Early bovine embryos (two - to sixteen blastomeres) produced in vitro were cytogenetically analysed to determine the incidence of haploidy. Follicular oocytes were matured in vitro and inseminated with sperm prepared using the swim up method. After 2-3 days of culture, chromosome slides were prepared according to the air-drying technique and stained with Giemsa. Altogether 202 embryos produced metaphase spreads. Of these 4.5% were pure haploid embryos and 5.5% displayed a haploid cell line within mosaic embryos (n/2n and n/3n). The occurrence of haploid embryos observed in this study was compared to results of other studies and a possible origin of haploidy was discussed.
The present study describes a rapid, simple method of bovine IVF embryo sexing by use of PCR technique. A pair of primers corresponding to the bovine amelogenin sequence has been used. The Rapid Cycler (Idaho Technology, USA) used in the current experiment enabled the PCR programme consisting of 55 cycles to be completed in less than 40 minutes. Therefore the total sexing procedure could be performed in less than 90 minutes. The described method succeded in case of 85% analysed embryos.