Developing markers for predicting bovine embryonic health and viability

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Global cost of Early embryonic mortality (EEM) in total cattle population accrues to about $ 1.28 trillion annually. There exists very little information on why some embryos develop and some "slow down" and eventually arrest. Introduction of refined biological techniques like metabolomics and gene expression studies at the level of single embryos can provide new insights. Our preliminary studies using metabolomics and gene array technologies on slow and fast growing embryos has revealed distinct differences in their energy pathways. Therefore, we hypothesize that altered embryonic metabolism causes the differences in observed embryonic developmental potential and that metabolomics approach applied to spent media collected from high and low developmental potential embryos will define variations in their metabolism pathways. We propose to 1) Characterize the metabolomic signatures of single, slow and fast growing bovine embryos, 2) Elucidate the molecular mechanism for the differential metabolic profiles between slow and fast cleaving embryos, 3) Validate putative metabolite markers using metabolic inhibitors and enhancers during in vitro culture. The study would involve the use of single embryos for in vitro culture, timed media aspirations for metabolomic assessment using 600 MHz proton NMR, gene expression studies, mitochondrial health assessment, ATP assays, siRNA gene inhibition or use of chemical metabolic inhibitors or enhancers. To our knowledge, this study will be the first of its kind to link energy pathway genes and metabolomic profile of preimplantation mammalian embryos. Information derived from this study is anticipated to provide a better understanding of the preimplantation period of development in mammals and also holds the promise to evolving markers for embryo assessment as a tool to enhancing livestock production. Canadian cattle industry generates over $ 38.6 billion annually and improvement in the efficiency of cattle production system through these tools of reproductive biotechnology will have significant economic benefits to the cattle industry.