Discovery of genes expressed by preimplantation porcine embryos using 454 pyrosequencing

Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of porcine embryos prior to implantation is critical to the success of reproductive technologies such as embryo culture and transfer. Our current understanding of the gene expression profile for early development in the porcine embryo is limited. The purpose of this study was to use the Roche 454 deep sequencing platform to generate a massive EST dataset for the enrichment of previously unannotated genes expressed during the development of preimplantation porcine embryos. This information will eventually be used to establish a microarray platform for the study of differential gene expression at each specific developmental stage: GV, MII, 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, morula and blastocyst under the activities of the EmbryoGENE NSERC Strategic Network.