Differential gene expression in porcine oviduct during the oestrous cycle

Abstract

The oviduct undergoes changes under the influence of steroid hormones during the oestrous cycle. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying oviductal regulation are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to identify the gene expression profile of the porcine oviduct in different stages of the cycle using microarray technology. A systematic study was performed on animals at four different stage: prepubertal gilts, and sows in the preovulatory, postovulatory and luteal phase of the oestrous cycle. The porcine oviduct expressed a total of 4929 genes. Moreover, significant differences in the expression of several genes were detected as the oestrous cycle progressed. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes indicated that a total of 86, 89 and 15 genes were upregulated in prepubertal gilts, preovulatory and luteal sows respectively compared with levels observed in postovulatory sows. Moreover, 80, 51 and 64 genes were downregulated in prepubertal, preovulatory and luteal animals respectively compared with the postovulatory sows. The concentrations of 10 selected transcripts were quantified by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to validate the cDNA array hybridisation data. Conversely, for some genes, localisation of corresponding protein expression in the oviduct was analysed by immunohistochemistry (i.e. cholecystokinin, glutathione peroxidase 2, mucin 1, phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein 4 and tachykinin 3) and mass spectrometry analysis of oviductal fluid allowed identification of peptides from all five proteins. The results of the present study demonstrate that gene expression in the porcine oviduct is clearly regulated during the oestrous cycle, with some oviductal proteins that could be related to several reproductive processes described here for the first time.

Spatial and Pregnancy-Related Changes in the Protein, Amino Acid, and Carbohydrate Composition of Bovine Oviduct Fluid

“…Therefore, it is not surprising that the α-1-antiproteinase transcript has been identified in the oviductal cells [17], presumably secreted by the oviductal epithelium. Corroborating our results, Pillai et al, [44] identified α-1-antiproteinase and other serpins (A3-1, A3-7, A3-8, D1 and H1) in bovine OF, as well as Fernandes et al, [45], in the periovulatory oviduct and uterus of goats [44], and these genes are expressed by the porcine oviduct [46]. PGK1, a non-secreted enzyme, was found in a higher concentration in the OF of pregnant heifers.…”

Extracellular Vesicles Function as Bioactive Molecular Transmitters in the Mammalian Oviduct: An Inspiration for Optimizing in Vitro Culture Systems and Improving Delivery of Exogenous Nucleic Acids during Preimplantation Embryonic Development

“…Having these results in mind, we should be aware of the fact that the molecular cargoes of OVS are under hormonal regulation, with considerable differences between different stages of the estrous cycle [13]. This finding is consistent with previous transcriptome and proteome studies in the oviduct during the estrous cycle [67][68][69][70].…”

The Expression of ERK1/2 in Female Yak (Bos grunniens) Reproductive Organs

“…For instance, Cerny et al performed a transcriptome analysis of bovine oviduct epithelial cells, and they found that a large number of genes differentially expressed during different estrus stages [64]. In line with these observations, significant differences of the profile of the gene and protein expression in the oviduct, between different estrus cycle stages, have also been reported in ewes [65], bovine [66], pigs [67,68], and humans [69,70]. For example, in spontaneous estrous ewes, a total of 280 proteins were identified in the oviduct, and 64 proteins upregulated during estrus, while 17 proteins were upregulated in the luteal phase [65].…”