Project description:Understanding how ageing impacts endometrial function is crucial for preserving fertility in older females. While ageing-related cellular dysfunction and inflammation are observed in the bovine uterus, its effects on endometrial physiology remain unclear. Using an experimental model of young (4-7 years) and old (13-15 years) cloned female cattle, we assessed the effect of ageing on the endometrium through transcriptome profiling and responses of cultured endometrial cells to interferon tau (IFNT) and of cultured endometrial explants to LPS. Progesterone profiles were similar between young and old females. Transcriptomic analysis of endometrial biopsies on day 15 of the estrous cycle identified 859 differentially expressed genes (DEG; p ≤ 0.05, |FC| ≥ 1.5), among which 402 DEG were over-expressed and 457 DEG were under-expresssed in old females. These DEG are linked to immune, inflammatory, metabolic, and cell organization pathways and networks. RT-qPCR validation of selected candidate DEG revealed an increased expression of COL4A3, CPA3, IGFBP1, IGFBP2, RSAD2, SCARA5, and SERPINA14 in young females. In vitro stimulation with IFNT of primary uterine glandular epithelial and stromal cells revealed that glandular epithelial cells exhibit a greater sensitivity to IFNT than stromal cells, both in old and young females. Glandular epithelial cells derived from old females exhibit a weaker response to IFNT, in terms of the number of differentially expressed genes, compared to those from young females. The effect of LPS treatment on cytokine concentrations was lightly more pronounced in young females than in old females, with LPS leading to a significant increase in the concentration of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10 in young females. By altering the transcriptomic profile of the endometrium and its capacity to respond to both the embryo's signal and inflammatory factors, we propose that age may be a key factor underlying uterine-related reproductive failures. Further experiments are required to confirm this hypothesis.
Project description:To clarify the effect of intrauterine methylglyoxal (MGO) administration on the endometrium, mRNA expression profiles of bovine endometrium were investigated. Hierarchical cluster analysis with the expression levels of all genes was divided these cows into two clusters. First cluster was composed of control cows, second cluster contained MGO (5 mM) treated cows.
Project description:To clarify the regenerative mechanism of endometrium after parturition in cows, mRNA expression profiles in bovine endometrium were investigated during postpartum period. after PVP-I treatment in cows. The differentially expressed genes in the endometrium between postpartum days 49-52 and days 99-101 were 23 genes, and they were much lower than those before postpartum days 49-52. This result suggests that endometrial regeneration after parturition is completely accomplished until postpartum days 49-52.
Project description:In order to clarify whether the term after calving is a factor to affect the gene expression in the endometrium of cows, we conducted global endometrial gene expression analysis at different period after parturition. In bovine endometrium between 60.1 ± 4.0 days and 388.9 ± 8.2 days after parturition, the gene expression pattern was similar and the differentially expressed (>2-fold difference, P<0.05) genes were only 4 genes.
Project description:Early embryo loss affects all mammalian species, including humans and agriculturally important food-producing mammals such as cattle. The developing conceptus (embryo and extra-embryonic membranes) secretes factors which modify the endometrium and can be critical for early pregnancy processes such maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) and enhancing uterine receptivity to implantation. For example, a competent bovine conceptus secretes IFNT to initiate MRP. The bovine conceptus also secretes other proteins at the time of MRP, including CAPG and PDI, which are highly conserved among placental mammals. We have previously shown that these proteins act upon the endometrium to modulate receptivity, embryo development, and implantation in species with different implantation strategies (humans and cattle). We hypothesise that developing a novel 3D bovine endometrium on a chip system will enhance our understanding of the role of conceptus-derived factors in altering the endometrium and/or ULF secretion. Here we have developed a 3D bovine endometrium on a chip system, comprising both stromal and epithelial cell culture combined with culture medium flow better mimics the in vivo endometrium and exposure to conceptus-derived factors than conventional 2D endometrial cell culture. We have demonstrated that the conceptus-derived proteins CAPG and PDI modulate the endometrial transcriptome and secretory response to promote pathways associated with early pregnancy and alter ULF composition. This work highlights the critical need for more robust and in vivo-like culture systems to study endometrial-conceptus interactions in vitro to further investigate the role of conceptus derived factors for pregnancy success.
Project description:The endometrium provides optimal conditions for the transport of sperm to the oviduct, to the site of fertilization, and later on for the reception of the embryo. To study these changes on the level of gene expression, a messenger RNA expression profiling of endometrium tissue samples collected from 19 cyclic heifers at five stages of the estrous cycle (days 0, 3.5, 12, 18, 20) was performed. RNA was extracted from these tissue samples and analyzed with a custom-made bovine oviduct and endometrium (BOE) cDNA array. The cDNAs present on the array were derived from several previously conducted differential gene expression studies of bovine endometrium between different stages of the estrous cycle, during early pregnancy, and from studies of bovine oviduct epithelial cells. In all of these studies cDNAs of differentially expressed genes were identified using a combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridization. 1,440 cDNA fragments are located on the array. Twenty radioactively labeled cDNA samples (n=4 for each cycle stage) were hybridized with BOE arrays. Raw data were normalized using the BioConductor package vsn. Keywords: time course of gene expression in bovine endometrium during estrous cycle
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE20974: Bovine pre-transfer endometrium and embryo transcriptome fingerprints as predictors of pregnancy success after embryo transfer (endometrial study) GSE21047: Bovine pre-transfer endometrium and embryo transcriptome fingerprints as predictors of pregnancy success after embryo transfer (embryo study) Refer to individual Series
Project description:Early embryo loss affects all mammalian species, including humans and agriculturally important food-producing mammals such as cattle. The developing conceptus (embryo and extra-embryonic membranes) secretes factors which modify the endometrium and can be critical for early pregnancy processes such maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) and enhancing uterine receptivity to implantation. For example, a competent bovine conceptus secretes IFNT to initiate MRP. The bovine conceptus also secretes other proteins at the time of MRP, including CAPG and PDI, which are highly conserved among placental mammals. We have previously shown that these proteins act upon the endometrium to modulate receptivity, embryo development, and implantation in species with different implantation strategies (humans and cattle). We hypothesise that developing a novel 3D bovine endometrium on a chip system will enhance our understanding of the role of conceptus-derived factors in altering the endometrium and/or ULF secretion. Here we have developed a 3D bovine endometrium on a chip system, comprising both stromal and epithelial cell culture combined with culture medium flow better mimics the in vivo endometrium and exposure to conceptus-derived factors than conventional 2D endometrial cell culture. We have demonstrated that the conceptus-derived proteins CAPG and PDI modulate the endometrial transcriptome and secretory response to promote pathways associated with early pregnancy and alter ULF composition. This work highlights the critical need for more robust and in vivo-like culture systems to study endometrial-conceptus interactions in vitro to further investigate the role of conceptus derived factors for pregnancy success.
Project description:The endometrium provides optimal conditions for the transport of sperm to the oviduct, to the site of fertilization, and later on for the reception of the embryo. To study these changes on the level of gene expression, a messenger RNA expression profiling of endometrium tissue samples collected from 19 cyclic heifers at five stages of the estrous cycle (days 0, 3.5, 12, 18, 20) was performed. RNA was extracted from these tissue samples and analyzed with a custom-made bovine oviduct and endometrium (BOE) cDNA array. The cDNAs present on the array were derived from several previously conducted differential gene expression studies of bovine endometrium between different stages of the estrous cycle, during early pregnancy, and from studies of bovine oviduct epithelial cells. In all of these studies cDNAs of differentially expressed genes were identified using a combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridization. 1,440 cDNA fragments are located on the array. Twenty radioactively labeled cDNA samples (n=4 for each cycle stage) were hybridized with BOE arrays. Raw data were normalized using the BioConductor package vsn. Keywords: time course of gene expression in bovine endometrium during estrous cycle Nineteen German Fleckvieh (Simmental) heifers were slaughtered at four different days of the estrous cycle, four animals at day 0, four at day 3.5, three at day 12 and eight animals at day 18. Four of the day 18 animals showed high and the other four low serum progesterone (P4) levels, respectively. This resulted in five groups of endometrial tissue samples corresponding to five stages of the estrous cycle.