ABC - Applied Embryology and Stem Cell Research Group - Reproduction Biotechnology and Teaching Laboratory

Laboratory leader: Dr. Szilárd Bodó research fellow, assistant professor

PhD students:
Renáta Fábián MSc.
Judit Bordán MSc.

Institute engineer:
Andrea Németh, SZIE, MKK, MSc

Undergraduate students:
ViktoriaDebnár, SZIE MKK, BSc.
Szabina Béki, SZIE, MKK, BSc.

Methods:

  1. Study of semen quality and sperm cryopreservation (mouse, rabbit, pig, cattle)
  2. In vitro fertilization and embryo production (mouse, rabbit, pig, cattle)
  3. Embryo recovery and culture (mouse, rabbit)
  4. Embryo transfer (mouse, rabbit)
  5. Embryo cryopreservation (mouse, rabbit)
  6. Embryo micromanipulation (mouse, rabbit)
     

Research topics:

1. Developmental factors influencing individual variation in mammals
Project leader:  Dr. Szilárd  Bodó
Participants:
Dr. Elen Gócza, Dr. László Hiripi, Dr. Orsolya Hoffmann, Renáta Fábián
Collaborator:Dr. Vilmos Altbacker

Even though individual variation serves as a necessary basis for evolutionary changes, it has long been considered as a form of error in laboratory studies. Recently, the emphasis has changed, thus the functional significance of individual differences that are consistent across time and/or across contexts, became a hot topic. Maternal impacts such as perinatal stress or intrauterine hormonal levels may result in long term changes either in the anatomy, behavior, or breeding performance both in mammals and birds. As our recent studies showed pups from stressed or unstressed mothers develop into shy or bold adults. Bold females showed a twice as high fertility rate as the shy females. In a parallel line of our studies, rabbits being exposed in utero to different levels of testosterone developed into females showing threefold difference in litter size. The present proposal will cover the proximate causation, development and functional significance of individual differences in two mammals, the mice and the rabbit. We plan to perform a series of experiments where maternal impacts will be manipulated and its long-term consequences monitored. We will produce individuals of different coping style by manipulating the intrauterine milieu of their mother, and modify experimentally her condition. We expect that the resulting offspring will show predictable performance in coping with different situations, such as novelty test, social and human interaction test, mate choice and breeding. We also plan to manipulate by biotechnology the sex ratio and genetic variation within the litter to separate genetic, maternal and environmental effects on the development of personality traits. Predictable individual differences in various tests have been found in birds and mammals. Recent literature and our previous studies suggest that individual variation is at least partly attributable to intrauterine impacts in rabbits. We plan to tease apart the sources of variation by experimental manipulation of the possible causes. We expect that variation will have both genetic and environmental components and their interaction even in highly controlled laboratory settings, which implicates that the microenvironment containing the mother and littermates, possesses an underestimated environmental heterogeneity. We will test to what extent can individual variation eliminated if genetic, maternal or littermate environmental variation is controlled for. We suppose that stress and sex related components of the intrauterine milieu interact in the development of behavior and the resulting components of the intrauterine milieu interact in the development of behavior and the resulting combination accounts for phenotypic variation. Within litter permutation of such impacts would result in types of animals being able to cope with high or low-density situations, or withstand environmental fluctuations like food shortage.

The project would result in a comprehensive set of knowledge on how anatomical, physiological and behavioral factors develop and translate to fitness measures in mammals. Both the rabbit and the mice are ideal model animals for such purposes as background knowledge from genetics to ecology exists and can be incorporated into the project.

The obtained knowledge has several practical implications, for rabbit production it promises enhanced production by separating the small AGD and stress resistant females for breeding purposes and excluding the large AGD and stress sensitive ones from the breeding stock. Single caged, large AGD, handled males may produce better sperm and can be easier to manipulate with when artificial insemination or experimentation is necessary. Such implications may comprise extra values in our country which has been the fifth largest rabbit meat producer on the global market.

Understanding the development of stress tolerance also helps improving welfare of animals, as well being of animals in utilized for meat production is a central issue in marketing

 

2. Development of a vitrification method of pig oocytes and in vitro embryo production system for ex situ gene preservation

Project leader:  Dr. Szilárd  Bodó
Participants:
Dr. Elen Gócza
Collaborator:Dr. József Rátky

The aim of project is develop an in vitro embryo production (IVEP) system in pig for ex situ gene preservation projects with applying gamete cryopreservation techniques in Mangalica breed. The project will result transferable in vitro developed pig embryos, produced by in vitro fertilization of oocytes cryopreserved before. The methods are improved by collaboration with Japanese partners (Dr. Kazuhiro Kikuchi, Dr. Tamás Somfai, NARO, Tsukuba, Japan)   

 

3. Comparative analysis of paternal protein's transmission to zygotes
2013-2016 OTKA NN

Project leader:Dr. Bősze Zsuzsanna
Participants:  Dr. László Hiripi, Dr. Elen Gócza, Dr. Szilárd Bodó, Dr. Orsolya Hoffmann, Andrea Kerekes

Career opportunities

Please send your application to gocza.elen[kukac]abc.naik.hu

Publications

Publications - (2004-present)

 

Transposon-Based Reporter Marking Provides Functional Evidence for Intercellular Bridges in the Male Germline of Rabbits.
Hoffmann OI, Kerekes A, Lipták N, Hiripi L, Bodo S, Szaloki G, Klein S, Ivics Z, Kues WA, Bosze Z.
PLoS One. 2016 May 5;11(5):e0154489. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154489. eCollection 2016 May 5.

Interactions between oocytes and cumulus cells during in vitro maturation of porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes in a chemically defined medium: effect of denuded oocytes on cumulus expansion and oocyte maturation.
Appeltant R, Somfai T, Nakai M, Bodó S, Maes D, Kikuchi K, Van Soom A.
Theriogenology. 2015 Mar 1;83(4):567-76. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2014.10.026. Epub 2014 Nov 4.
PMID: 25467769

Leukemia inhibitory factor promotes porcine oocyte maturation and is accompanied by activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3.
Dang-Nguyen TQ, Haraguchi S, Kikuchi K, Somfai T, Bodó S, Nagai T.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2014 Mar;81(3):230-9.
PMID: 24307388

Generation of mouse embryonic stem cell lines from zona-free nuclear transfer embryos.
Kobolak J, Bodo S, Rungsiwiwut R, Meng Q, Adorjan M, Virutamasen P, Techakumphu M, Dinnyes A.
Cell Reprogram. 2010 Feb;12(1):105-13.
PMID: 20132018

Cotransfer of parthenogenetic embryos improves the pregnancy and implantation of nuclear transfer embryos in mouse.
Meng Q, Wang M, Stanca CA, Bodo S, Dinnyes A.
Cloning Stem Cells. 2008 Dec;10(4):429-34.
PMID: 18752415

Nucleolar re-activation is delayed in mouse embryos cloned from two different cell lines.
Svarcova O, Dinnyes A, Polgar Z, Bodo S, Adorjan M, Meng Q, Maddox-Hyttel P.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2009 Feb;76(2):132-41.
PMID: 18470874

Production of identical mouse twins and a triplet with predicted gender.
Valer Carstea B, Catunda Lemos AP, Ilie ED, Varga L, Bodó S, Kovács A, Bösze Z, Gócza E.
Cloning Stem Cells. 2007 Summer;9(2):247-56.
PMID: 17579557

Quantitative evaluation and selection of reference genes in mouse oocytes and embryos cultured in vivo and in vitro.
Mamo S, Gal AB, Bodo S, Dinnyes A.
BMC Dev Biol. 2007 Mar 6;7:14.
PMID: 17341302

Gene expression profiles of vitrified in vivo derived 8-cell stage mouse embryos detected by high density oligonucleotide microarrays.
Mamo S, Bodo S, Kobolak J, Polgar Z, Tolgyesi G, Dinnyes A.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2006 Nov;73(11):1380-92.
PMID: 16897732

Gene expression profiles and in vitro development following vitrification of pronuclear and 8-cell stage mouse embryos.
Boonkusol D, Gal AB, Bodo S, Gorhony B, Kitiyanant Y, Dinnyes A.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2006 Jun;73(6):700-8.
PMID: 16541460

Experiences in deer sperm cryopreservation under practical conditions--a pilot study.
Zomborszky Z, Nagy S, Nánássy L, Szabari M, Bodó S.
Anim Reprod Sci. 2005 Nov;90(1-2):185-90.
PMID: 16257607

Vitrification of biopsied mouse embryos.
Baranyai B, Bodó S, Dinnyés A, Gócza E.
Acta Vet Hung. 2005;53(1):103-12.
PMID: 15782663

Production of transgenic chimeric rabbits and transmission of the transgene through the germline.
Bodó S, Gócza E, Révay T, Hiripi L, Carstea B, Kovács A, Bodrogi L, Bösze Z.
Mol Reprod Dev. 2004 Aug;68(4):435-40.
PMID: 15236327

Events

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