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Modulation of the maternal immune system by the pre-implantation embryo.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: A large proportion of pregnancy losses occur during the pre-implantation period, when the developing embryo is elongating rapidly and signalling its presence to the maternal system. The molecular mechanisms that prevent luteolysis and support embryo survival within the maternal environment are not well understood. To gain a more complete picture of these molecular events, genome-wide transcriptional profiles of reproductive day 17 endometrial tissue were determined in pregnant and cyclic Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. RESULTS: Microarray analyses revealed 1,839 and 1,189 differentially expressed transcripts between pregnant and cyclic animals (with > or = 1.5 fold change in expression; P-value < 0.05, MTC Benjamini-Hochberg) in caruncular and intercaruncular endometrium respectively. Gene ontology and biological pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed enrichment for genes involved in interferon signalling and modulation of the immune response in pregnant animals. CONCLUSION: The maternal immune system actively surveys the uterine environment during early pregnancy. The embryo modulates this response inducing the expression of endometrial molecules that suppress the immune response and promote maternal tolerance to the embryo. During this period of local immune suppression, genes of the innate immune response (in particular, antimicrobial genes) may function to protect the uterus against infection.

SUBMITTER: Walker CG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3091670 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Modulation of the maternal immune system by the pre-implantation embryo.

Walker Caroline G CG Meier Susanne S Littlejohn Mathew D MD Lehnert Klaus K Roche John R JR Mitchell Murray D MD

BMC genomics 20100813

<h4>Background</h4>A large proportion of pregnancy losses occur during the pre-implantation period, when the developing embryo is elongating rapidly and signalling its presence to the maternal system. The molecular mechanisms that prevent luteolysis and support embryo survival within the maternal environment are not well understood. To gain a more complete picture of these molecular events, genome-wide transcriptional profiles of reproductive day 17 endometrial tissue were determined in pregnant ...[more]

PMID: 20707927

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Project description:The developmental origins of adult disease are now recognized to reflect intrauterine conditions during embryonic and fetal life. Cell-cell communication between the maternal endometrium and the pre-implantation embryo can occur by several means. Here, we show that maternal miRNAs are secreted by the endometrial epithelium to the endometrial fluid. Microarray assessments revealed the presence of specific miRNAs that are associated with the window of implantation and therefore in direct contact with the human preimplantation embryo. These miRNAS are transported as free or exosome-associated molecules secreted to the endometrial fluid and then uptake into the pre-implantation embryo through the trophoectoderm. Finally, these maternal miRNAs were able to induce transcriptional and functional modifications of the embryo. Therefore, we propose an innovative model whereby endometrial maternal miRNAS may function as transcriptomic regulators during early embryo development offering a new perspective on the developmental origins of adult diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and others that are now recognized to reflect intrauterine conditions. The B6C3F1 mice strain was purchased. Female mice aged 6M-bM-^@M-^S8 weeks were primed to ovulate by administering 10 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin(Sigma-Aldrich, Irvine, UK), followed by administration of 10 IU hCG(Sigma-Aldrich, Irvine, UK), 48 hours later. Females were housed overnight with male breeders and examined the following morning for the presence of a vaginal plug (day 1 of pregnancy). On day 2 of pregnancy, mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and embryos flushed with PBS from the oviduct using a blunt 30-gauge needle. Then, embryos were cultured in CCM-30 medium (Vitrolife, Lubeck, Germany) in presence or absence of 400nM of mir-30d MIMIC or Scramble-Alexa 488 for 72 hours. Then embryos are four times washed in fresh CCM. Experiment were carried out by triplicate and with 30 embryos/condition

Dataset Information

Modulation of the maternal immune system by the pre-implantation embryo.

Publications

Modulation of the maternal immune system by the pre-implantation embryo.

Similar Datasets

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