Hypoxia-dependent accumulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha induces transient cell cycle arrest in porcine trophectoderm cells.

In the uterine environment, the pre-implantation embryo adapts to low oxygen concentrations through intracellular responses including modification of gene expression, progression via the cell cycle and metabolism. In this study, we determined mechanisms underlying the adaptation of pig embryos to oxygen deficiency in the maternal-conceptus microenvironment in in vitro experiments using our established porcine trophectoderm (pTr) cells in culture. The transition from G to S phase in pTr cells was reduced in response to 2% oxygen during a short period (<24 h), and the hypoxia-induced G arrest was reversible during prolonged hypoxia exposure.

Stem cell factor-induced AKT cell signaling pathway: Effects on porcine trophectoderm and uterine luminal epithelial cells.

Stem cell factor (SCF) is a multipotent growth factor that elicits diverse biological actions in various aspects of embryogenesis and animal development. The aim of the present study was to assess SCF-induced intracellular signaling and cellular activities in porcine trophectoderm (pTr) and uterine luminal epithelial (pLE) cells which are well known as useful to elucidate developmental events. SCF induced abundances of p-AKT, p-P70RSK and RPS6 proteins in pTr cells reached to their maximum, and then returned to basal levels by 120min.

Epidermal growth factor: Porcine uterine luminal epithelial cell migratory signal during the peri-implantation period of pregnancy.

The majority of early conceptus mortality in pregnancy occurs during the peri-implantation period, suggesting that this period is important for conceptus viability and the establishment of pregnancy. Successful establishment of pregnancy in all mammalian species depends on the orchestrated molecular events that transpire at the conceptus-uterine interface during the peri-implantation period of pregnancy. This maternal-conceptus interaction is especially crucial in pigs because they have a non-invasive epitheliochorial placentation during a protracted peri-implantation period.