Centriolar dynamics in the bovine embryo: inheritance and perpetuation of the sperm centrosome during fertilization and development

Inheritance of the centrosome (centriole) and its behaviour during fertiliz ation and embryogenesis of cattle is presented. The bovine embryo follows t he human pattern of centriole behaviour, which is common to most animals in cluding large mammals. Thus, most mammals obey Boveri's rule of paternal ce ntrosomal inheritance and perpetuation, whereas the mouse is an exception t o the rule, showing maternal inheritance. The sperm centrosome was traced f rom fertilization to the hatching blastocyst stage in the cow and its prese nce was confirmed at every stage of cleavage, as reported in the human. It is concluded that the bovine embryo is a more appropriate model than the mo use for research in fertilization and assisted-reproduction technology.