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Davenport KM, O'Neil EV, Ortega MS, Patterson A, Kelleher AM, Warren WC, Spencer TE. Single-cell insights into development of the bovine placenta†. Biol Reprod 2024; 110:169-184. [PMID: 37707543 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioad123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
A central determinant of pregnancy success is proper development of the conceptus (embryo/fetus and associated extraembryonic membranes including the placenta). Although the gross morphology and histology of the bovine placenta have been well studied, the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating placenta development and trophoblast differentiation and function remain essentially undefined. Here, single-cell transcriptome (scRNA-seq) analysis was performed on the day 17 bovine conceptus and chorion of day 24, 30, and 50 conceptuses (n = 3-4 samples per day) using the 10X Genomics platform. Bioinformatic analyses identified cell types and their ontogeny including trophoblast, mesenchyme, and immune cells. Loss of interferon tau-expressing trophoblast uninucleate cells occurred between days 17 and 30, whereas binucleate cells, identified based on expression of placental lactogen (CSH2) and specific pregnancy-associated glycoprotein genes (PAGs), first appeared on day 24. Several different types of uninucleate cells were present in day 24, 30, and 50 samples, but only one (day 24) or two types of binucleate cells (days 30 and 50). Cell trajectory analyses provided a conceptual framework for uninucleate cell development and binucleate cell differentiation, and bioinformatic analyses identified candidate transcription factors governing differentiation and function of the trophoblasts. The digital atlas of cell types in the developing bovine conceptus reported here serves as a resource to discover key genes and biological pathways regulating its development during the critical periods of implantation and placentation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eleanore V O'Neil
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - M Sofia Ortega
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Amanda Patterson
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Andrew M Kelleher
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Wesley C Warren
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Thomas E Spencer
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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2
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Seo H, Bazer FW, Johnson GA. Early Syncytialization of the Ovine Placenta Revisited. Results Probl Cell Differ 2024; 71:127-142. [PMID: 37996676 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-37936-9_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Placentation is the development of a temporary arrangement between the maternal uterus and blastocyst-derived placental tissues designed to transport nutrients, gases, and other products from the mother to the embryo and fetus. Placentation differs histologically among species, but all types of placentation share the common trait of utilizing highly complex cell-to-cell and tissue-to-tissue morphological and biochemical interactions to remodel the uterine-placental interface. An elegant series of electron microscopy (EM) images supports the classification of ovine placentation as synepitheliochorial, because uterine luminal epithelial (LE) cells are maintained at the uterine-placental interface through incorporation into trophoblast syncytial plaques. In this review, we utilize immunofluorescence microscopy to provide further insights into early syncytialization of the ovine placenta. These observations, based on results using immunofluorescence microscopy, complement and expand, not replace, our understanding of syncytialization in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heewon Seo
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Fuller W Bazer
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Gregory A Johnson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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3
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Seo H, Melo GD, Oliveira RV, Franco-Johannsen G, Bazer FW, Pohler K, Johnson G. Immunohistochemical examination of the utero-placental interface of cows on days 21, 31, 40, and 67 of gestation. Reproduction 2023; 167:REP-23-0444. [PMID: 38112573 PMCID: PMC10895283 DOI: 10.1530/rep-23-0444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
What we understand about early stages of placentation in cattle is based on an elegant series of electron microscopic images that provide exquisite detail, but limited appreciation for the microanatomy across the utero-placental interface. In order to achieve a global perspective on the histology of bovine placentation during critical early stages of gestation, i.e., days 21, 31, 40, and 67, we performed immunohistochemistry to detect cell-specific expression of pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG), cytokeratin, epithelial (E)-cadherin, and serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) at the intact utero-placental interface. Key findings from the immunohistochemical analyses are that there are: (1) PAG-positive cells with a single nucleus within the uterine luminal epithelial (LE) cells; (2) PAG-positive cells with two nuclei in the LE; (3) PAG-positive syncytial cells with more than three nuclei in the LE; (4) LE cells that are dissociated from one another and dissociated from the basement membrane in regions of syncytialization within the LE layer; (5) replacement of the mononuclear LE with a multi-layer thick population of PAG-positive cells invading into the uterine stroma of caruncles, but not into the stroma of intercaruncular endometrium; and (6) PAG-, E-cadherin- and SHMT2-positive mononuclear cells at the leading edge of developing cotyledonary villi that eventually represent the majority of the epithelial surface separating caruncular stroma from cotyledonary stroma. Finally, the utero-placental interface of ruminants is not always uniform across a single cross-section of a site of placentation which allows different conclusions to be made depending on the part of the utero-placental interface being examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heewon Seo
- H Seo, Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
| | - Gabriela D Melo
- G Melo, Department of Animal Science, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
| | - Ramiro V Oliveira
- R Oliveira, Department of Animal Science, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
| | - Gessica Franco-Johannsen
- G Franco-Johannsen, Animal Science , Texas A and M University College Station, College Station, United States
| | - Fuller W Bazer
- F Bazer, Department of Animal Science, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
| | - Ky Pohler
- K Pohler, Department of Animal Science, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
| | - Gregory Johnson
- G Johnson, Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A and M University, College Station, United States
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Sakurai T, Kusama K, Imakawa K. Progressive Exaptation of Endogenous Retroviruses in Placental Evolution in Cattle. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1680. [PMID: 38136553 PMCID: PMC10741562 DOI: 10.3390/biom13121680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Viviparity is made possible by the placenta, a structure acquired relatively recently in the evolutionary history of eutherian mammals. Compared to oviparity, it increases the survival rate of the fetus, owing to the eutherian placenta. Questions such as "How was the placenta acquired?" and "Why is there diversity in placental morphology among mammalian species?" remain largely unsolved. Our present understanding of the molecules regulating placental development remains unclear, owing in no small part to the persistent obscurity surrounding the molecular mechanisms underlying placental acquisition. Numerous genes associated with the development of eutherian placental morphology likely evolved to function at the fetal-maternal interface in conjunction with those participating in embryogenesis. Therefore, identifying these genes, how they were acquired, and how they came to be expressed specifically at the fetal-maternal interface will shed light on some crucial molecular mechanisms underlying placental evolution. Exhaustive studies support the hypothesis that endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) could be evolutional driving forces for trophoblast cell fusion and placental structure in mammalian placentas including those of the bovine species. This review focuses on bovine ERVs (BERVs) and their expression and function in the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiro Sakurai
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Ohu University, 31-1 Misumido, Koriyama 963-8611, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Kazuya Kusama
- Department of Endocrine Pharmacology, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji 192-0392, Tokyo, Japan;
| | - Kazuhiko Imakawa
- Research Institute of Agriculture, Tokai University, 9-1-1 Toroku, Higashi-Ku, Kumamoto 862-8652, Japan;
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Chen Z, Dean M. Endometrial Glucose Metabolism During Early Pregnancy. REPRODUCTION AND FERTILITY 2023; 4:RAF-23-0016. [PMID: 37934727 PMCID: PMC10762551 DOI: 10.1530/raf-23-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 50% of human pregnancies humans fail, most before or during implantation. One factor contributing to pregnancy loss is abnormal glucose metabolism in the endometrium. Glucose contributes to preimplantation embryo development, uterine receptivity, and attachment of the embryo. Across multiple species, the epithelium stores glucose as the macromolecule glycogen at estrus. This reserve is mobilized during the preimplantation period. Glucose from circulation or glycogenolysis can be secreted into the uterine lumen for use by the embryo or metabolized via glycolysis, producing ATP for the cell. The resulting pyruvate could be converted to lactate, another important nutrient for the embryo. Fructose is an important nutrient for early embryos, and the epithelium and placenta can convert glucose to fructose via the polyol pathway. The epithelium also uses glucose to glycosylate proteins, which regulates embryo attachment. In some species, decidualization of the stroma is critical to successful implantation. Formation of the decidua requires increased glucose metabolism via the pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis. After decidualization, the cells switch to aerobic glycolysis to produce ATP. Paradoxically, the decidua also stores large amounts of glucose as glycogen. Too little glucose or an inability to take up glucose impairs embryo development and decidualization. Conversely, too much glucose inhibits these same processes. This likely contributes to the reduced pregnancy rates associated with conditions like obesity and diabetes. Collectively, precise control of glucose metabolism is important for several endometrial processes required to establish a successful pregnancy. The factors regulating these metabolic processes remain poorly understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziting Chen
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Matthew Dean
- Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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Johnson GA, Burghardt RC, Bazer FW, Seo H, Cain JW. Integrins and their potential roles in mammalian pregnancy. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2023; 14:115. [PMID: 37679778 PMCID: PMC10486019 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-023-00918-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Integrins are a highly complex family of receptors that, when expressed on the surface of cells, can mediate reciprocal cell-to-cell and cell-to-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions leading to assembly of integrin adhesion complexes (IACs) that initiate many signaling functions both at the membrane and deeper within the cytoplasm to coordinate processes including cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, survival, differentiation, and metabolism. All metazoan organisms possess integrins, and it is generally agreed that integrins were associated with the evolution of multicellularity, being essential for the association of cells with their neighbors and surroundings, during embryonic development and many aspects of cellular and molecular biology. Integrins have important roles in many aspects of embryonic development, normal physiology, and disease processes with a multitude of functions discovered and elucidated for integrins that directly influence many areas of biology and medicine, including mammalian pregnancy, in particular implantation of the blastocyst to the uterine wall, subsequent placentation and conceptus (embryo/fetus and associated placental membranes) development. This review provides a succinct overview of integrin structure, ligand binding, and signaling followed with a concise overview of embryonic development, implantation, and early placentation in pigs, sheep, humans, and mice as an example for rodents. A brief timeline of the initial localization of integrin subunits to the uterine luminal epithelium (LE) and conceptus trophoblast is then presented, followed by sequential summaries of integrin expression and function during gestation in pigs, sheep, humans, and rodents. As appropriate for this journal, summaries of integrin expression and function during gestation in pigs and sheep are in depth, whereas summaries for humans and rodents are brief. Because similar models to those illustrated in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are present throughout the scientific literature, the illustrations in this manuscript are drafted as Viking imagery for entertainment purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Johnson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4459, USA.
| | - Robert C Burghardt
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4459, USA
| | - Fuller W Bazer
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2471, USA
| | - Heewon Seo
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4459, USA
| | - Joe W Cain
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4459, USA
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Johnson GA, Seo H, Bazer FW, Wu G, Kramer AC, McLendon BA, Cain JW. Metabolic pathways utilized by the porcine conceptus, uterus, and placenta. Mol Reprod Dev 2023; 90:673-683. [PMID: 35460118 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.23570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Conceptus elongation and early placentation involve growth and remodeling that requires proliferation and migration of cells. This demands conceptuses expend energy before establishment of a placenta connection and when they are dependent upon components of histotroph secreted or transported into the uterine lumen from the uterus. Glucose and fructose, as well as many amino acids (including arginine, aspartate, glutamine, glutamate, glycine, methionine, and serine), increase in the uterine lumen during the peri-implantation period. Glucose and fructose enter cells via their transporters, SLC2A, SLC2A3, and SLC2A8, and amino acids enter the cells via specific transporters that are expressed by the conceptus trophectoderm. However, porcine conceptuses develop rapidly through extensive cellular proliferation and migration as they elongate and attach to the uterine wall resulting in increased metabolic demands. Therefore, coordination of multiple metabolic biosynthetic pathways is an essential aspect of conceptus development. Oxidative metabolism primarily occurs through the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and the electron transport chain, but proliferating and migrating cells, like the trophectoderm of pigs, enhance aerobic glycolysis. The glycolytic intermediates from glucose can then be shunted into the pentose phosphate pathway and one-carbon metabolism for the de novo synthesis of nucleotides. A result of aerobic glycolysis is limited availability of pyruvate for maintaining the TCA cycle, and trophectoderm cells likely replenish TCA cycle metabolites primarily through glutaminolysis to convert glutamine into TCA cycle intermediates. The synthesis of ATP, nucleotides, amino acids, and fatty acids through these biosynthetic pathways is essential to support elongation, migration, hormone synthesis, implantation, and early placental development of conceptuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Johnson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Heewon Seo
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Fuller W Bazer
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Guoyao Wu
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Avery C Kramer
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Bryan A McLendon
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Joe W Cain
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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Davenport KM, Ortega MS, Johnson GA, Seo H, Spencer TE. Review: Implantation and placentation in ruminants. Animal 2023; 17 Suppl 1:100796. [PMID: 37567669 DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2023.100796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Ruminants have a unique placenta in comparison to other mammalian species. Initially, they possess a non-invasive epitheliochorial type of placenta during conceptus elongation. As the conceptus trophectoderm begins to attach to the luminal epithelium (LE) of the endometrium, binucleate cells (BNCs) develop within the trophoblast of the chorion. The BNCs migrate and fuse with the uterine LE to form multinucleate syncytial plaques in sheep and hybrid trinucleate cells in cattle. This area of the ruminant placenta is semi-invasive synepitheliochorial. The BNCs form the foundation of the placental cotyledons and express unique placenta-specific genes including pregnancy-associated glycoproteins and chorionic somatomammotropin hormone 2 or placental lactogen. Attachment and interdigitation of cotyledons into endometrial caruncles form placentomes that are subsequently vascularized to provide essential nutrients for growth of the fetus. This chapter review will discuss historical and current aspects of conceptus implantation and placenta development in ruminant ungulates with a focus on cattle and sheep. Single-cell analysis promises to provide a much more detailed understanding of the different cell populations and insights into pathways mediating trophoblast and placenta. This fundamental is required to understand pregnancy loss and develop strategies to improve pregnancy outcomes in ruminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Davenport
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - M S Ortega
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - G A Johnson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences and Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7784, USA
| | - H Seo
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences and Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 7784, USA
| | - T E Spencer
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Division of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
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Wang X, Liu S. Endogenous Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope protein promotes sheep trophoblast cell fusion by activating PKA/MEK/ERK1/2 signaling. Theriogenology 2022; 193:58-67. [PMID: 36152587 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2022.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endogenous Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope protein (enJSRV-Env) plays an important role in trophoblast cell fusion in sheep. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. METHODS Primary endometrial luminal epithelial cells (LECs) were isolated from the sheep uterus and cocultured with sheep trophoblast cells (STCs). Giemsa staining was conducted to count multinucleated cells in the coculture system. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were performed to explore the role of enJSRV-Env in trophoblast cell fusion in the coculture system. Co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were carried out to identify the interacting partner of enJSRV-Env in the cocultures. Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the activation of protein kinase A (PKA)/mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling. RESULTS Primary LECs were identified by the expression of epithelial marker cytokeratin 18. Overexpression of enJSRV-Env promoted the formation of multinucleated cells in the coculture system. enJSRV-Env activated and physically interacted with PKA, along with the activation of MEK/ERK1/2 signaling. PKA inhibition completely reversed enJSRV-Env-induced MEK/ERK1/2 activation, and ERK1/2 inhibition abolished enJSRV-Env-induced formation of multinucleated cells in the coculture system. CONCLUSION enJSRV-Env promotes trophoblast cell fusion in the sheep placenta by activating PKA/MEK/ERK1/2 signaling. This finding reveals a novel mechanism underlying the contribution of enJSRV-Env to trophoblast cell fusion during placental morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojuan Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Zhao Wu Da Road No. 306, Hohhot, 010018, China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Science, Hohhot, 010018, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology in Animal Disease, Ministry of Agriculture, Hohhot, 010018, China; College of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, 010018, China
| | - Shuying Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Zhao Wu Da Road No. 306, Hohhot, 010018, China; Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Basic Veterinary Science, Hohhot, 010018, China; Key Laboratory of Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology in Animal Disease, Ministry of Agriculture, Hohhot, 010018, China.
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