CRYOPRESERVATION AND ORTHOTOPIC TRANSPLANTATION OF MOUSE OVARIES - NEW APPROACH IN GAMETE BANKING

Mouse half ovaries were cryopreserved and orthotopically transplanted into ovariectomized recipients genetically identical to ovary donors e xcept for the coat color gene. Fertility was reestablished in 57% of t he female recipients, which became pregnant in an average of 40 days a fter transplantation of frozen-thawed half ovaries. These experiments demonstrate that ovary cryopreservation can be a very useful option fo r banking mouse germplasm, or managing subfertile animal colonies, whe n embryo or sperm freezing cannot be used or is not cost effective.