Analysis of blood parameters and molecular endometrial markers during early reperfusion in two ovine models of uterus transplantation.

The dissection of the veins is the trickiest step of Uterine transplantation (UTx). Performing the anastomosis of a single uterine vein could bring a therapeutic benefit and simplification of surgery and serve for managing unilateral venous thromboses. The objectives of this project were to evaluate the expression of early markers of ischemia-reperfusion and to compare findings following one or two vein anastomoses.

is a Progesterone Target Gene in the Endometrium of Ruminants.

Forkhead Box L2 (FOXL2) is a member of the FOXL class of transcription factors, which are essential for ovarian differentiation and function. In the endometrium, FOXL2 is also thought to be important in cattle; however, it is not clear how its expression is regulated. The maternal recognition of pregnancy signal in cattle, interferon-Tau, does not regulate expression.

Massive dysregulation of genes involved in cell signaling and placental development in cloned cattle conceptus and maternal endometrium.

A major unresolved issue in the cloning of mammals by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is the mechanism by which the process fails after embryos are transferred to the uterus of recipients before or during the implantation window. We investigated this problem by using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to compare the transcriptomes in cattle conceptuses produced by SCNT and artificial insemination (AI) at day (d) 18 (preimplantation) and d 34 (postimplantation) of gestation. In addition, endometrium was profiled to identify the communication pathways that might be affected by the presence of a cloned conceptus, ultimately leading to mortality before or during the implantation window.

Expression and localization of interleukin 1 beta and interleukin 1 receptor (type I) in the bovine endometrium and embryo.

The interleukin-1 (IL1) system likely mediates mammalian embryo-maternal communication. In cattle, we have reported that the uterine fluid of heifers carrying early embryos shows downregulated IL1 beta (IL1B), which could lead to reduced NFkB expression and dampening of maternal innate immune responses. In this work, we assessed the expression of IL 1 beta (IL1B) and its receptor, interleukin 1 receptor type I (IL1R1) in the bovine endometrium and embryos by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot at the time of blastocyst development.

FOXL2 is regulated during the bovine estrous cycle and its expression in the endometrium is independent of conceptus-derived interferon tau.

FOXL2, a winged-helix/forkhead domain transcription factor, is a key gene involved in the differentiation and biological functions of the ovary. In a recent transcriptomic analysis, we found that FOXL2 expression in bovine caruncular endometrium was different from that in intercaruncular endometrium. In order to gain new insights into FOXL2 in this tissue, we determined the expression of this transcription factor during the estrous cycle and the establishment of pregnancy in cattle.

Gene expression profiles of bovine caruncular and intercaruncular endometrium at implantation.

At implantation the endometrium undergoes modifications necessary for its physical interactions with the trophoblast as well as the development of the conceptus. We aim to identify endometrial factors and pathways essential for a successful implantation in the caruncular (C) and the intercaruncular (IC) areas in cattle. Using a 13,257-element bovine oligonucleotide array, we established expression profiles at day 20 of the estrous cycle or pregnancy (implantation), revealing 446 and 1,295 differentially expressed genes (DEG) in C and IC areas, respectively (false discovery rate = 0.

Endometrium as an early sensor of in vitro embryo manipulation technologies.

Implantation is crucial for placental development that will subsequently impact fetal growth and pregnancy success with consequences on postnatal health. We postulated that the pattern of genes expressed by the endometrium when the embryo becomes attached to the mother uterus could account for the final outcome of a pregnancy. As a model, we used the bovine species where the embryo becomes progressively and permanently attached to the endometrium from day 20 of gestation onwards.