28944 - Transgenic Animals and Biotechnologies Applied to Animal Reproduction

Academic Year 2011/2012

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Biotechnology (cod. 8005)

Learning outcomes


The student must have knowledge of male and female gametogenesis in order to know and understand principal biotechnologies, comprising transgenesis, applied to male and female gametes and embryos of domestic, terrestrial and aquatic, species.  

Course contents

Outline of reproductive function regulation. Reproductive hormones (hypothalamus-hypophysis-gonad axis) and endocrinological function of gonads

Female. Ovarian function: oogenesis, folliculogenesis, ovulation and corpus luteum. 

Male. Testicle function: spermatogenesis. Male gametes: characteristics and function.

Embryos:  Fertilization. First phases of embryo development till blastocyst stage.

Reproductive biotechnologies applied to domestic, terrestrial and aquatic, species.

Female gamete: in vivo and ex vivo oocyte collection; oocyte qualitative evaluation; techniques for in vitro growing oocyte; oocyte in vitro maturation, micromanipulation and cryoconservation.

Male gamete: in vivo and ex vixo (epididimal) spermatozoa collection; quali-quantitative semen analysis, dilution and cryoconservation of spermatozoa by refrigeration/freezing/vitrification. Functional characteristic evaluation of  spermatozoa. Fertilization techniques with frozen or fresh semen, artificial insemination, laparotomic/laparoscopic intrauterine insemination. Spermatozoa sexing.

Embryos: surgical and non surgical in vivo collection, in vitro production by in vitro fertilization; in vitro colture; embryotransfer; micromanipulation: splitting, nuclear transfer; cloning; stem cell; sexing. Transgnenesis.

 



Readings/Bibliography

Lesson notices; Reproduction in Farm Animals 7th  edition, E. S. E. Hafez, B. Hafez (Editors) 2000 Lippincott Wlliams and Wilkins Dukes, Fisiologia degli animali domestici, IDELSON-GNOCCHI, Napoli (2002).

Teaching methods

Lectures

Assessment methods

The assessment method will be an oral discussion on lectures.

Teaching tools

Videoprojector, overhead projector, PC

Office hours

See the website of Maria Laura Bacci