Nuclear reprogramming by interphase cytoplasm of 2-cell mouse embryos

Successful mammalian cloning employing somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) into unfertilized, metaphase II-arrested (MII) oocytes attests to the cytoplasmic presence of reprogramming factors capable of inducing pluripotency in somatic cell nuclei(1-3). However, these poorly defined maternal factors presumably decline sharply after fertilization since cytoplasm of pronuclear stage zygotes is reportedly inactive(4, 5). Recent evidence suggests that zygotic cytoplasm, if maintained at metaphase (M-phase) can also support derivation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) following SCNT(6-8), albeit at low efficiency. This led to the conclusion that critical oocyte reprogramming factors present in M-phase but not in interphase cytoplasm are “trapped” inside the nucleus during interphase and effectively removed during enucleation(9). Here, we investigated the presence of reprogramming activity in the interphase cytoplasm of 2-cell mouse embryos (I2C). First, the presence of candidate reprogramming factors was documented in both intact and enucleated M-phase and interphase zygotes and 2-cell embryos. Consequently, enucleation did not provide a likely explanation for the inability of interphase cytoplasm to induce reprogramming. Then, when we carefully synchronized the cell cycle stage between the transplanted nucleus (ESC, fetal fibroblast or terminally differentiated cumulus cell) and the recipient I2C cytoplasm, the reconstructed SCNT embryos developed into blastocysts and ESCs capable of contributing to traditional germline and tetraploid chimeras. In addition, direct transfer of cloned embryos, reconstructed with ESC nuclei, into recipients resulted in live offspring. Thus, the cytoplasm of I2C supports efficient reprogramming with cell cycle synchronization between the donor nucleus and recipient cytoplasm as the most critical parameter determining success. The ability to utilize interphase cytoplasm in SCNT could impact efforts to generate autologous human ESCs for regenerative applications since donated or discarded embryos are more accessible than unfertilized, MII oocytes.