The requirement of leukemia inhibitory factor or epidermal growth factor for pre-implantation embryogenesis. Mus musculus

In this study, we further verified the role of LIF by looking at gene expressions in morula stage embryos through DNA microarray. Our results showed that LIF knockdown affected 373 gene expressions, and after LIF supplementation we found that the epidermal growth factor (EGF) is most affected by LIF expression. In order to observe the correlation between LIF and EGF, the LIF knockdown embryos were supplemented with various growth factors including LIF, EGF, GM-CSF, TGF, and IGF II. Only LIF and EGF caused the rate of blastocyst development to recover from 52% of control significantly to 83% and 93%, respectively, and all of the parameters, such as the diameter of blastocysts, the numbers of blastomeres, and cells in ICM and TE, to mostly be restored. Moreover, EGF knockdown also impaired blastocyst development which was reversed by LIF or EGF supplementation. These data suggest that the two growth factors EGF and LIF can be compensatory to each other during early embryonic development, and one of them is necessary for sustaining the normal development of preimplantation embryos. Overall design: Two-condition experiment, mouse embryos vs. LIF-deficiency mouse embryos at morula stage