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Bazer FW, Johnson GA. Early Embryonic Development in Agriculturally Important Species. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1882. [PMID: 38997994 PMCID: PMC11240814 DOI: 10.3390/ani14131882] [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: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The fertilization of oocytes ovulated by pigs, sheep, cows, and horses is not considered a limiting factor in successful establishment of pregnancy. Pig, sheep, and cow embryos undergo cleavage to the blastocyst stage, hatch from the zona pellucida, and undergo central-type implantation. Hatched blastocysts of pigs, sheep, and cows transition from tubular to long filamentous forms to establish surface area for exchange of nutrients and gases with the uterus. The equine blastocyst, surrounded by external membranes, does not elongate but migrates throughout the uterine lumen before attaching to the uterine luminal epithelium (LE) to begin implantation. Pregnancy recognition signaling in pigs requires the trophectoderm to express interleukin 1 beta, estrogens, prostaglandin E2, and interferon gamma. Sheep and cow conceptus trophectoderm expresses interferon tau that induces interferon regulatory factor 2 that inhibits transcription of estrogen and oxytocin receptors by uterine epithelia. This prevents oxytocin-induced luteolytic pulses of prostaglandin F2-alpha from regressing the corpora lutea, as well as ensuring the secretion of progesterone required for maintenance of pregnancy. The pregnancy recognition signal produced by equine blastocysts is not known. Implantation in these species requires interactions between extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and integrins as the conceptus undergoes apposition and firm attachment to the uterine LE. This review provides details with respect to early embryonic development and the transition from spherical to filamentous conceptuses in pigs, sheep, and cows, as well as pre-implantation development of equine blastocysts and implantation of the conceptuses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuller W. Bazer
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2471, USA
| | - Gregory A. Johnson
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2471, USA;
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2
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Almiñana C, Rudolf Vegas A, Tekin M, Hassan M, Uzbekov R, Fröhlich T, Bollwein H, Bauersachs S. Isolation and Characterization of Equine Uterine Extracellular Vesicles: A Comparative Methodological Study. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020979. [PMID: 33478136 PMCID: PMC7835857 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified in the uterine fluid in different species and have been pointed as key players in the embryo-maternal dialogue, maternal recognition of pregnancy and establishment of pregnancy. However, little is known about the uterine EVs in the mare. Therefore, the present study aimed at characterizing EVs from uterine lavage of cyclic mares by comparing five EVs isolation methods and the combination of them: (1) ultracentrifugation (UC); (2) concentration of lavage volume by Centricon ultrafiltration (CE); (3) the use of CE with different washing steps (phosphate-buffered saline with or without trehalose); (4) size-exclusion chromatography with iZON-qEV columns, and (5) a combination of the methods with best results based on EVs yield, purity, and protein cargo profiles. Transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting confirmed the isolation of EVs by all methods but with quantitative and qualitative differences. Mass spectrometry provided differences in protein profiles between methods, number of identified proteins, and protein classes. Our results indicate that the combination of CE/trehalose/iZON/UC is an optimal method to isolate equine uterine EVs with good yield and purity that can be applied in future studies to determine the role of equine uterine EVs in embryo-maternal interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Almiñana
- Functional Genomics Group, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty Zurich, University of Zurich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland; (A.R.V.); (S.B.)
- UMR85 PRC, INRAE, CNRS 7247, Université de Tours, IFCE, 37380 Nouzilly, France
- Correspondence:
| | - Alba Rudolf Vegas
- Functional Genomics Group, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty Zurich, University of Zurich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland; (A.R.V.); (S.B.)
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Department for Farm Animals, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (M.H.); (H.B.)
| | - Muhittin Tekin
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Department for Farm Animals, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (M.H.); (H.B.)
| | - Mubbashar Hassan
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Department for Farm Animals, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (M.H.); (H.B.)
| | - Rustem Uzbekov
- Laboratoire Biologie Cellulaire et Microscopie Electronique, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Tours, 37032 Tours, France;
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Moscow State University, 119992 Moscow, Russia
| | - Thomas Fröhlich
- Gene Center, Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
| | - Heinrich Bollwein
- Clinic of Reproductive Medicine, Department for Farm Animals, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.T.); (M.H.); (H.B.)
| | - Stefan Bauersachs
- Functional Genomics Group, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty Zurich, University of Zurich, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland; (A.R.V.); (S.B.)
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Diel de Amorim M, Khan FA, Chenier TS, Scholtz EL, Hayes MA. Analysis of the uterine flush fluid proteome of healthy mares and mares with endometritis or fibrotic endometrial degeneration. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 32:572-581. [PMID: 31987068 DOI: 10.1071/rd19085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in the uterine flush fluid proteome between healthy mares and mares with endometritis or fibrotic endometrial degeneration (FED). Uterine flush fluid samples were collected from healthy mares (n=8; oestrus n=5 and dioestrus n=3) and mares with endometritis (n=23; oestrus n=14 and dioestrus n=9) or FED (n=7; oestrus n=6 and dioestrus n=1). Proteomic analysis was performed using label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Of 216 proteins identified during oestrus, 127 were common to all three groups, one protein was exclusively detected in healthy mares, 47 proteins were exclusively detected in mares with endometritis and four proteins were exclusively detected in mares with FED. Of 188 proteins identified during dioestrus, 113 proteins were common between healthy mares and mares with endometritis, eight proteins were exclusively detected in healthy mares and 67 proteins were exclusively detected in mares with endometritis. Quantitative analysis revealed a subset of proteins differing in abundance between the three groups during oestrus and between healthy mares and mares with endometritis during dioestrus. These results provide a springboard for evaluation of specific proteins as biomarkers of uterine health and disease and for investigation of their roles in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Diel de Amorim
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada; and Present address: Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; and Corresponding authors. Emails: ;
| | - Firdous A Khan
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada; and Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, True Blue, St. George's, Grenada; and Present address: Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, School of Veterinary Medicine, St. George's University, True Blue, St. George's, Grenada; and Corresponding authors. Emails: ;
| | - Tracey S Chenier
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Elizabeth L Scholtz
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada
| | - M Anthony Hayes
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada
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Gibson C, de Ruijter-Villani M, Bauersachs S, Stout TA. Asynchronous Embryo Transfer Followed by Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Conceptus Membranes and Endometrium Identifies Processes Important to the Establishment of Equine Pregnancy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E2562. [PMID: 32272720 PMCID: PMC7177982 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21072562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Preimplantation horse conceptuses require nutrients and signals from histotroph, the composition of which is regulated by luteal progesterone and conceptus-secreted factors. To distinguish progesterone and conceptus effects we shortened the period of endometrial progesterone-priming by asynchronous embryo transfer. Day 8 embryos were transferred to synchronous (day 8) or asynchronous (day 3) recipients, and RNA sequencing was performed on endometrium and conceptuses recovered 6 and 11 days later (embryo days 14 and 19). Asynchrony resulted in many more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in conceptus membranes (3473) than endometrium (715). Gene ontology analysis identified upregulation in biological processes related to organogenesis and preventing apoptosis in synchronous conceptuses on day 14, and in cell adhesion and migration on day 19. Asynchrony also resulted in large numbers of DEGs related to 'extracellular exosome'. In endometrium, genes involved in immunity, the inflammatory response, and apoptosis regulation were upregulated during synchronous pregnancy and, again, many genes related to extracellular exosome were differentially expressed. Interestingly, only 14 genes were differentially expressed in endometrium recovered 6 days after synchronous versus 11 days after asynchronous transfer (day 14 recipient in both). Among these, KNG1 and IGFBP3 were consistently upregulated in synchronous endometrium. Furthermore bradykinin, an active peptide cleaved from KNG1, stimulated prostaglandin release by cultured trophectoderm cells. The horse conceptus thus responds to a negatively asynchronous uterus by extensively adjusting its transcriptome, whereas the endometrial transcriptome is modified only subtly by a more advanced conceptus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Gibson
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands; (C.G.); (M.d.R.-V.)
| | - Marta de Ruijter-Villani
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands; (C.G.); (M.d.R.-V.)
| | - Stefan Bauersachs
- Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Vetsuisse Faculty Zurich, University of Zurich, 8315 Lindau (ZH), Switzerland;
| | - Tom A.E. Stout
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands; (C.G.); (M.d.R.-V.)
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5
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Proteomic profile of histotroph during early embryo development in mares. Theriogenology 2019; 125:224-235. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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Proteins involved in embryo-maternal interaction around the signalling of maternal recognition of pregnancy in the horse. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5249. [PMID: 29588480 PMCID: PMC5869742 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23537-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
During maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP), a conceptus-derived signal leads to the persistence of the corpus luteum and the maintenance of gestation. In the horse, the nature of this signal remains to be elucidated. Several studies have focused on the changes in gene expression during MRP, but little information exists at the protein level. The aim of this study was to identify the proteins at the embryo-maternal interface around signalling of MRP in the horse (day 13) by means of mass spectrometry. A distinct influence of pregnancy was established, with 119 proteins differentially expressed in the uterine fluid of pregnant mares compared to cyclic mares and with upregulation of several inhibitors of the prostaglandin synthesis during pregnancy. By creating an overview of the proteins at the embryo-maternal interface in the horse, this study provides a solid foundation for further targeted studies of proteins potentially involved in embryo-maternal interactions, MRP and pregnancy loss in the horse.
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7
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Betteridge KJ, Raeside JI, Waelchli RO, Christie HL, Hayes MA. Patterns of conceptus development and of progesterone concentrations in maternal blood preceding spontaneous early pregnancy failure in mares. Reprod Fertil Dev 2018; 30:1066-1076. [DOI: 10.1071/rd17336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sixteen cases of spontaneous pregnancy loss (11 of singletons and five of pairs of twins) are described. The losses occurred between gestation Days 13 and 25 in 12 mares being monitored almost daily by transrectal ultrasonography (for measurement of conceptus growth) and blood sampling (for determination of maternal plasma progesterone concentrations as evidence of luteolysis) in experimental studies of early pregnancy. In 10 of the 16 cases the uterus was flushed and eight conceptuses were recovered for morphological assessment. Five of the 11 losses of singletons occurred before Day 16 and, with one exception, were preceded or accompanied by luteolysis. The remaining six singleton pregnancies failed after Day 16, with two cases evidencing luteolysis beforehand. Thus, overall, 6/11 singleton losses were associated with luteolysis while 5/11 were not. The five cases of simultaneous loss or degeneration of twin conceptuses all occurred on Day 19 or 20, preceded by luteolysis in only one case. These observations suggest that while the causes of spontaneous early pregnancy failure are multifactorial, luteolysis might contribute to the problem more often than has been previously contended.
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8
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Smits K, Nelis H, Van Steendam K, Govaere J, Roels K, Ververs C, Leemans B, Wydooghe E, Deforce D, Van Soom A. Proteome of equine oviducal fluid: effects of ovulation and pregnancy. Reprod Fertil Dev 2017; 29:1085-1095. [DOI: 10.1071/rd15481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The equine oviduct plays a pivotal role in providing the optimal microenvironment for early embryonic development, but little is known about the protein composition of the oviducal fluid in the horse. The aim of the present study was to provide a large-scale identification of proteins in equine oviducal fluid and to determine the effects of ovulation and pregnancy. Four days after ovulation, the oviducts ipsilateral and contralateral to the ovulation side were collected from five pregnant and five non-pregnant mares. Identification and relative quantification of proteins in the oviducal fluid of the four groups was achieved by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) labelling and HPLC–tandem mass spectrometry. The presence of an embryo in the ipsilateral oviducal fluid of pregnant mares induced upregulation of 11 and downregulation of two proteins compared with the contralateral side, and upregulation of 19 proteins compared with the ipsilateral side of non-pregnant mares. Several of these upregulated proteins are related to early pregnancy in other species. The present study represents the first high-throughput identification of proteins in the oviducal fluid of the mare. The results support the hypothesis that the equine embryo interacts with the oviduct, affecting the maternal secretion pattern of proteins involved in pregnancy-related pathways.
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9
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Embryo-maternal communication during the first 4 weeks of equine pregnancy. Theriogenology 2016; 86:349-54. [PMID: 27156682 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2016.04.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The first month of equine pregnancy covers a period of rapid growth and development, during which the single-cell zygote metamorphoses into an embryo with a functional circulation and precursors of many important organs, enclosed within extraembryonic membranes responsible for nutrient uptake and gaseous exchange. After exiting the oviduct, the conceptus must influence uterine physiology to ensure adequate nutrition and preparation for implantation, while continued development results in the chorioallantois superseding the yolk sac as the primary interface for maternal interaction and exchange. Throughout the first month, pregnancy maintenance depends absolutely on progesterone secreted by the primary corpus luteum. However, although extension of luteal life span via maternal recognition of pregnancy is clearly essential, it is still not known how the horse conceptus signals its presence. On the other hand, our understanding of how luteolytic prostaglandin F2α release from the endometrium is averted has improved, and we are increasingly aware of the biological and practical significance of various events characteristic of early horse pregnancy, such as selective oviductal transport, the formation and dissolution of the blastocyst capsule, and prolonged intrauterine conceptus migration. It is also increasingly clear that embryo-maternal dialog during the first month is essential not only to conceptus survival but also has more profound and long-lasting implications. In this latter respect, it is now accepted that the maternal environment (e.g., metabolic or health status) may epigenetically alter gene expression capacity of the developing embryo and thereby permanently influence the health of the resulting foal right through adulthood.
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de Ruijter-Villani M, Stout TAE. The Role of Conceptus-maternal Signalling in the Acquisition of Uterine Receptivity to Implantation in Mammals. Reprod Domest Anim 2015; 50 Suppl 3:7-14. [DOI: 10.1111/rda.12527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M de Ruijter-Villani
- Department of Equine Sciences; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Utrecht University; Utrecht the Netherlands
| | - TAE Stout
- Department of Equine Sciences; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Utrecht University; Utrecht the Netherlands
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11
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Therio-ontology: A personal view of 40 years of farm animal embryo form and function. Theriogenology 2014; 81:85-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2013.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2013] [Revised: 09/10/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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12
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Waelchli RO, Betteridge KJ. Morphology of twin and triplet equine conceptuses during Weeks 3 and 4 of pregnancy. Reprod Fertil Dev 2013; 25:762-74. [DOI: 10.1071/rd12067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin ovulations are common in horses, but twin pregnancies are rarely carried to term. Theories of how one or both twins is/are naturally eliminated in early pregnancy, termed ‘embryo reduction’, have been based on ultrasonographic, not morphological, studies. Here we describe conceptuses recovered transcervically between Days 15 and 28 from 31 twin and two triplet pregnancies. Signs of contact between conceptuses were deduced from those seen in one pair that remained attached by their capsules on Day 18. Signs were found on capsules in two of 10 pairs before or during fixation (immobilisation) at Days 16–17 even though contact had not been seen by ultrasound. After fixation, the signs became stronger in seven of nine unilateral pregnancies, indicated adhesion between pairs and included effects on the vitelline circulation and/or degeneration of one twin. Conceptuses recovered from five of seven unilateral twin pregnancies after the time of capsule disruption (~Day 21) evidenced embryo reduction; in the two surviving pairs, attachment between twins was near the trilaminar/bilaminar yolk-sac wall border. The findings are consistent with the notions that: (1) the capsule plays a role in initiating adhesion between twins; and (2) twin survival depends on an unencumbered trilaminar yolk-sac wall and a functional vitelline circulation.
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Ababneh MM, Troedsson MHT. Endometrial Phospholipase A2 Activity During the Oestrous Cycle and Early Pregnancy in Mares. Reprod Domest Anim 2012; 48:46-52. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2012.02023.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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14
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Smits K, Govaere J, Peelman LJ, Goossens K, de Graaf DC, Vercauteren D, Vandaele L, Hoogewijs M, Wydooghe E, Stout T, Van Soom A. Influence of the uterine environment on the development of in vitro-produced equine embryos. Reproduction 2012; 143:173-81. [DOI: 10.1530/rep-11-0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The necessity for early interaction between the embryo and the oviductal and/or uterine environment in the horse is reflected by several striking differences between equine embryos that develop in vivo and those produced in vitro. Better understanding of the salient interactions may help to improve the efficiency of in vitro equine embryo production. In an initial experiment, cleavage-stage in vitro-produced (IVP) equine embryos were transferred into the uterus of recipient mares that had ovulated recently to determine whether premature placement in this in vivo environment would improve subsequent development. In a second experiment, an important element of the uterine environment was mimicked by adding uterocalin, a major component of the endometrial secretions during early pregnancy, to the culture medium. Intrauterine transfer of cleavage-stage IVP equine embryos yielded neither ultrasonographically detectable pregnancies nor day 7 blastocysts, indicating that the uterus is not a suitable environment for pre-compact morula stage horse embryos. By contrast, exposure to uterocalin during IVP improved capsule formation, although it did not measurably affect the development or expression of a panel of genes known to differ between in vivo and in vitro embryos. Further studies are required to evaluate whether uterocalin serves purely as a carrier protein or more directly promotes improved capsule development.
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Betteridge KJ, Waelchli RO, Christie HL, Raeside JI, Quinn BA, Hayes MA. Relationship between the timing of prostaglandin-induced luteolysis and effects on the conceptus during early pregnancy in mares. Reprod Fertil Dev 2012; 24:411-24. [DOI: 10.1071/rd11132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2011] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To advance the understanding of early pregnancy and pregnancy failure in horses, this study determined how luteolysis induced by cloprostenol (an analogue of prostaglandin F2α) affects conceptus development. Mares were injected on Days 12, 14, 16 or 18 of pregnancy with either cloprostenol (treatment groups, total n = 83 pregnancies) or saline (controls, n = 81), and growth of the conceptuses was monitored and compared by daily ultrasonography until they were collected transcervically on Days 15–22, 1–4 days after the injections. The comparisons were extended in the recovered conceptuses by counting somites, measuring the volume and osmolality of yolk-sac fluid and its concentrations of proteins, estrone sulfate and progesterone, and by assessing the morphology of the capsule and vascular system. When luteolysis was initiated on or before Day 16, most pregnancies survived until the time of collection and the conceptuses in respective treated and control groups on Days 15–20 were very similar except for some effects of treatment on the capsule and vascular development. In contrast, after luteolysis was initiated on Day 18, abortion often ensued within 3 days and most conceptuses collected had degenerated, therein constituting a predictable system in which to study the pathogenesis of a particular cause of pregnancy failure.
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16
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Ababneh MM, Ababneh H, Shidaifat F. Expression of Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 in Equine Endometrium during the Oestrous Cycle and Early Pregnancy. Reprod Domest Anim 2011; 46:268-74. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2010.01657.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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17
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Hayes MA, Quinn BA, Keirstead ND, Katavolos P, Waelchli RO, Betteridge KJ. Proteins associated with the early intrauterine equine conceptus. Reprod Domest Anim 2008; 43 Suppl 2:232-7. [PMID: 18638129 DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0531.2008.01167.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A critical period of early gestation in the mare involves the immobilization (fixation) of the encapsulated conceptus at around days 16-17. We compared the major proteins in the normal equine embryonic capsule and endometrial secretions around the period of fixation with those from pregnancies in the process of termination induced by administration of an analogue of prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (PGF(2 alpha)). Uterocalin and beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)M) associated with the embryonic capsule were proteolytically converted to smaller forms during the fixation period. These conversions were similar in conceptuses from control and treated mares. A 17 kDa cationic protein identified as a secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) type IIA was detected bound to normal capsules but increased substantially in response to PGF(2 alpha). Two forms of uteroglobin were distinguished by partial amino acid sequences of approximately 6 kDa bands in flush fluids from normal pregnant uteri. After administration of PGF(2 alpha) one immunoreactive form of uteroglobin was preferentially increased. These studies demonstrate that failure of pregnancy in this model is associated with an increase in secretory phospholipase in the capsule and a change in the forms of uteroglobin in the uterine secretions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Hayes
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
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18
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Ellenberger C, Wilsher S, Allen WR, Hoffmann C, Kölling M, Bazer FW, Klug J, Schoon D, Schoon HA. Immunolocalisation of the uterine secretory proteins uterocalin, uteroferrin and uteroglobin in the mare's uterus and placenta throughout pregnancy. Theriogenology 2008; 70:746-57. [PMID: 18547636 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.04.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2007] [Revised: 04/24/2008] [Accepted: 04/24/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the equine uterus produces many progesterone-dependent proteins throughout gestation. In particular, uterocalin and uteroferrin are detectable using electrophoresis or blot analyses but information regarding the immunohistochemical placental distribution of these two proteins is rare and information regarding uteroglobin is still lacking. The aim of the present study was to co-immunolocalise these three secretory proteins in the mare's uterus throughout gestation in an effort to understand their functional role in the maintenance of pregnancy. Therefore, endometrial biopsy samples were obtained from 20 pregnant mares between 16 and 309 days of gestation and labelled immunohistochemically for uteroglobin, uteroferrin and uterocalin. Uteroferrin remained detectable in almost every endometrial gland at all stages but with an increase in staining intensity as gestation advanced. The most progesterone-dependent protein, uterocalin, showed variable staining throughout gestation with the most intense labelling in early pregnancy and during the period of endometrial cup reaction. Uteroglobin secretion was only detectable in traces and only in individual glands throughout gestation. The results indicate that uterocalin and uteroferrin, but not uteroglobin, may play important roles in supplying nutrients for the conceptus, thereby contributing to the maintenance of pregnancy. However, further investigations are necessary to understand the role of uteroglobin during gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ellenberger
- University of Leipzig, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Pathology, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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