Regulation of DNA synthesis and the cell cycle in human prostate cancer cells and lymphocytes by ovine uterine serpin

Prolonged follicular dominance is associated with dysregulated proteomic profile of the follicular fluid in Bos indicus cows

Prolonged follicular dominance is one of the conditions associated with disconcerted follicular dynamics that result in substantial economic losses to the farmers through low reproductive efficiency in cattle. Hormonal aberrations associated with prolonged follicular dominance may affect the follicular microenvironment and composition of follicular fluid. The current study focused on proteome changes of follicular fluid in prolonged follicular dominance compared to physiological follicular dominance. Prolonged dominance was induced in Deoni cows (n = 6) by using CIDR (previously used for 7 days) from day 4-8 of estrus, with PGF2 injection on day 6 and day 7 at 12 h intervals. Follicular fluid was collected by ultrasound guided transvaginal follicular aspiration method. Global proteomic analysis of follicular fluid revealed 217 proteins in the Deoni cow, with the majority of proteins involved in 21 pathways, 42 molecular functions, and 106 biological processes. Complement and coagulation cascades (22.8%) and cholesterol metabolism (4.68%) were the major pathways in which identified proteins were involved. Comparison of physiological and prolonged dominant follicular fluid revealed differential expression of 26 proteins, of which 15 were upregulated and 11 were downregulated. Proteins involved in complement and coagulation cascades, and vitamin digestion and absorption were found to be dysregulated in PFD. The present study suggests that the expression of proteins involved in inflammation, oocyte metabolism, and ovulation cascade were found to be dysregulated in the follicular fluid of prolonged follicular dominance consequently resulting in delayed ovulation or anovulation.

Uterine infusion of conceptus fragments changes the protein profile from cyclic mares

This experiment aimed to compare at day seven after ovulation, the protein profile of uterine fluid in cyclic mares with mares infused two days before with Day 13 conceptus fragments. Experimental animals were ten healthy cyclic mares, examined daily to detect ovulation (Day 0) as soon as estrus was confirmed. On day seven, after ovulation, uterine fluid was collected, constituting the Cyclic group (n = 10). The same mares were examined in the second cycle until ovulation was detected. On day five, after ovulation, fragments from a previously collected concepti were infused into each mare's uterus. Two days after infusion, uterine fluid was collected, constituting the Fragment group (n = 10). Two-dimensional electrophoresis technique processed uterine fluid samples. A total of 373 spots were detected. MALDI-TOF/TOF and NanoUHPLC-QTOF mass spectrometry identified twenty spots with differences in abundance between the Cyclic and Fragment group. Thirteen proteins were identified, with different abundance between groups. Identified proteins may be related to embryo-maternal communication, which involves adhesion, nutrition, endothelial cell proliferation, transport, and immunological tolerance. In conclusion, conceptus fragments signalized changes in the protein profile of uterine fluid seven days after ovulation in comparison to the observed at Day 7 in the same cyclic mares.

Crosstalk between uterine serpin (SERPINA14) and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins at the fetal-maternal interface in pregnant dairy heifers experimentally infected with Neospora caninum

Infection with Neospora caninum is the leading cause of abortion in cattle. In cows naturally infected with N caninum, plasma concentrations of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) 1 and 2 indicate fetal-placental well-being, whereas an excess of progesterone in the second trimester of gestation has been related to high abortion rate. The immunosuppressive action of progesterone on the uterus during gestation has been attributed in part to the uterine serpins (SERPINA14). This study examines expression patterns of the genes SERPINA14, PAG, and PAG2 at the fetal-maternal interface in dairy heifers experimentally infected with N caninum during the second trimester of pregnancy, when most abortions takes place in natural conditions. Irrespective of infection, expression of SERPINA14 was higher, and expression of PAG1 and PAG2 lower, for intercaruncular endometrium than for caruncles or cotyledons. Cotyledonary tissues showed the highest expression of both PAG genes but lowest expression of SERPINA14. The expression of SERPINA14 was significantly higher in intercaruncular endometrium of control dams than for infected animals, pointing to potential disruption of modulation of maternal immune function during infection. Dramatically reduced SERPINA14 was particularly apparent in infected dams with aborted fetuses. There was also a negative association between N caninum antibody titers with SERPINA14 and PAG expression in infected animals, further suggesting that N caninum infection downregulates the uterine immunosuppressive function of SERPINA14.

Modulation of maternal immune system during pregnancy in the cow

There is a molecular crosstalk between the trophoblast and maternal immune cells of bovine endometrium. The uterine cells are able to secrete cytokine/chemokines to either induce a suppressive environment for establishment of the pregnancy or to recruit immune cells to the endometrium to fight infections. Despite morphological differences between women and cows, mechanisms for immune tolerance during pregnancy seem to be conserved. Mechanisms for uterine immunesuppression in the cow include: reduced expression of major histocompatability proteins by the trophoblast; recruitment of macrophages to the pregnant endometrium; and modulation of immune-related genes in response to the presence of the conceptus. Recently, an eGFP transgenic cloned embryo model developed by our group showed that there is modulation of foetal proteins expressed at the site of syncytium formation, suggesting that foetal cell can regulate not only by the secretion of specific factors such as interferon-tau, but also by regulating their own protein expression to avoid excessive maternal recognition by the local immune system. Furthermore, foetal DNA can be detected in the maternal circulation; this may reflect the occurrence of an invasion of trophoblast cells and/or their fragment beyond the uterine basement membrane in the cow. In fact, the newly description of exosome release by the trophoblast cell suggests that could be a new fashion of maternal-foetal communication at the placental barrier. Additionally, recent global transcriptome studies on bovine endometrium suggested that the immune system is aware, from an immunological point of view, of the presence of the foetus in the cow during early pregnancy.

Evolution and function of the uterine serpins (SERPINA14)

Uterine serpins (recently designated as SERPINA14) are hormonally induced proteins secreted in large quantities by the endometrial epithelium during pregnancy. The SERPINA14 proteins belong to the serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) superfamily, but their apparent lack of inhibitory activity toward serine proteinases suggests that these proteins evolved a different function from the anti-proteinase activity typically found in most members of the serpin superfamily. The gene is present in a limited group of mammals in the Laurasiatheria superorder (ruminants, horses, pigs, dolphins and some carnivores) while being absent in primates, rodents, lagomorphs and marsupials. Thus, the gene is likely to have evolved by gene duplication after divergence of Laurasiatheria and to play an important role in pregnancy. That role may vary between species. In sheep, SERPINA14 probably serves an immunoregulatory role to prevent rejection of the fetal allograft. It is inhibitory to lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell function. In the pig, SERPINA14 is involved in iron transport to the fetus by binding to and stabilizing the iron-binding protein uteroferrin. It is possible that SERPINA14 has undergone divergence in function since the original emergence of the gene in a common ancestor of species possessing SERPINA14.

Changes in expression of cell-cycle-related genes in PC-3 prostate cancer cells caused by ovine uterine serpin

The hormonal-regulated serpin, ovine uterine serpin (OvUS), also called uterine milk protein (UTMP), inhibits proliferation of lymphocytes and prostate cancer (PC-3) cells by blocking cell-cycle progression. The present aim was to identify cell-cycle-related genes regulated by OvUS in PC-3 cells using the quantitative human cell-cycle RT(2) Profiler PCR array. Cells were cultured +/-200 microg/ml recombinant OvUS (rOvUS) for 12 and 24 h. At 12 h, rOvUS increased expression of three genes related to cell-cycle checkpoints and arrest (CDKN1A, CDKN2B, and CCNG2). Also, 14 genes were down-regulated including genes involved in progression through S (MCM3, MCM5, PCNA), M (CDC2, CKS2, CCNH, BIRC5, MAD2L1, MAD2L2), G(1) (CDK4, CUL1, CDKN3) and DNA damage checkpoint and repair genes RAD1 and RBPP8. At 24 h, rOvUS decreased expression of 16 genes related to regulation and progression through M (BIRC5, CCNB1, CKS2, CDK5RAP1, CDC20, E2F4, MAD2L2) and G(1) (CDK4, CDKN3, TFDP2), DNA damage checkpoints and repair (RAD17, BRCA1, BCCIP, KPNA2, RAD1). Also, rOvUS down-regulated the cell proliferation marker gene MKI67, which is absent in cells at G(0). Results showed that OvUS blocks cell-cycle progression through upregulation of cell-cycle checkpoint and arrest genes and down-regulation of genes involved in cell-cycle progression.