Manipulation of oocytes and early embryos of the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus)

Genomic imprinting is a phenomenon whereby some genes are expressed differently depending on whether they are maternally or paternally inherited. In mice, the most notable effects of genomic imprinting appear to be imposed during embryonic development. In humans, it is difficult to study the effects of genomic imprinting on development for obvious ethical reasons, however it is important to discover whether the effects of genomic imprinting on mouse embryonic development are paralleled in primates. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of genomic imprinting on the early embryonic development of a non-human primate, the common marmoset monkey. To facilitate the investigation, the fertilization rate of marmoset oocytes was increased from 53% to 76% (p<0.005) by altering the time between the administration of hCG and laparotomy, and duration of oocyte pre-incubation. The mean maximum cell number (MMCN) of in vitro fertilized (IVF) marmoset embryos was increased from 7.7 (± 0.7) when cultured in vitro to 15 (± 4.35) when cultured in the oviducts of live mice (p