Bioscientifica Proceedings

Geneticists have made limited progress in improving reproductive traits in pigs through traditional selection and crossbreeding systems. Recent advances in molecular genetics and the human genome project have allowed progress in gene identification and gene mapping in pigs. The pig genetic linkage map now has over 1700 genetic markers, and about 200 of these are genes. Furthermore, comparative genomic maps are improving and are becoming useful tools. Molecular approaches ...

Advances in the analyses of human and other higher eukaryotic genomes have disclosed a large fraction of the genetic material (ca 98%) which does not code for proteins. Major portion of this non-coding genome is in fact transcribed into an enormous repertoire of functional non coding RNA molecules (ncRNAs) rather than encoding any proteins. Recent fascinating and fast progress in bioinformatic, high-throughput sequencing and other biochemical approaches have fuelled rapid ...

Abstract unavailable© 1987 Journals of Reproduction & Fertility Ltd...

Pig embryos can be cultured using a number of different strategies including complex approaches like culture in vivo in a surrogate oviduct (rabbit, sheep, mouse), culture in mouse oviducts in organ culture, and co-culture of embryos with cells in addition to simple approaches like culture in defined media or salt solutions. Addition of serum to medium has been of particular importance where blastocyst development and hatching are required. Pig conceptuses (day 1...

A successful mating involves the coordination of many physiological events including insemination, gamete transport and ovulation. As more basic information about these processes becomes available, it is apparent that there are opportunities for manipulating these physiological events and enhancing the reproductive success of natural and artificial matings. The primary intent of this review is to examine the effectiveness of several of these strategies, as determined by t...

Abstract unavailable© 2013 Context Products Ltd...

Oocyte maturation, a simple and visible phenomenon, is about to be transformed into a complex and not so visible molecular cascade leading to the marking of the following generation. The study of oocyte maturation in mammals is progressively changing towards a more molecular approach. This review addresses the main challenges in the study of RNA extraction and quantification in oocytes and embryos as well as the importance of the mRNA maturation. The identification of specific...

© 1985 Journals of Reproduction & Fertility Ltd...

The Meishan pig provides a biological model with the genetic capacity to express a high prolificacy. This prolificacy can be partially attributed to a higher ovulation rate and a higher rate of prenatal survival at a given ovulation rate throughout gestation than in European breeds. Both early embryonic survival (factors inherent to the ovum and uterus, which occur before day 25 of gestation) and uterine capacity (factors inherent to uterine limitation, which occur from 3...

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) represent the largest subclass of growth factors in the transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) superfamily. BMPs have proven to be multifunctional regulators of a wide variety of biological processes in numerous types of cell and tissue. The role of inhibins, activins and TGF-ßs (which also belong to the TGF-ß superfamily) in reproduction has been studied extensively over the last 15 years. However, there were no reports on ...