Ultrastructural analysis and detection of bovine rumen cadherins, catenins and connexins during pre and postnatal development

• Grant number: 16/13038-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2016
• End date: September 15, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Francisco Javier Hernandez Blazquez
• Grantee: André Luis Rezende Franciolli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 15/50095-3 - Expression of proteins of cell communication and cell junctions in the digestive system of cattle fetuses, newborn calves and adult cattle, AP.TEM

Abstract

The rumen epithelium is crucial to the digestive and physiological adaptations of the adult feeding ruminants, but the cellular process of adaptation and the most important molecules in epithelial architecture, which are the proteins of the cell junctions, have been little studied. E-cadherin and N-cadherin are molecules which mediate adhesion, migration, cell differentiation processes and epithelial repair process. The ²-catenin binds to E-cadherin and ±-catenin and the cytoskeleton, constituting the complex E-cadherin-catenin-actin, which have important roles in the maintenance of cell structural integrity, functional unit of the epithelium and the formation of gap junctions . The ²-catenin and regulates differentiation and cell proliferation also has an important role in the interactions between the cadherins and other transmembrane proteins like the receptors of the connexin gap junction. These, in turn, act in the homeostatic regulation of various cellular functions including growth control and differentiation, apoptosis, regeneration and synchronization of the metabolic activities of the epithelium. In the proventriculus of ruminants in addition to the Cx43 is not known what other and are expressed either as they are or control tissue integrity, cell behavior and maintenance of tissue organization in the rumen development. It is known that the epithelium undergoes changes since its embryonic formation until its maturity after weaning, moving from one afuncional state to a functional state, but there is no known cellular mechanisms that govern these changes. It should be noted that these proteins interfere with gene expression from each other, so they should be studied together. Therefore, this study will utilize techniques of immunohistochemistry to identify, microscopic location and cadherins detection (E and C), catenins (± and ²), and connexins (26, 32, 40 and 43) of fetal bovine rumen (30 , 110 and 150 days of development), newborn calves and adult cattle in order to verify the pattern of expression of these molecules in each step studied. (AU)