Project description:The female reproductive tract is one of the major mucosal invasion site of HIV-1. This site has been neglected in previous HIV-1 vaccine studies. Immune responses in the female reproductive tract after systemic vaccination remain to be characterized. Using a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) as a vaccine model, we characterized specific immune responses in all compartments of the female reproductive tract (FRT) of non-human primates after systemic vaccination. Memory T cells were preferentially found in the lower tract (vagina and cervix), whereas antigen-presenting cells and innate lymphoid cells were mainly located in the upper tract (uterus and fallopian tubes). This compartmentalisation of immune cells in the FRT was supported by transcriptomic analyses and correlation network. Polyfunctional MVA-specific CD8+ T cells were detected in the blood, lymph nodes, vagina, cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes. Anti-MVA IgG and IgA were detected in cervicovaginal fluid after a second vaccine dose. Systemic vaccination with an MVA vector thus elicits cellular and antibody responses in the female reproductive tract.
Project description:Fallopian tube epithelium is the tissue-of-origin of most high grade serous papillary ovarian carcinoma. This tumor has been exensively investigated and sequenced but expression profiling data of normal fallopian tube epithelial cells is still rare. This project compares the miRNA profiles of high grade serous papillary ovarian tumors (FFPE and fresh frozen) to that of normal unmatched epithelial cells from resected fallopian tubes.
Project description:The cell of origin of serious ovarian cancer is unknown. To create a mouse model for this lethal cancer and identify early cancer biomarkers, we conditionally deleted both Dicer (essential for microRNA biosynthesis) and Pten (a negative regulator of the PI3K pathway) in the female reproductive tract. Beginning at ~3-5 months, these Dicer/Pten mutant mice develop high-grade serious carcinomas that initiate in the stroma of the fallopian tube through a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET), subsequently envelop the ovary, and then metastasize throughout the peritoneum, resulting in ascites and 100% lethality by 13 months. The fallopian tube cancers demonstrate upregulation of genes encoding known and novel secreted proteins that are potential biomarkers. This study uncovers a new paradigm for the initiation of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. RNA was isolated from the fallopian tube cancers of independent DKO mice and normal fallopian tubes of control mice and subjected to mRNA expression analysis using an Illumina platform (MouseWG-6 v2 Expression BeadChip).
Project description:Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system. In order to improve EOC patient outcomes, it is crucial to have a better understanding of how EOC develops from its cellular origin. EOCs can originate from either fallopian tube epithelial (FTE) cells or ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells, but with different courses of development. The basis for this difference is unclear. To address this, we performed single cell RNA-sequencing of mouse cells isolated from the distal portion of fallopian tubes (i.e., oviducts) and surface layer of ovaries. Analysis of this single cell dataset revealed distinct niche organizations for murine FTE cells and OSE cells.
Project description:The human-restricted pathogenNeisseria gonorrhoeaeascends into the upper female reproductive tract to cause damaging inflammation within the Fallopian tubes (salpingitis) and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), increasing the risk of infertility and life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. The loss of ciliated cells from the epithelium is thought to be both a consequence of inflammation and a cause of the associated adverse sequelae. However, the links between infection, inflammation, and ciliated cell extrusion remain unresolved. With the use ofex vivocultures of human Fallopian tube paired with RNA sequencing we defined the tissue response to gonococcal challenge, identifying cytokine, chemokine, cell adhesion, and apoptosis related transcripts not previously recognized as potentiators of gonococcal PID. Unexpectedly, the cytokine IL-17C was one of the most highly induced genes. Yet, this cytokine has no previous association with gonococcal disease nor any sexually transmitted infection and thus it was selected for further characterization in our model. We show that human Fallopian tubes express the IL-17C receptor (IL-17RE) on the epithelial surface and that treatment with purified IL-17C induces pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion in addition to sloughing of the epithelium and generalized tissue damage. These results demonstrate a previously unrecognized but critical role of IL-17C in the damaging inflammation induced by gonococci in a human explant model of PID.
Project description:STUDY QUESTION: Do extracellular vesicles (EVs) from human Fallopian tubes exert an influence on early embryo development in vitro? SUMMARY ANSWER: Human Fallopian tube EVs carrying miRNAs increase murine embryo viability in vitro. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Oviductal EVs (oEVs) are recently identified key players in embryo-oviduct interactions that contribute to successful pregnancy in vivo. Their absence in current in vitro systems may partly explain the suboptimal embryo development observed, therefore further knowledge is needed about their impact on early embryos. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: The oEVs were isolated from the luminal fluid of human Fallopian tubes using ultracentrifugation. We cocultured oEVs with murine two-cell embryos until the blastocyst stage. The study was conducted between August 2021 and July 2022. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: A total of 23 premenopausal women were recruited for Fallopian-tubes collection, and the oEVs were isolated. The micro RNA (miRNA) contents were detected using high-throughput sequencing and their target genes and effects were analyzed. After in vitro culture with or without oEVs, the blastocyst and hatching rates were recorded. Furthermore, for the blastocysts formed, we assessed the total cell number, inner cell mass proportion, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, number of apoptotic cells and mRNA expression levels of genes involved in development. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: EVs were successfully isolated from the human Fallopian tubal fluid and the concentrations were evaluated. A total of 79 known miRNAs were identified from eight samples that had been sequenced, all involved in various biological processes. The blastocyst rate, hatching rate, as well as total cell number of blastocysts were significantly increased in the oEVs-treated groups (p < 0.05 versus untreated), while the proportion of inner cell mass showed no significant difference between groups. ROS levels and apoptotic cell proportions were decreased in the oEVs-treated groups (p < 0.05 versus untreated). The genes, Actin-Related Protein 3 (Actr3), Eomesodermin (Eomes), and Wnt Family Member 3A (Wnt3a) were upregulated in blastocysts in the oEVs-treated group.
Project description:Copy number variation profiles comparing control female Dehong chiken blood DNA with 11 different chicken breeds(Silkie, Tibetan Chicken, Gallus gallus spadiceus, Bearded Chicken, Jinhu Chicken, Anak Chicken, Beijing Fatty Chicken, Langshan Chicken, Qingyuan partridge Chicken, Shek-Ki Chicken, Wenchang Chicken) blood DNA. Each test breeds had one male and one female sample, totally 22 test DNA samples.Goal is to get the golbal copy number variation profile between chicken breeds.
Project description:The fallopian tubes are essential to several physiological and pathological processes from pregnancy to ovarian cancer. However, current in vitro models to study their pathophysiology were validated using two-dimensional (2D) tissue sections and measuring the organoid response to female hormone stimulation. These analyses overlook the 3D heterogeneity of the tissue and the fallopian tube mechanical function (transport of an oocyte). We developed a multi-compartment organoid model of the human fallopian tube that was meticulously tuned to reflect the compartmentalization and heterogeneity of the tissue composition. We validated the proteome, cilia-driven transport function, and architectural accuracy of this organoid through a novel platform wherein organoids are quantitatively compared to a 3D single-cell resolution reference map of a healthy, transplantation-quality human fallopian tube. This organoid model was precision-engineered using our iterative platform to resemble the cellular and extracellular proteome, biological function, and 3D microanatomy of the human fallopian tube.
Project description:The fallopian tube transports the gametes to the fertilization site and delivers the embryo to the uterus at the optimal time for implantation. Progesterone and the classical progesterone receptor (PGR) are known to be involved in regulating both tubal ciliary beating and muscular contractions, possibly involving both genomic and non-genomic actions. To provide more clues on the mechanisms involved, we investigated the effect of progesterone on gene expression in mice fallopian tubes in vitro at early (20 min) and later (2 h, 8 h) time-points using microarray and/or quantitative PCR. In parallel, oocyte cumulus complex transport was investigated in ovulating mice injected with one of the PGR antagonists, Org 31710 or CDB2194. Microarray analyses did not reveal any apparently regulated genes 20 min after progesterone treatment, in agreement with a proposed non-genomic action of progesterone controlling ciliary beating. After 2 h, 11 genes were significantly up-regulated. Analyses by quantitative PCR at 2 h and 8 h showed a consistent up-regulation of endothelin 1 (Edn1) and a down-regulation of its receptor Ednra by progesterone. We also show that treatment with progesterone receptor antagonist before ovulation accelerates the transport of the oocyte cumulus complex. This is the first study showing that progesterone regulates Edn1 and Ednra in the fallopian tube. Together with previous studies on endothelin-mediated effects on muscular contractions in the fallopian tube, the results from this study suggest that endothelin is a mediator of the progesterone-controlled effects on muscular contraction, and eventually gamete transport, in the fallopian tube. 16 pooled samples from mice fallopian tubes were exposed in vitro to progesterone for up to 2 hours.