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Non-invasive sexing of preimplantation stage mammalian embryos

Nature Genetics volume 19, pages 220–222 (1998)Cite this article

In many sexually reproducing organisms, the sex of offspring is determined by the random transmission of two heterologous sex chromosomes by the heterogametic sex (XY in male mammals, WZ in female birds). It has long been an interest to predetermine sex outcome, either before fertilization has taken place, or by sexing embryos at stages of development prior to implantation. Methodologies employed include the separation of sperm into X and Y chromosome-bearing populations followed by in vitro fertilization1, specific elimination of preimplantation stage male embryos by antibodies directed against a Y chromosome-specific surface antigen2, or embryo biopsy followed by measurement of X-linked gene dosage3, Barr body staining4, karyotyping5 or PCR-based6 assays. All reported methods used for sexing are either invasive or labour-intensive and often subject to error.

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein of the jellyfish Aequoria victoria whose use as a cell marker in a heterologous system was first demonstrated in Caenorhabditis elegans7. Protein activity can be viewed in situ in living cells, circumventing sacrifice of the sample. As a consequence, GFP has become the reporter of choice in many different systems, from yeast8 to vertebrates9.

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Figure 1: Expression of the D4/XEGFP transgene throughout the embryo proper.
Figure 2: Sexing litters of preimplantation and midgestational stage embryos.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Rossant for support; T. McGill and M. Shackleton at Leica Canada for advice on GFP visualization. This work was funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the National Cancer Institute of Canada. A.N. is an MRC/Bristol-Myers Squib scientist.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital , 600 University Avenue, Toronto, M5G 1X5, Ontario, Canada

    Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis, Marina Gertsenstein & Andras Nagy

  2. Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada

    Andras Nagy

  3. Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University , Yamadoaka 3-1, Suita, Osaka, 565, Japan

    Masahito Ikawa & Masaru Okabe

Authors
  1. Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
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  4. Masaru Okabe
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  5. Andras Nagy
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Hadjantonakis, AK., Gertsenstein, M., Ikawa, M. et al. Non-invasive sexing of preimplantation stage mammalian embryos. Nat Genet 19, 220–222 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/893

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