scholarly journals Temporal regulation of fibroblast growth factors and their receptors in the endometrium and conceptus during the pre-implantation period of pregnancy in cattle

Reproduction ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 147 (6) ◽  
pp. 825-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
L A Okumu ◽  
N Forde ◽  
S Mamo ◽  
P McGettigan ◽  
J P Mehta ◽  
...  

We hypothesised that the expression pattern of members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family would be altered in the endometrium as the oestrous cycle/early pregnancy progressed associated with changes in the expression pattern of their receptors in the developing embryo/conceptus. Expression of FGF1 and FGF10 transcript variants 1 and 2 increased significantly as the oestrous cycle/early pregnancy progressed. Neither progesterone (P4) supplementation nor pregnancy status significantly affected the expression of any of the FGF ligands studied. However, there was a significant interaction between day, pregnancy and P4 status on FGF2 expression (P<0.05) and a significant interaction between P4 status and day on FGF10_tv2 expression. FGF10 protein was localised in the luminal and glandular epithelium as well as the stroma but was not detected in the myometrium. By RNA sequencing, the expression of FGF ligands in the developing embryo/conceptus was found to be minimal. The expression of FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1), FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4, FGFRL1 and FRS3 was significantly affected by the stage of conceptus development. Interestingly, the expression of FGFR1 and FGFR4 was higher during early embryo development (days 7–13, P<0.05) but decreased on day 16 (P<0.05) while FGFR2 (P<0.001) expression was similar from day 7 through to day 13, with a significant increase by day 16 (P<0.05) that was maintained until day 19 (P>0.05). In conclusion, these data demonstrate that FGF ligands are primarily expressed by the endometrium and their modulation throughout the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle/early pregnancy are associated with alterations in the expression of their receptors in the embryo/conceptus.

2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (Suppl_1) ◽  
pp. 218-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry P. Reynolds ◽  
Megan A. Minten ◽  
Mary Lynn Johnson ◽  
Pawel P. Borowicz ◽  
Dale A. Redmer ◽  
...  

1991 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
FW Bazer ◽  
WW Thatcher ◽  
F Matinat-Botte ◽  
M Terqui ◽  
MC Lacroix ◽  
...  

This study examined differences in selected components of uterine secretions from Large White and prolific Chinese Meishan gilts during the oestrous cycle or early pregnancy. Total recoverable protein, uteroferrin (measured as acid phosphatase activity), acyl aminopeptidase, calcium, sodium, potassium, immunoglobulins A and G, glucose, fructose, oestradiol-17 beta, and prostaglandins F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) and E2 (PGE2) in uterine flushings were measured. During the oestrous cycle, breed effects were detected only for total protein (P = 0.07), which tended to be higher for Large White gilts. However, for pregnant gilts, total recoverable glucose (P less than 0.05), fructose (P less than 0.05) sodium (P less than 0.05), immunoglobulin A (P less than 0.01), PGF (P less than 0.01), PGE (P less than 0.01), and acyl aminopeptidase (P less than 0.05) were greater in uterine flushings from Meishan gilts. Only uteroferrin was higher (P = 0.06) in uterine flushings from Large White gilts. Concentrations of prolactin were higher (P less than 0.05) in plasma from cyclic or pregnant Meishan gilts, but concentrations of total oestrogens and progesterone were not affected by pregnancy status or breed. These results suggest that Meishan conceptuses, individually or collectively, are more stimulatory to endometrial secretion and/or transport of the components of histotroph into the uterine lumen, or that the endometrium of Meishan gilts is more sensitive to conceptus signals responsible for the accumulation of histotroph in the uterine lumen.


Reproduction ◽  
2001 ◽  
pp. 719-728 ◽  
Author(s):  
RD Geisert ◽  
CS Chamberlain ◽  
KA Vonnahme ◽  
LJ Spicer ◽  

During early pregnancy, pig conceptuses initiate the synthesis of oestrogens and on day 12 their trophoblastic membranes undergo a rapid expansion throughout the uterine horns. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system may be involved with conceptus development and steroidogenesis in pigs. Changes in uterine luminal IGF, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) and enzymatic activity for cleavage of IGFBPs during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy were investigated. Uterine luminal content of IGF-I and IGF-II in uterine flushings from pigs on day 12 of pregnancy were two and three times greater, respectively, compared with uterine flushings collected from gilts during the oestrous cycle. Both IGF-I and -II content decreased on day 15 of gestation but content of IGF-II in uterine flushings remained three times greater than that of cyclic gilts. IGFBP-2 and -3 were the predominant binding proteins present in uterine flushings during days 0-10 of the oestrous cycle or day 10 of pregnancy. No IGFBPs were detected in the uterine flushings of either cyclic or pregnant pigs after day 10 by ligand blotting. Incubation of [125I]-labelled IGFBPs with various protease inhibitors indicated that cleavage of [125I]-labelled IGFBP-2 and -3 in uterine flushings involved serine proteases such as tissue kallikrein and matrix metalloproteinases. The results of the present study indicate that an increase in tissue kallikrein activity on day 12 of the oestrous cycle and pregnancy in pigs can directly, or indirectly through activation of matrix metalloproteinases, cleave IGFBP-2 and -3, thus allowing uterine release of IGF-I and -II in the uterine lumen to stimulate conceptus development.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e75571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian J. Oliveira ◽  
Nadéra Mansourri-Attia ◽  
Alan G. Fahey ◽  
John Browne ◽  
Niamh Forde ◽  
...  

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1325-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Einspanier ◽  
M. R. Zarreh-Hoshyari-Khah ◽  
M. Balvers ◽  
L. Kerr ◽  
K. Fuhrmann ◽  
...  

Reproduction ◽  
2003 ◽  
pp. 621-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
RD Geisert ◽  
MD Ashworth ◽  

Attachment of the placenta to the uterus in pigs involves extracellular interaction between the expanding trophoblastic membrane and the thick glycocalyx present on the uterine epithelial microvilli. Formation of complexes between members of inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family may function in the maintenance of the extracellular matrix. This study investigated the change in the inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chains (ITIH1, ITIH2, ITIH3 and ITIH4) during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy in pigs. Gene expression of ITIH1, ITIH2, ITIH3 and ITIH4 was detected in the endometrium of cyclic and pregnant gilts; however, gene expression of ITIH was not altered throughout the oestrous cycle or early pregnancy. Western blot analysis with an ITIH antiserum identified the possible linkage forms of ITIH with the serine protease inhibitor, bikunin. Pregnancy altered the release of the various inter-alpha-inhibitor forms from the endometrium during the period of trophoblastic attachment. The results from this study indicate that the inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor family plays an important role in maintenance of the uterine surface glycocalyx during placental attachment in pigs.


2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 889-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Bauersachs ◽  
S E Ulbrich ◽  
K Gross ◽  
S E M Schmidt ◽  
H H D Meyer ◽  
...  

The endometrium plays a central role among the reproductive tissues in the context of early embryo–maternal communication and pregnancy. It undergoes typical changes during the sexual/oestrous cycle, which are regulated by the ovarian hormones progesterone and oestrogen. To identify the underlying molecular mechanisms we have performed the first holistic screen of transcriptome changes in bovine intercaruncular endometrium at two stages of the cycle – end of day 0 (late oestrus, low progesterone) and day 12 (dioestrus, high progesterone). A combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridisation revealed 133 genes showing at least a 2-fold change of their mRNA abundance, 65 with higher levels at oestrus and 68 at dioestrus. Interestingly, genes were identified which showed differential expression between different uterine sections as well. The most prominent example was the UTMP (uterine milk protein) mRNA, which was markedly upregulated in the cranial part of the ipsilateral uterine horn at oestrus. A Gene Ontology classification of the genes with known function characterised the oestrus time by elevated expression of genes, for example related to cell adhesion, cell motility and extracellular matrix and the dioestrus time by higher expression of mRNAs encoding for a variety of enzymes and transport proteins, in particular ion channels. Searching in pathway databases and literature data-mining revealed physiological processes and signalling cascades, e.g. the transforming growth factor-β signalling pathway and retinoic acid signalling, which are potentially involved in the regulation of changes of the endometrium during the oestrous cycle.


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