Study of the Growth Regulation of Preimplantation Mouse Embryos Using Concanavalin A 1

Summary

Unfertilized eggs and preimplantation mouse embryos had the same binding capacity for Concanavalin A. Concanavalin A in doses of 10 μg/ml agglutinated preimplantation embryos and the embryos derived from parthenogenetically stimulated eggs, but did not agglutinate unfertilized eggs. Unfertilized eggs became agglutinable with Concanavalin A in doses of 10 μg/ml after prolonged pretreatment with pronase or if the concentration of Concanavalin A was raised to 2000 μg/ml. The presence of 50 μg/ml of Concanavalin A in the medium inhibited development of preimplantation mouse embryos. Inhibition of growth was partially reversible after treatment of Concanavalin A-treated embryos with methyl-α-D-mannopyranose.

We are grateful to Dr. Max M. Burger for helpful consultation, Dr. Christopher Graham for providing parthenogenetically stimulated eggs, and Mrs. Marguerite Solomon for excellent technical assistance.