DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING DURING PREIMPLANTATION DEVELOPMENT

Production of embryos in vitro has become an important tool for human medicine and animal production; approximately 1% of human births in the United States are the result of in vitro fertilization (IVF). One of the limitations of IVF is that the competence of embryos to establish a pregnancy is lower than for embryos produced in utero. Also, the postnatal health of the animal produced by in vitro fertilization may be compromised. We are going to use the cow as a model to understand how in vitro production affects embryonic and fetal life and determine how one molecule produced by the mother called colony stimulating factor 2 programs the embryo for normal development. The benefit of the research will be improvement of the competence of the embryo derived by in vitro fertilization to establish and maintain pregnancy and result in a healthy offspring. Achievement of the research aims will improve the economic competitiveness of American agriculture and the health and well-being of families utilizing in vitro fertilization.