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Animals
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New Challenges in Livestock Reproductive Technologies
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New Challenges in Livestock Reproductive Technologies

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Reproduction".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2022) | Viewed by 16526

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luis Águila Paredes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Reproduction, Centre of Reproductive Biotechnology (CEBIOR-BIOREN), Department of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
Interests: in vitro embryo production; early embryo development; embryonic pluripotency; developmental epigenetics; micromanipulation of gametes and embryos; ICSI; SCNT
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Favián Treulén

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Medical Technology, Faculty of Science, Universidad Mayor, Temuco 4790084, Chile
Interests: oxidative stress and altered cellular function; mitochondria and oxidative stress; gamete cryopreservation; in vitro fertilization; antioxidant, antibacterial and immunomodulatory activity of plant extracts
Dr. Claudia Osycka-Salut

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Reproductive Biotechnologies and Animal Genetic Improvement, Institute of Biotechnological Research, National University of San Martín (UNSAM), Buenos Aires, CP 1650, Argentina
Interests: sperm physiology; sperm capacitation; sperm–oviduct interaction; reproductive technologies; in vitro fertilization; signaling pathways

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent times, there have been increasing challenges for optimizing animal productivity and health with impending environmental conditions. Since the past century, “Reproductive Technologies” have revolutionized and established new ways for studying and manipulating reproductive biology both in vitro and in vivo in various livestock species, aiming at improving productivity and health performance as well as manipulating production cycles to maximize the herd performance parameters of any production system, especially for milk, meat, and replacement animals. Since artificial insemination was first successfully applied to cattle in the early 1900s, the field has evolved significantly, and extensive research has resulted in the development of new approaches critical for genetic selection and modification, such as animal cloning and the new ‘’omics’’ tools, with the potential to exponentially increase genetic merit and management efficiencies in a very short period of time. That is why we are pleased to invite you to this Special Issue to publish high-quality research papers as well as review articles addressing new advances in the field of reproductive technologies in livestock.

The research topics may include (but are not limited to) the following: reproductive health; infertility; early embryo development and pregnancy; progress in molecular markers associated with fertility, gamete and embryo quality, and reproductive disorders as well as designing breeding strategies; assisted reproductive technologies such as cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the micromanipulation of gametes and embryos, genetic analysis by embryo biopsies, embryo transfer, fertility preservation, artificial insemination, oocyte and embryo culture, genomic selection and manipulation, transgenesis, transcriptomics and epigenomics, embryo outgrowths and embryonic stem cells.   

Original, high-quality contributions that are not yet published or under review by other journals are sought. We hope that this issue will provide novel insights into advancements in the field of livestock reproduction and technologies, as well in basic and applied reproduction science.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Luis Águila Paredes
Dr. Favián Treulén
Dr. Claudia Osycka-Salut
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reproductive technologies
  • epigenetics
  • gamete quality
  • oocyte physiology
  • sperm physiology
  • embryonic stem cells
  • in vitro fertilization
  • cloning
  • fertility
  • breeding strategies
  • genomic selection
  • transcriptomic and epigenomics
  • reproductive health

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3141 KiB  
Article
Adverse Effects of Single Neutrophil Extracellular Trap-Derived Components on Bovine Sperm Function
by Claudia Moya, Rodrigo Rivera-Concha, Felipe Pezo, Pamela Uribe, Mabel Schulz, Raúl Sánchez, Carlos Hermosilla, Anja Taubert, Ulrich Gärtner and Fabiola Zambrano
Animals 2022, 12(10), 1308; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12101308 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2408
Abstract
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play a key role in fertilisation by eliminating microorganisms and entrapping spermatozoa in the female reproductive tract (FRT). The deleterious effects of NETs on spermatozoa have been previously described; however, individual exposure to NET-derived components in bull spermatozoa has [...] Read more.
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) play a key role in fertilisation by eliminating microorganisms and entrapping spermatozoa in the female reproductive tract (FRT). The deleterious effects of NETs on spermatozoa have been previously described; however, individual exposure to NET-derived components in bull spermatozoa has not been explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the main NET-derived proteins, histone 2A (H2A), neutrophil elastase (ELA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), pentraxin 3 (PTX), cathepsin G (Cat-G), and cathelicidin LL37 (LL-37), at concentrations of 1, 10, and 30 μg/mL, on sperm parameters. Sperm were selected and incubated with different NET-derived proteins for 4 h. Membrane and acrosome integrity, lipoperoxidation, and membrane phospholipid disorders were also evaluated. Bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN)/sperm co-cultures were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. All NET-derived proteins/enzymes resulted in a reduction in membrane integrity, acrosome integrity, and lipoperoxidation at a concentration of 30 μg/mL. Bovine PMN/sperm co-cultures showed marked NET formation in the second hour. In conclusion, all NET-derived proteins/enzymes exerted cytotoxic effects on bull sperm, and this effect should be considered in future investigations on the uterine microenvironment and the advancement of spermatozoa in the FRT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Livestock Reproductive Technologies)
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9 pages, 874 KiB  
Article
Oocyte Quality, In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Development of Alpaca Oocytes Collected by Ultrasound-Guided Follicular Aspiration or from Slaughterhouse Ovaries
by Leandra Landeo, Michele Zuñiga, Teddy Gastelu, Marino Artica, Jaime Ruiz, Mauricio Silva and Marcelo H. Ratto
Animals 2022, 12(9), 1102; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12091102 - 25 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2466
Abstract
The morphological quality and the in vitro developmental competence of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) collected from in vivo or slaughtered alpacas was compared. COCs were recovered from ovarian follicles using: (i) manual aspiration in ovaries of alpacas (n = 15) sacrificed at a [...] Read more.
The morphological quality and the in vitro developmental competence of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) collected from in vivo or slaughtered alpacas was compared. COCs were recovered from ovarian follicles using: (i) manual aspiration in ovaries of alpacas (n = 15) sacrificed at a local slaughterhouse, or (ii) transrectal ultrasound-guided follicular aspiration (or ovum-pick-up, OPU) in live alpacas (n = 13) 4 days after the administration of an ovarian superstimulation protocol (200 UI eCG). COCs recovered from both groups were morphologically evaluated and graded. Grade I to III COCs were in vitro matured for 26 h and in vitro fertilized afterwards for 20 h using fresh alpaca epididymal spermatozoa. Presumptive zygotes from both groups were in vitro cultured for 7 days. The proportion of COCs recovered over the total number of follicles punctured was similar between groups, but the mean number of COCs collected from individual ovaries was greater (p < 0.05) in slaughterhouse ovaries. A significantly higher (p < 0.05) percentage of low-quality COCs (grades III and IV) and a lower (p < 0.05) percentage of grade I COCs was obtained using OPU. The number of blastocysts, regarding cleavage and COCs collected, was higher (p < 0.007 and p < 0.0002 respectively) for COCs collected by OPU; however, the total number of blastocysts per female did not differ between groups. We can conclude that the recovery rate and morphological quality of COCs was significantly higher when follicles were manually aspirated from slaughterhouse alpaca ovaries; however, a statistically higher developmental potential was observed in oocytes collected by OPU from live alpaca donors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Livestock Reproductive Technologies)
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Review

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20 pages, 1230 KiB  
Review
Pluripotent Core in Bovine Embryos: A Review
by Luis Aguila, Claudia Osycka-Salut, Favian Treulen and Ricardo Felmer
Animals 2022, 12(8), 1010; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12081010 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2662
Abstract
Early development in mammals is characterized by the ability of each cell to produce a complete organism plus the extraembryonic, or placental, cells, defined as pluripotency. During subsequent development, pluripotency is lost, and cells begin to differentiate to a particular cell fate. This [...] Read more.
Early development in mammals is characterized by the ability of each cell to produce a complete organism plus the extraembryonic, or placental, cells, defined as pluripotency. During subsequent development, pluripotency is lost, and cells begin to differentiate to a particular cell fate. This review summarizes the current knowledge of pluripotency features of bovine embryos cultured in vitro, focusing on the core of pluripotency genes (OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, and CDX2), and main chemical strategies for controlling pluripotent networks during early development. Finally, we discuss the applicability of manipulating pluripotency during the morula to blastocyst transition in cattle species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Livestock Reproductive Technologies)
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15 pages, 3929 KiB  
Review
An Exploration of Current and Perspective Semen Analysis and Sperm Selection for Livestock Artificial Insemination
by Dalen Zuidema, Karl Kerns and Peter Sutovsky
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3563; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123563 - 15 Dec 2021
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7217
Abstract
Artificial insemination of livestock has been a staple technology for producers worldwide for over sixty years. This reproductive technology has allowed for the rapid improvement of livestock genetics, most notably in dairy cattle and pigs. This field has experienced continuous improvements over the [...] Read more.
Artificial insemination of livestock has been a staple technology for producers worldwide for over sixty years. This reproductive technology has allowed for the rapid improvement of livestock genetics, most notably in dairy cattle and pigs. This field has experienced continuous improvements over the last six decades. Though much work has been carried out to improve the efficiency of AI, there are still many areas which continue to experience improvement, including semen analysis procedures, sperm selection techniques, sperm sexing technologies, and semen storage methods. Additionally, the use of AI continues to grow in beef cattle, horses, and small ruminants as the technology continues to become more efficient and yield higher pregnancy rates. In this review, AI trends in the various livestock species as well as cutting edge improvements in the aforementioned areas will be discussed at length. Future work will continue to refine the protocols which are used for AI and continue to increase pregnancy rates within all livestock species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Challenges in Livestock Reproductive Technologies)
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