Method to select animals with a high capacity of embryo production

Abstract

The present invention provides a method to select a non-human female animal subject having the capacity to produce appropriate number of transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes in said animal, said method comprising the determination of the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in a biological sample before an ovarian superovulatory treatment. The present invention is further directed to the use of AMH as a predictive marker of number of transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes able to be produced in a non-human female animal.

1 . A method for predicting the number of transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes able to be produced by an individual non-human female animal subject after superovulatory treatment, said method comprising the determination of the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in a blood sample of the subject before administration of an ovarian superovulatory treatment. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  which comprises:
 a) measuring the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in the blood sample of the subject, and 
 b) comparing said concentration with a reference value, and wherein if the measured anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the reference value, then the subject is considered as having a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 :
 a) measuring the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in the blood sample of the subject, and   b) comparing said concentration with two, respectively “high” and “low”, reference values and wherein if the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the “high” reference value, then the animal is considered as having a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes; conversely, if the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is lower than the “low” reference value, then the animal is considered as having a poor capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the animal is a ruminant. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the ruminant is of the bovine or caprine species 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration which is measured is the plasma or serum concentration of anti-Mullerian hormone. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the animal is a ruminant. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7  wherein the ruminant is selected from the group comprising bovine and caprine species. 
     
     
         9 . The method of claim  31  wherein the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is measured by employing an ELISA assay. 
     
     
         10 . A method for improving the number of transferable embryos produced in non-human female animals which comprises the steps of:
 a) determining an anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in a blood sample of each of the non-human female animals before administering an ovarian superovulatory treatment the non-human animal by measuring the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in the blood sample,   b) comparing said concentration with a reference value, wherein if the measured anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the reference value, then the non-human animal is considered as having a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes;   c) administering superovulatory treatment to only those non-human female animals wherein the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the reference value of anti-Mullerian hormone concentration indicating the animal has a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes;   d) artificially inseminating the non-human female animals to which superovulatory treatment was administered; and   e) obtaining transferable embryos.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising the step of obtaining a blood sample from the non-human female animal subjects for determination of the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in the blood sample. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the blood sample is plasma or serum. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  wherein comparing said concentration with a reference value comprises comparing said concentration with two, respectively “high” and “low,” reference values and wherein if the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the “high” reference value, then the animal is considered as having a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes; conversely, if the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is lower than the “low” reference value, then the animal is considered as having a poor capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is measured by employing an ELISA assay. 
     
     
         15 . A method for improving the number of fertilizable oocytes produced in non-human female animals which comprises the steps of:
 a) determining an anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in a blood sample of each of the non-human female animals before administering an ovarian superovulatory treatment to the animals by measuring the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration in the blood sample,   b) comparing said concentration with a reference value, wherein if the measured anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the reference value, then the animal is considered as having a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes;   c) administering superovulatory treatment to only those non-human female animals wherein the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the reference value of anti-Mullerian hormone concentration indicating the animal has a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes; and   d) recovering fertilizable oocytes from the ovaries of the non-human female animals to which superovulatory treatment was administered.   
     
     
         17 . The method of claim  16  wherein comparing said concentration with a reference value comprises comparing said concentration with two, respectively “high” and “low,” reference values and wherein if the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is greater than the “high” reference value, then the animal is considered as having a good capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes; conversely, if the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is lower than the “low” reference value, then the animal is considered as having a poor capacity to produce transferable embryos or fertilizable oocytes. 
     
     
         18 . The method of claim  16  wherein the blood sample is serum or plasma. 
     
     
         19 . The method of claim  16  wherein the anti-Mullerian hormone concentration is measured by employing an ELISA assay. 
     
     
         20 . The method of claim  16  further comprising the step of subjecting recovered fertilizable oocytes to in vitro fertilization.