced and gene pool of animal population can also be improved. In India M.L. Madan, an animal embryo-biotechnologist at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana) has got success in producing more calves in cows.

The IVF technology is very useful. It involves the procedure : (i) taking out the eggs from ovaries of female donor, (ii) in vitro maturation of egg cultures kept in an incubator, (iii) fertilization of the eggs in test tubes by semen obtained from superior male, and (iv) implantation of seven days old embryos in reproductive tract of other recipient female which acts as foster mother or surrogate mothers. These are used only to serve as animal incubator and to deliver offsprings after normal gestation period. The surrogate mothers do not contribute any thing in terms of genetic make up since the same comes from the egg of donor mother and semen from artificial insemination.

In Vitro Maturation (IVM) of oocytes
The immature oocytes are incubated in vitro so that they can be mature. However, immature oocytes should be taken out from follicles because they cannot mature in it but degenerate. Therefore, full potential of superovulation and all the oocytes can be utilized by IVF technology. Moreover, metabolic and hormonal requirement for oocytes during IVM should be found out so that the present rate of maturation (20%) could be improved. In majority of cases ovarian follicles never reach maturity and degenerate due to unknown causes. Possibly there may be genetic defects associated with them.

Culture of in vitro fertilized embryos
IVF ofeggs is carried out in small droplets (microdroplets) of culture medium. Each microdroplet comprises of about 10 oocytes. The medium should be supplemented with penicillamine, hypotaurin, and epinephrine because they facilitate penetration of sperms into oocytes. Moreover, one dose of sperm is given that consists of about one million sperms per ml of medium. Thus, IVF embryo must be maintained at in vitro conditions for a few days so that it may develop into blastocyte. It takes about seven days for sheep and goats and eight days for cattle. There are many laboratories where about 60 per cent IVF embryos of catties are cultured to blastocyte stage.

The term delivery from cultured embryo is very low due to occurrence of high loss during first two months of pregnancy. This may be due to abortion of foetuses arising from the presence of genetic defects. It should be noted that before birth about 80 per cent genes play a key role in differentiation and development of foetuses. The oocytes which are forced to mature in vitro occasionally bears some defects. Some times environmental mutagenesis occurs in eggs, sperms or embryos. Artificial culture media should be improved as oxygen may have toxic effect. Therefore, gas atmosphere should be carefully controlled (Read and Smith, 1996).

The other most successful method of IVM is to place the fertilized zygotes into agar (so that it may wrap around it) and implant them in oviduct of synchronized sheep or rabbit where the environment for early development of embryo is perfect. For early bovine embryo the oviduct of rabbit and sheep has been used as in vitro culture system. Hundreds of cattle eggs can be put into oviduct of a sheep and many of these are recovered after a week. A good quality of embryo at the late morula/blastocyte stage of development with a yield of about 40 per cent or more has been recorded by Lu et al. (1987).

Brackett et al. (1982) reported the birth of first IVF calf after getting success in fertilizing the eggs recovered from ovulated cow. Thereafter, hundreds of IVF calves have been born in Japan, India, U.K., etc.

More in this section

  • Manipulation of reproduction in animals
  • Artificial insemination
  • Semen collection and its storage
  • Ovulation control
  • Sperm sexing
  • Embryo transfer
  • Multiple ovulation (superovulation)
  • Multiple ovulation with embryo transfer
  • Embryo splitting
  • Embryo sexing
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF) technology
  • In vitro Maturation (IVM) of oocytes
  • Culture of in vitro fertilized embryos
  • Embryo Cloning
  • Quadriparental hybrid
  • Nuclear transplantation (Dolly)
  • Embryonic stem cells
  • In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer in humans
  • Infertilities in humans
  • Male sterility
  • Female sterility
  • Who benefits IVF
  • How the patients for IVF treated
  • Indicators of ovary stimulation
  • Oocyte recovery and uptake
  • Semen preparation
  • IVF and embryo transfer
  • Transgenic animals
  • Strategies for gene transfer
  • Transfer of animal cells/embryo
  • Treatment through microinjection
  • Targeted gene transfer
  • Transgenic animals
  • Transgenic sheep
  • Transgenic fish
  • Animal bioreactor and molecular farming
  • Application of molecular genetics
  • Selected traits and their breeding intolivestock
  • Diagnosis, elimination and breeding strategies of genetic diseases
  • Application of molecular genetics in improvement of livestock
  • Hybridization based markers
  • PCR-based markers
  • Properties of molecular markers
  • Application of molecular markers
  • Transgenic breeding strategies
Biocyclopedia
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Feedback

© 2018 Biocyclopedia | All rights reserved.