Application of Interspecific Transfer Technique for Cryopreserved Camel Embryos
1. College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, Inner Mongolia, China; 2. College of Humanities and Law, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, Guangdong, China; 3. International Livestock Research Centre, Gold Coast 4217, Queensland, Australia; 4. Aljazeera Veterinary Research Center, Al Alin 999041, United Arab Emirates; 5. Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran 14155-6453, Iran; 6. Inner Mongolia Camel Research Institute, Badanjilin 737300, Inner Mongolia, China; 7. Management Office of Science and Technology Park, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, Inner Mongolia, China; 8. Inner Mongolia Alashan League Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Technology Promotion Center, Bayanhot 737306, Inner Mongolia, China
Abstract：Through cryopreservation, 35 h-stored embryos of high-milk yield dromedary camels, were trans-planted into bactrian camels, which have lower milk yield and are adapted to cold areas, to breed dromedary lambs. A group of 15 dromedary camels were selected as embryo donors, and within 8 days after mating, a total of 114 embryos were collected. Of these embryos, 83 were subjected to testing the efficacy of low-tem-perature preservation, while the rest 31 were transported for 35 hours to a camel field for subsequent trans-plantation with recipient bactrian camels. The results showed that, after cultured in vitro for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) in survival rates between the 24 h-cryopreser-ved embryos (75%, 68%, and 64%, respectively) and the control embryos (88%, 80%, and 80%, respectively). However, survival rates of 48 h-cryopreserved embryos (67%, 60%, and 57%, respectively) were significantly lower (P<0.05) than those of the control embryos after cultured in vitro for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, but had no significant difference (P>0.05) compared with those of 24 h-cryopreserved embryos. Within the first month after embryo transplantation, 4 recipient bactrian camels became pregnant (4/9, 44%), and 2 of them success-fully gave birth to healthy male camel offspring on days 382 and 389, respectively, after pregnancy (2/9, 22%). The results demonstrated that 35 h-cryopreserved embryos of dromedary camels can be transplanted into bactrian camels for breeding and production. The successful interspecies embryo transplantation offers refe-rences to introduce highly productive dromedary camels from their arid and hot native habitats to other parts of the world with different climates.
