title: Maternal exposure to high temperatures disrupts OCT4 mRNA expression of rabbit pre-implantation embryos and endometrial tissue.
abstract: We examined the effect of prolonged high heat stress on reproductive performance and its relationship with gene expression in pre-implantation embryos and endometrial tissue. In experiment 1, primiparous rabbit does were divided into two environments: control does (maintained between 14 and 22°C) and heat-treated does housed in a climatic chamber (maintained between 25 and 35°C). Females were reproducing, and the litter size and live born kits were assessed at 2nd and 3rd partum. In heat-treated does, lower litter size (9.7 ± 0.48 and 11.4 ± 0.50) and fewer live born kits (7.2 ± 0.55 and 10.2 ± 0.57) were observed, although similar ovulation rates and numbers of pre-implantation embryos were noted. In experiment 2, after 3rd partum multiparous non-lactating does from each experimental group were used to obtain pre-implantation embryos and endometrial tissue. mRNA transcripts from OCT-4, VEGF, erbB3, Ifn-ɣ, HSP70 and HSP90 were analysed by real-time qPCR. Higher values of OCT-4 expression were observed in embryos and endometrial tissue in females reproduced under heat conditions. Moreover, elevated temperatures have been shown to up-regulate VEGF in embryos and down-regulate Ifn-ɣ in endometrial tissue. The findings suggest a deleterious temperature effect on litter size and live born kits as a consequence of variation in gene expression pattern of the pre-implantational embryo and the endometrium associated with proliferation and differentiation and probably with implantation and uterine and foetal development during gestation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Science and Animal Technology (ICTA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain. fmarco@dca.upv.es
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marco-Jiménez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Naturil-Alfonso
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Peñaranda
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Trigos
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García-Diego
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Vicente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008098:Litter Size; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010060:Ovulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D012333:RNA, Messenger