title: Characterization and comparative analyses of transcriptomes for in vivo and in vitro produced peri-implantation conceptuses and endometria from sheep.
abstract: An increasing number of reports indicate that in vitro fertilization (IVF) is highly associated with long‑term side effects on embryonic and postnatal development, and can sometimes result in embryonic implant failure. While high‑throughput gene expression analysis has been used to explore the mechanisms underlying IVF-induced side effects on embryonic development, little is known about the effects of IVF on conceptus-endometrial interactions during the peri-implantation period. Using sheep as a model, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis between in vivo (IVO; in vivo fertilized followed by further development in the uterus) and in vitro produced (IVP; IVF with further culture in the incubator) conceptuses, and the caruncular and intercaruncular areas of the ovine endometrium. We identified several genes that were differentially expressed between the IVO and IVP groups on day 17, when adhesion between the trophoblast and the uterine luminal epithelium begins in sheep. By performing Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, we found that, in the conceptus, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated mainly with functions relating to cell binding and the cell cycle. In the endometrial caruncular area, DEGs were involved in cell adhesion/migration and apoptosis, and in the intercaruncular area, they were significantly enriched in pathways of signal transduction and transport. Thus, these DEGs are potential candidates for further exploring the mechanism underlying IVF/IVP-induced embryonic implant failure that occurs due to a loss of interaction between the conceptus and endometrium during the peri-implantation period.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiaoling
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rui
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: Guo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhonghong
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jianhui
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xinyu
authors.forename: An
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002453:Cell Cycle; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D047108:Embryonic Development; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D016678:Genome; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000378:metabolism*; D012756:Sheep; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D059467:Transcriptome; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology; D014599:Uterus / Q000378:metabolism