About the Authors

Mayumi Sugimoto

Affiliation National Livestock Breeding Center, Nishigo, Japan

Shinji Sasaki

Affiliation Shirakawa Institute of Animal Genetics, Nishigo, Japan

Toshio Watanabe

Affiliation Shirakawa Institute of Animal Genetics, Nishigo, Japan

Shota Nishimura

Affiliation Shirakawa Institute of Animal Genetics, Nishigo, Japan

Atsushi Ideta

Affiliation Embryo Transfer Center ZEN-NOH, Kamishihoro, Japan

Maya Yamazaki

Affiliation Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan

Keiko Matsuda

Affiliation Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Michisuke Yuzaki

Affiliation Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Kenji Sakimura

Affiliation Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan

Yoshito Aoyagi

Affiliation Embryo Transfer Center ZEN-NOH, Kamishihoro, Japan

Yoshikazu Sugimoto

kazusugi@siag.or.jp

Affiliation Shirakawa Institute of Animal Genetics, Nishigo, Japan

Competing Interests

Patent applications Unites States publication number US-2009-0311705-A1 and Japan patent application number 2008-153767 are for the method of determining efficiency of ovum collection in bovine. The following authors are named on the applications: MS, AI, YA, and YS. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: MS AI MY KM MY KS YA YS. Performed the experiments: MS SS AI MY KM YA. Analyzed the data: MS TW SN AI MY YA. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: MS SS. Wrote the paper: MS SS MY YS.