Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Following labour, the uterus rapidly returns to its pre-pregnancy state. Exact mechanisms underlying labour and postpartum involution are not fully understood but inflammation is understood to play a key role. It has been hypothesised that rather than initiating or propagating labour, inflammation may prime the uterus for extensive postpartum tissue repair and remodelling, in a manner akin to repair in exercising skeletal muscle. This study aims...

In several mammalian species, a major remodelling of the germinal vesicle chromatin is known to occur towards the end of the oocyte growth. Various chromatin configurations have been identified. However, the mechanisms involved in this remodelling process are yet not completely understood. In the bovine species, four distinct and progressive states of chromatin compaction have been characterized and are linked to a gradual acquisition of the developmental potential. Germinal v...

Introduction: This study determined whether the way in which pregnant ewes were handled affected gonad development in their offspring.Methods: Twin-bearing Scottish Blackface × Border Leicester ewes were either handled minimally (control, C, n=20), positively (predictable timings, soft vocal tones etc. P, n=20) or negatively (random timings, shouting and whistling etc. N, n=20) between day 65 and 100 of pregnancy. Followin...

Introduction: Following IVF, blastocysts produced from oocytes recovered from gilts fed a high fibre diet for the preceding 19 days contained more cells than blastocysts from oocytes of control-fed gilts. Oocytes were collected on day 19 of the gilts’ third oestrous cycle and matured in 10% of their own follicular fluid (FF), suggesting that FF may confer the reproductive benefits. The current study compared the protein composition of pooled FF from six high fibre-fed pig...

The agouti is a rodent found in the South America and one of the most predated species in Brazil, which has shown a significant decrease of population size. The principal function of epididymis is maturation of spermatozoa, in addition to conducting the same for the vas deferens. The study of sperm pathway, especially of epididymis, can promote morphophysiological information necessary for reproduction biotechnologies. The aim of this study was to describe the ultrastructure o...

The study of the sperm is particularly relevant to reproduction of the species and can promote morphological information necessary for reproduction biotechnologies. The agouti is a rodent found in the South America and represents an excellent source of animal protein. In captivity, the establishment of pubescent occurs at 9 months of age. The aim of this study is to describe the ultrastructure of sperm during sexual development of agoutis kept in captivity. The testes of anima...

Background: Turner syndrome in human arises from the loss of genetic material from a sex chromosome, resulting in the 45,XO genotype, with the remaining X chromosome being maternally-inherited (Xm) or paternally-inherited (Xp). As the gene dosage and expressions of Xp and Xm chromosomes are epigenetically different, this study aims to investigate the different influences of Xm and Xp on placental phenotype, using a mouse model.Methods: 14 placentas from ...

Introduction: Both obesity and mood disorders associate with altered glucocorticoid (GC) secretion and action. During pregnancy placenta regulates foetal exposure to maternal GC through enzymatic clearance (HSD-2) and retrograde transfer (ABC transporters). We and others have shown that maternal obesity and/or mood disorders alter placental HSD-2 mRNA level. We therefore hypothesised that placental ABC transporter gene expression is also altered, and investigated this using sa...

Introduction: Menstruation is an inflammatory process characterised by tissue breakdown, bleeding and recruitment of leukocytes. Resolution of this inflammation at menses is critical both to limiting tissue damage and to efficient repair. Apoptosis and clearance of apoptotic cells are necessary for this process, and are thought to involve neutrophils.Our aims were to (i) delineate neutrophil numbers and identify apoptosis in peri-menstrual endometrium an...

Mating is a source of signals to the female reproductive tract to ensure reproductive success. Previously, we reported that mating induces the expression of carbohydrate sulfotransferase 10 (CHST10) in the rat endosalpynx. This enzyme participates in the sulfation of the carbohydrate motif named human natural killer 1 (HNK1), synthesized over membrane proteins and lipids. Both molecules, CHST10 and HNK1, are involved in cell-to-cell interactions. Herein, we determined the effe...