Reproductive Biology – Experimental Facilities


Experimental subjects

1. Species:

  • Cattle (heifers, cows)
  • Pig (gilts, sows, barrows)
  • Mouse (female mice from FBN lines)

Sperm from bulls is provided by cooperation partners

2. Investigated materials:

  • Oocytes
  • Embryos
  • Sperm
  • Somatic cells
  • Tissue and body fluids

Methods:

1. Clinical Methods

  • Observation of ovarian and uterine features by means of ultrasonography and endoscopy
  • Ultrasound guided follicular aspiration in cattle and horses
  • Endoscopic oocyte aspiration in gilts and cattle
  • Nonsurgical embryo recovery and transfer in cattle
  • Endoscopic embryo recovery and transfer in gilts
  • Minimal-invasive surgery in cattle and pig
  • Endoscopic collection of substrates and tissues relevant for reproduction
  • Minimal-invasive application of biological active substances into follicles in pigs and horses
  • Catheterisation of periphereal and central blood vessels in cattle and pig

2. Embryological Methods

  • In vitro maturation, fertilization and culture
  • Micromanipulation
  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
  • Biopsy of blastomeres
  • Computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA)

3. Cell physiological Methods

  • Cell and tissue culture (2D, 3D)
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • In situ hybridisation
  • Microinjection in somatic and germ cells
  • Flowcytometry
  • 3-D image cytometry, Densitometry
  • Computer aided Image analysis
  • Morphological and cytological analysis
  • Real-time impedance measurement

4. Biochemical and molecular Methods

  • TLC
  • HPLC
  • Micro-FPLC
  • Elektrophoresis (SDS-PAGE, IEF, preparative Elektrophoresis, HPEC, native gel electrophoresis)
  • Western blotting
  • mRNA-Analysis
  • RIA, ELISA
  • Beta- and Gammacounting
  • EMSA (electrophoretic mobility shift assay)
  • IP (Immunoprecipitation)
  • ChIP (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation)
  • DNA methylation analysis
  • RT-PCR
  • Chart-PCR (Chromatin accessibility assay by real-time PCR)
  • Genome editing (CRISPR/Cas9)