A microarray analysis for genes regulated by interferon-tau in ovine luminal epithelial cells.
Interferon-tau (IFNT) is released by preimplantation conceptuses of ruminant species and prepares the mother for pregnancy. Although one important function is to protect the corpus luteum from the luteolytic activity of prostaglandin-F 2alpha, IFNT most likely regulates a range of other physiological processes in endometrium. Here, an immortalized cell line from ovine uterine luminal epithelial cells was treated with IFNT for either 8 or 24 h. RNA was subjected to cDNA microarray analysis, with RNA from untreated cells as the reference standard. Of 15 634 genes, 1274 (8%) were IFNT responsive at P<0.01 and 585 at P<0.001 to at least one treatment. Of the latter, 356 were up-regulated and 229 down-regulated. Increasing IFNT concentrations from 10 ng/ml to 10 microg/ml had minor effects, and most genes up- or down-regulated at 8 h were regulated similarly at 24 h. Although IFNT influences many genes implicated in antiviral activity and apoptosis, its action also likely regulates prostaglandin metabolism, growth factors and their receptors, apoptosis and the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB cascade, extracellular matrix accretion, angiogenesis, blood coagulation, and inflammation. In particular, it increased mRNA concentrations of genes related to the vascular endothelial growth factor R2 pathway of angiogenesis and down-regulated ones associated with hypoxia. Two genes implicated in the antiluteolytic actions of IFNT (encoding cyclooxygenase-2 and the oxytocin receptor respectively) were down-regulated in response to all treatments. IFNT targets a complex range of physiological processes during the establishment of pregnancy.
Chen
Yizhen
Y
Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
Antoniou
Eric
E
Liu
Zhilin
Z
Hearne
Leonard B
LB
Roberts
R Michael
RM
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003340:Corpus Luteum Maintenance / Q000235:genetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects*; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012756:Sheep / Q000378:metabolism*; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism*
D007370:Interferon Type I; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; C020947:interferon tau