Extracellular vesicles in inter-embryonic and maternal-embryonic communication during in vitro development of bovine embryos

• Grant number: 16/22790-1
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2017
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Cooperation agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Flávio Vieira Meirelles
• Grantee: Tiago Henrique Camara de Bem
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/08135-2 - CTC - Center for Cell-Based Therapy, AP.CEPID
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/14137-1 - A new culture system of endometrial cells to study maternal/fetal communication in cattle, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Embryo implantation is a complex process that involves synchronized communication between the embryo and intrauterine environment. In cattle, around 40% of pregnancies losses occur due to failures in signaling between the fetus and mother . Thus, understanding the mechanisms involved in the embryonic and maternal communication is very important. However, most studies have focused on this communication involving only the signals produced by the maternal endometrium during the embryo receptivity. Recently extracellular vesicles (EVs), containing miRNAs, mRNAs and proteins, have been identified as a new form of cellular communication; these vesicles are able to transmit messages between cells and tissues. Thus, it is believed that EVs such as exossomos and microvesicles, may act directly on communication between blastocysts and the embryo and mother. In this way, the hypothesis of this project is that bovine blastocysts produced in vitro by IVF and SCNT are able to synthesize and release EVs that act in different manners in the inter-embryonic and maternal-embryonic communications. To test this hypothesis, we will develop an in vitro embryonic model by SCNT for study of these is communications. For this, we will establish in vitro cell line (fibroblasts), capable of secreting EVs marked with green-fluorescence protein (PalmGFP) or td/Tomato (PalmTomato) which will be used as nuclei donor during the production of cloned blastocysts. With this in vitro embryo model, we expect to identify the release and absorption of EVs by bovine blastocysts and also by the oviduct cell line used during the in vitro co-culture system. Certainly, this project is very innovative and will assist us in the better understanding of processes involved in embryos and maternal-embryonic communication, allowing the best development of the assisted reproductive technologies. Moreover, understanding the mechanisms involved in cross-talk between the embryo and mother can be a model for humans, since the material available for search is very limited. (AU)