High in vitro development after somatic cell nuclear transfer and trichostatin A treatment of reconstructed porcine embryos

Abstract Abnormal epigenetic modification is supposed to be one of factors accounting for inefficient reprogramming of the donor cell nuclei in ooplasm after somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Trichostatin A (TSA) is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, potentially enhancing cloning efficiency. The aim of our present study was to establish the optimal TSA treatment in order to improve the development of handmade cloned (HMC) porcine embryos and examine the effect of TSA on their development. The blastocyst percentage of HMC embryos treated with 37.5 nM TSA for 22–24 h after activation increased up to 80% (control group-54%; P in vitro embryo development, and enable full-term in vivo development.