Abstract

The reported mtDNA turnover and plasticity of mtDNA copy number in mammalian zygotes and early embryos (McConnel and Petrie 2004 Reprod. Biomed. Online 9, 418–424) have revealed a potential for adverse effects of in vitro embryo techniques on mtDNA and mitochondrial function. We explored the effects of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning (NT) on relative mtDNA amount and phenotype in viable bovine fetuses recovered 80 days after the initiation of embryonic development (Hiendleder et al. 2004 Biol. Reprod. 71, 217–223). We sampled brain, liver, and skeletal muscle to represent all 3 embryonic germ layers, and compared IVF-fetuses (n = 24), NT-fetuses (n = 23), and fetuses generated by in vivo insemination (controls, n = 24). This experimental approach allowed us to distinguish abnormalities specific to cloning from more general consequences of in vitro embryo manipulation. We analyzed relative mtDNA amounts by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and amplified a segment of the mtDNA control region that was normalized against the nuclear gene complement C3. ANOVA (SPSS 13.0) of qPCR data and phenotypic parameters revealed significant effects of fetus group on mtDNA amount in liver (P < 0.05) and muscle (P < 0.01), and on fetus (P < 0.001), heart (P < 0.001), and liver (P < 0.001) weights. The mtDNA amount in all tissues from IVF-fetuses was normal, but mtDNA levels in liver (-23%; P < 0.05) and muscle (-24%; P < 0.01) of NT-fetuses were significantly lower than in controls. Fetuses derived from IVF- or NT-embryos were similar in weight and displayed fetal overgrowth (+19% and +22%; P < 0.001), but only the NT-fetuses were affected by disproportionate hepatomegaly and cardiomegaly with 31% and 49% increases (ANCOVA; P < 0.001) in their respective organ weights. This further partitioned NT-fetuses from IVF-fetuses and identified symptoms that are also encountered in mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (MDDS): a phenotypically heterogeneous group of human disorders characterized by loss of mtDNA from various tissues during development and associated respiratory chain dysfunction. The MDDS phenotypes have mainly been classified into a hepatocerebral (MIM 251880) or myopathic (MIM 609560) form, and neonates and infants display a spectrum of abnormalities, including hepatomegaly and cardiomegaly, that are similar or identical to phenotypic abnormalities commonly encountered in cloned mammals. Reduced mtDNA amounts in NT-fetuses could stem from perturbation of mtDNA during the reported turnover period, or be a secondary effect of epigenetic change in nuclear-encoded genes involved in mtDNA replication and stability. Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is regulated by CpG methylation in vitro, but our real-time RT-PCR quantification of TFAM transcript in liver and muscle of a subset of NT- and control fetuses failed to detect significant differences (P > 0.10). In conclusion, our observed reduction of mtDNA amount in cloned fetuses provides the molecular basis for a mitochondrial perspective on pathological phenotypes of cloned mammals, and may explain similarities to mitochondrial disease in human.