Impaired development of zygotes with uneven pronuclear size

Abstract

The correlation between human zygote morphology and chromosomal anomalies after cleavage has not been well characterised. Commonly observed morphological qualities at the zygote stage have provided little insight into further development, and therefore selection for cryopreservation or transfer appears to be less specific than that at later stages of preimplantation development. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the relationship between aberrant pronuclear morphology and chromosomal anomalies after cleavage. Monospermic zygotes exhibiting two pronuclei where diameters differed by at least 4 μm were found to arrest at a significantly higher rate than zygotes with pronuclear diameters differing by less than 4 µm. In addition, a higher incidence of day 2 multinucleation was observed. Embryos deriving from zygotes with dysmorphic pronuclei that were not replaced or cryopreserved by day 3 of development were separated and fixed for fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis of chromosomes X, Y, 13, 18 and 21. A significantly higher incidence of mosaicism was found in this group compared with others that had developed from zygotes with normal pronuclear morphology. Although the mechanism leading to this form of divergent pronuclear morphology is unclear, results suggest a correlation with oocyte cyto-plasmic immaturity.