Distribution of estrogen receptor α and progesterone receptor B in the bovine oviduct during the follicular and luteal phases of the sexual cycle: an immunohistochemical and semi-quantitative study

Abstract

The aim of our study was to determine the distribution of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and progesterone receptor B (PR-B) in the bovine oviduct during the follicular and luteal phases. Bovine oviducts from 23 animals were obtained from a local slaughterhouse. Blood samples from these animals also were taken before death to measure estrogen and progesterone levels. The serum levels of estradiol-17β and progesterone changed during the estrous cycle. Tissue distribution of ERα and PR-B was examined using immunohistochemical techniques and the results showed that ERα and PR-B were stained in nuclei of cells and could be detected in all compartments along the entire oviduct during both the follicular and luteal phases. During the follicular phase, no significant differences were found between ERα and PR-B distribution (p < 0.05), while significant differences were found between ERα and PR-B during the luteal phase (p < 0.05). We results indicated that the frequency and intensity of ERα and PR-β immunoreactivity in the oviduct of bovines varied according to the oviductal cell types and the phases of the sexual cycle.

Expression of nuclear progesterone receptor and progesterone receptor membrane components 1 and 2 in the oviduct of cyclic and pregnant cows during the post-ovulation period

“…Nevertheless, in the present study, nuclear P4 receptors were expressed between Day 1.5 and Day 5 post-ovulation in both the ampulla and the isthmus. These results are in keeping with earlier reports on PR expression in bovine whole-oviduct sections [17,34] and in isolated oviduct epithelial cells [18]. A nuclear immunostaining was observed in the luminal epithelial cell layer, as well as in the muscle layer and stromal tissue, in agreement with earlier reports using the same anti-PR antibody [18] or some others [17,34,35] in bovine oviduct samples collected during the first five days of the oestrous cycle.…”

“…These results are in keeping with earlier reports on PR expression in bovine whole-oviduct sections [17,34] and in isolated oviduct epithelial cells [18]. A nuclear immunostaining was observed in the luminal epithelial cell layer, as well as in the muscle layer and stromal tissue, in agreement with earlier reports using the same anti-PR antibody [18] or some others [17,34,35] in bovine oviduct samples collected during the first five days of the oestrous cycle. Accordingly, one of the latter studies reported that the muscle layer was positively stained only during the early luteal phase (days 1–5) compared with other phases of the oestrous cycle in the cow [18].…”

“…P4 may act in the oviduct through at least two types of receptors: the conventional nuclear receptor PR, that exists in two isoforms PRA and PRB (arising from a single gene) which are both expressed in the bovine oviduct [17,18], and two potential P4 receptors, referred to as progesterone receptor membrane component (PGRMC) 1 and the closely related PGRMC2, encoded by two different genes [19]. While minimal information is available concerning PGRMC2, PGRMC1 is a vertebrate 26–28 kDa protein that contains a single membrane-spanning domain and belongs to the membrane-associated P4 receptor (MAPR) family [20].…”

Ciliary Beating Plane and Wave Propagation in the Bovine Oviduct

“…Studies on goats and cows have suggested that ciliogenic activity and ciliary density depend on the hormonal status [Abe and Oikawa, 1993;Abe et al, 1993;Wessel et al, 2004]. Oviduct cells have also been shown not only to express estrogen and progesterone receptors but to do so in a cycle-dependent manner [Kenngott et al, 2011;Saruhan et al, 2011]. Furthermore, the cytosolic and nuclear levels of estradiol are higher during the follicular than the luteal phase [West and Brenner, 1983;Derussi et al, 2012] and hormonal status seems to affect ciliary movement [Nishimura et al, 2010].…”

Efeito do estradiol e da progesterona no desenvolvimento e na qualidade de embriões bovinos produzidos in vitro

“…As secreções desses dois segmentos diferem quanto à composição e concentração, variando durante esse trajeto e nas diferentes fases do ciclo estral, reguladas por esteroides ovarianos (Binelli et al, 2009;Saruhan et al, 2010). No desenvolvimento in vitro, estas modificações não ocorrem adequadamente na rotina do cultivo embrionário, sendo necessário que sejam realizadas melhoras na qualidade das condições de cultura que simulem essas variações, a fim de oferecer aos embriões um ambiente mais adequado in vitro (Miranda et al, 2007;Cevik et al, 2009).…”