Effect of interferon-tau administration on endometrium of nonpregnant ewes: a comparison with pregnant ewes.
In ruminants, conceptus interferon-tau (IFNT) alters maternal physiology to accommodate a pregnancy. We hypothesized that the effectiveness of IFNT on extending corpus luteum (CL) life span in nonpregnant ewes would depend upon the dose and manner of administration and would be correlated with the response in gene expression in endometrium. We anticipated that IFNT, whether administered im or by uterine infusion, would mimic changes observed in pregnancy. Ewes were assigned to five treatments: 1) uterine infusion of saline; 2) uterine infusion of ovine IFNT4 (200 microg/d); 3) saline im injection; 4) im injection of IFNT4 at low dose (200 microg/d); and 5) high dose (2 mg/d). CL life span was increased in groups 2 and 5, but not in 1, 3, and 4. Endometrial RNA extracted from groups 1-5 on d 14 and from d 14 pregnant and nonbred (cyclic) ewes was used to assess expression of 70 genes on microarrays. When pregnant and cyclic ewes were compared, 30 genes were up-regulated and nine down-regulated during pregnancy. Responses were slightly less in groups 2 and 5 but were much lower in group 4. The majority of the highly up-regulated genes were associated with antiviral responses. Those down-regulated included ones for IGF-II, hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha, oxytocin receptor, prostaglandin F synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2. Quantitative PCR for selected genes confirmed these data and revealed that similar gene expression changes occurred in the CL of pregnant and group 2 ewes. IFNT treatment mimics pregnancy, but relatively high doses of im-injected IFNT are required to elicit a full endometrial response.
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, 65211, USA.
Yizhen
Y
Chen
Jonathan A
JA
Green
Eric
E
Antoniou
Alan D
AD
Ealy
Nagappan
N
Mathialagan
Angela M
AM
Walker
Mary P
MP
Avalle
Cheryl S
CS
Rosenfeld
Leonard B
LB
Hearne
R Michael
RM
Roberts
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000378:metabolism; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D004285:Dogs; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004717:Endometrium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000378:metabolism; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D015233:Models, Statistical; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D007370:Interferon Type I; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; C020947:interferon tau; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2