Role of facilitative glucose uptake in the glucose-inorganic phosphate-mediated retardation and inhibition of development in different strains of mouse embryos

Mouse embryos from different strains develop differently in vitro depending on the composition of the culture medium, and in particular on the presence or absence of glucose and inorganic phosphate. Glucose is both stimulatory and inhibitory in certain conditions. Glucose uptake by cells can be passive, down concentration gradients, or active, through sodium driven pumps, or can occur through facilitative transport. This study investigated the effects of inhibition of facilitative glucose transport on the glucose-inorganic phosphate-mediated blocks in development in three different strains of mouse embryo, CF-1, CD-1 and an F2 hybrid. Development of CF-1 and CD-1 embryos is blocked in medium containing glucose and inorganic phosphate but not in medium containing glucose alone, and F2 embryos are not affected. Inhibition of facilitated glucose transport to the eight-cell-morula stage in CF-1 and CD-1 embryos resulted in development in medium containing both glucose and inorganic phosphate, indicating that the prevention of facilitative glucose uptake can overcome the developmental block. Removal of inhibition before the eight-cell-morula stage resulted in total arrest of CF-1 embryos and minimum development of CD-1 embryos. F2 embryos are not affected by inorganic phosphate and glucose and showed no response to the transporter inhibitor at any stage. These data support the contention that facilitated glucose transport is active in embryos, is phosphate-dependent and that its inhibition can overcome the glucose-inorganic phosphate-mediated developmental blocks in mouse embryos.

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