Differential proteomics of placentas reveals metabolic disturbance and oxidative damage participate yak spontaneous miscarriage during late pregnancy

Maternal supplementation with konjac glucomannan improves maternal microbiota for healthier offspring during lactation

BACKGROUND

The maternal diet during gestation and lactation affects the health of the offspring. Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a significantly functional polysaccharide in food research, possessing both antioxidant and prebiotic properties. However, the mechanisms of how KGM regulates maternal nutrition remain insufficient and limited. This study aimed to investigate maternal supplementation with KGM during late gestation and lactation to benefit both maternal and offspring generations.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that KGM improves serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the KGM group displayed a significant increase in the feed intake-related hormones neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY), Ghrelin, and adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) levels. KGM modified the relative abundance of Clostridium, Candidatus Saccharimonas, unclassified Firmicutes, and unclassified Christensenellaceae in sow feces. Acetate, valerate, and isobutyrate were also improved in the feces of sows in the KGM group. These are potential target bacterial genera that may modulate the host's health. Furthermore, Spearman's correlation analysis unveiled significant correlations between the altered bacteria genus and feed intake-related hormones. More importantly, KGM reduced interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in milk, further improved IL-10 levels, and reduced zonulin levels in the serum of offspring.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, maternal dietary supplementation with KGM during late gestation and lactation improves maternal nutritional status by modifying maternal microbial and increasing lactation feed intake, which benefits the anti-inflammatory capacity of the offspring serum. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

DIA-based quantitative proteomic analysis of porcine endometrium in the peri-implantation phase

The 12th day of gestation is a critical period for embryo loss and the beginning of imminent implantation in sows. Data independent acquisition (DIA) technology is one of the high-throughput, high-resolution and reproducible proteomics technologies for large-scale digital qualitative and quantitative research. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the protein abundance landscape of Yorkshire pig endometrium on the 12th day of pregnancy (P12) and estrous cycle (C12) using DIA proteomics. A total of 1251 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were identified, of which 882 were up-regulated and 369 were down-regulated at P12. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the identified proteins were related to metabolism, biosynthesis and signaling pathways. Three proteins were selected for Western blot (WB) validation and the results were consistent with the DIA data. Further combined with transcriptome data, fibrinogen like 2 (FGL2) and S100 calcium binding protein A8 (S100A8) were verified to be highly abundant in the P12 endometrial epithelium. In summary, there were significantly different abundance of proteome profiles in C12 and P12 endometrium, suggesting that DAPs are associated with changes in endometrial receptivity, which laid the foundation for further research on related regulatory mechanisms. SIGNIFICANCE: The 12th day of gestation is an important point in the peri-implantation period of pigs, when the endometrium presents a receptive state under the stimulation of estrogen. DIA proteomics technology is an emerging protein identification technology in recent years, which can obtain protein information through comprehensive and unbiased scanning. In this study, DIA technology was used to characterize endometrial proteins in pigs during the peri-implantation period. The results showed that higher protein abundance was detected using the DIA technique, and some of these DAPs may be involved in regulating embryo implantation. This study will help to better reveal the related proteins involved in embryo implantation, and lay a foundation for further research on the mechanism of endometrial regulation of embryo implantation. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: The 12th day of gestation is an important point in the peri-implantation period of pigs, when the endometrium presents a receptive state under the stimulation of estrogen. DIA proteomics technology is an emerging protein identification technology in recent years, which can obtain protein information through comprehensive and unbiased scanning. In this study, DIA technology was used to characterize endometrial proteins in pigs during the peri-implantation period. The results showed that higher protein abundance was detected using the DIA technique, and some of these DAPs may be involved in regulating embryo implantation. This study will help to better reveal the related proteins involved in embryo implantation, and lay a foundation for further research on the mechanism of endometrial regulation of embryo implantation.