title: A comparison of the anti-luteolytic activities of recombinant ovine interferon-alpha and -tau in sheep.
abstract: Interferon tau (IFNT) is secreted by the trophectoderm of ruminant conceptuses during the peri-implantation period and serves an anti-luteolytic function. The question as to whether IFNT is superior as an anti-luteolytic agent to closely related Type I IFNs, such as IFN alpha (IFNA), which have a different function, remains unanswered. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether equivalent antiviral (AV) units of ovIFNA and ovIFNT are equipotent in extending estrous cycle length. Four distinct ovIFNA mRNA (ovIFNA1-4) were cloned from ovine lymphocytes. Recombinant ovine IFNs (ovIFNT4 and ovIFNA1) were prepared in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The AV activity of the purified IFNs was determined on a bovine cell line (MDBK) and on transformed ovine luminal uterine epithelial cells. Indwelling uterine catheters were fitted into crossbred ewes on Day 3 postestrus (Day 0 = estrus). Between Days 10 and 18 postestrus, ewes received twice-daily infusions of 0.7 x 10(7) IU of either ovIFNA1 or T4, plus serum albumin. Control ewes received serum albumin only. Daily blood samples were collected for progesterone determination, and ewes were monitored twice daily for estrus. Both ovIFNA (P = 0.04) and ovIFNT (P = 0.01) caused estrous cycle extension in nonpregnant ewes compared to controls when administered at equivalent AV doses. In conclusion, the uniqueness of IFNT as an anti-luteolytic agent most likely resides in its unique expression pattern rather than its special biopotency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Spate
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bixby
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Ealy
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000187:drug effects; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C020947:interferon tau; D011374:Progesterone