Reproduction Abstracts

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 ...

Introduction: Exposure to an adverse environment around the time of conception can program adult onset disease although mechanisms involved are unclear. Recently we showed that periconceptional alcohol (PC:EtOH) consumption causes placental stress demonstrated by elevated levels of 11βHSD-2, and sex-specific increases in placental glucose transporters and glycogen accumulation. O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT), an X-linked gene product, res...

Introduction: We aimed to establish an efficient in vitro fertilization (IVF) system without optimization of sperm concentration of individual bulls, which can obtain stable fertilization and development. We examined the effects of PHE mixture (20 μM D-penicillamine, 10 μM hypotaurine, and 1 μM epinephrine), theophylline (2.5 mM), and sperm concentrations (1, 2, or 5×106 spermatozoa/ml) on fertilization and development of bovine oocytes ...

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 ...

Background: The human endometrium is a dynamic, multi-cellular sex steroid-dependent tissue subject to cyclical episodes of breakdown (menses), repair and regeneration. The mechanisms responsible for initiation of menses are well characterised; the molecular and cellular changes responsible for rapid repair are poorly understood. Re-epithelialisation of the tissue is thought to involve contributions from both the stromal and epithelial compartments. A role for androgens in end...

Introduction: Infection with non-cytopathic BVDV (ncpBVDV) is associated with uterine disease and infertility in dairy cows although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This project investigated the influence of ncpBVDV on innate immunity of the bovine endometrium.Materials and methods: Primary bovine endometrial cells from each of six cows were divided into four groups (Control; LPS; BVDV; BVDV LPS). Cells were infected with ncpBVDV for 4 d...

Introduction: Preimplantation embryos depend on nutrients provided in the reproductive tract for development. Early human embryos have an increasing requirement for amino acids as they develop from the 1-cell through to the blastocyst stage. In vivo, the uterus provides the final environment for preimplantation development, but surprisingly, the nutritional composition of human uterine fluid has been little investigated. This study aims to examine the amino acid compo...

Dairy cow fertility has declined over the past 50 years coinciding with increased milk production. Uterine health is an important factor with endometritis prevalent in high-yielding dairy cows. This study assessed the association between uterine disease on reproductive performance in 78 commercial UK dairy herds. Data from 59 118 lactations (n=29 157 cows) was collected from 2000to 2009 and included presence of uterine disease, calving date, and insemination informati...