Reproduction Abstracts

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, propagate by self-renewal and can give rise to all cells of the body. Thus, they are a useful model to investigate a range of degenerative disorders such as type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. However, hESCs are notoriously difficult to maintain in culture as colonies have a propensity to spontaneously differentiate making it difficult to unifo...

Endometrial function is orchestrated by endogenous ovarian steroid hormones, oestradiol (E) and progesterone (P). P plays a crucial role in the functional modification of the endometrium in preparation for pregnancy (differentiation of stromal fibroblasts, maturation of spiral arterioles and influx of immune cells). In the peri-menstrual phase cyclical tissue ‘injury and repair’ in the local endometrial environment is a consequence of P-withdrawal which initiates a c...

Background: Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells are a phenotypically distinct population of tissue-resident immune cells that are reported to regulate vascular remodelling within the endometrium. The mechanisms that control accumulation of uNK cells in the endometrium remain unresolved although there is evidence to suggest that homing and differentiation of peripheral blood NK (pbNK) cells may contribute to the rapid increase in cell numbers during the secretory phase of the me...

Introduction: Embryonic diapause is a period of developmental arrest in which the embryo is maintained in a dormant state for an extended period of time. Over 130 species of mammals undergo embryonic diapause, but the molecular control mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the potential role of polyamines during embryonic diapause in the mouse. Polyamines play essential roles in cell growth and proliferation, and the regulation of their expression is contro...

Many studies demonstrating that the environment a pregnant female experiences can have profound and sometimes persistent effects on offspring development use extreme experimental perturbations which do not reflect the range of environments a pregnant female is actually likely to experience. We have assessed offspring reproductive development following treatments designed to reflect husbandry and management conditions that pregnant sheep or pigs encounter. Female offspring of s...

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. They proliferate by self-renewal and have the potential to develop into all cells of the three germ layers. Thus, hESCs hold great potential for use in regenerative medicine. hESCs are difficult to maintain in culture and have a tendency to spontaneously differentiate. Culture at a low, 5% oxygen concentration is beneficial for the maintenance of a wholly pluripotent cell population comp...

In livestock ruminant species including sheep and cattle, high fertilisation rates shown around 80%, do not necessarily equate to successful pregnancy. Deficient uterine function is therefore a major contributory factor to pregnancy failure resulting in embryonic mortality. In humans undergoing IVF treatment for subfertility, approximately only 25% of embryo transfers will successfully implant. To gain a better understanding of the natural implantation environment, in vitr...

Evidence suggests that excessive non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) production during postpartum negative energy balance (NEB) increases the risk of uterine infection. The aims of our study were to investigate associations between circulating NEFAs and uterine gene expression in postpartum dairy cows with NEB using microarray and bioinformatics techniques. Mild NEB (n=6) and severe NEB (n=6) in 12 cows were produced using different milking and...

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) proliferate by self-renewal and hold much promise for regenerative medicine since they have the potential to develop into all cells of the body. In culture, hESCs are difficult to maintain as they have a propensity to spontaneously differentiate. A low, 5% oxygen concentration (hypoxia) promotes hESC maintenance but the mechanisms which regulate this effect are unknown. We hypothesise that changes in environmental oxygen alter the expression ...

Little is known about the involvement of miRNAs during terminal follicle differentiation in the monovular ovary. This study aimed to characterise miRNAs involved in the follicle-luteal transition in bovine. Microarray analyses were performed on RNA from ovulatory-size follicles (n=6) and early corpora lutea (n=6) obtained at an abattoir. Exiqon’s miRCURY LNA microRNA Array, sixth generation was used and results were validated by qPCR. A total of ten and ...