LOOK WHO'S TALKING: THE EMBRYO-MATERNAL COMUNICATION IN A NEW SYSTEM OF OVIDUCTUAL CELLS

• Grant number: 20/02500-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2020
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Marcella Pecora Milazzotto
• Grantee: Patricia Kubo Fontes
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/11747-6 - Remote or presential: the importance of communication in the reproductive processes, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/12169-9 - Are embryonic metaboloepigenetics profiles dependent on culture media viscosity when cultured in the oviduct-on-a-chip device?, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The ability to develop embryos up to blastocyst stage without any contact with the maternal reproductive tract hypothesized that the oviduct would be minor and inessential at the early stage of. Today, however, it is widely known that the embryo-oviduct interaction, or interaction with oviductal cells' products, can impact the embryo in different ways, especially regarding epigenetic characteristics, metabolism and several quality markers. More recently, it was observed that this oviduct-embryonic interaction results in two-way changes. Morphological, functional and molecular changes have already been described in oviductal cells of several species. However, the knowledge of the mechanism of action and the relevance of this communication system is still poorly defined due to the limitations of in vivo studies, especially in large and monovulatory animals. On the other hand, in vitro models of oviductal cell culture, when applied to the study of this communication, still face barriers regarding the maintenance of cells' morpho-functional differentiation, low or no embryo production, limited cell lifespam and very complex methodologies. Based on this, our objective is to develop a new oviductal cell culture system for the study of maternal-embryonic communication and its consequences for both tissues. For this, we will use the bovine model to establish a new 3D cultivation system using magnetic nanoparticles, widely used in different cell type's culture, and which, to the best of our knowledge, has not yet been used for oviduct cells culture. Based on other cell types culture, this culture system has several promises to overcome limitations currently faced with the primary oviduct cells culture, such as the cell morphology maintenance, cell proliferation sustenance and cell-cell interaction. In addition to the evaluation of these parameters for the establishment of the new culture system, the consequences of maternal-embryonic communication promoted on the morphological and molecular characteristics of both tissues will also be evaluated.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FONTES, PATRICIA KUBO; DOS SANTOS, ERIKA CRISTINA; DA ROCHA, HELOISE CALE; DE LIMA, CAMILA BRUNA; MILAZZOTTO, MARCELLA PECORA. Metabolic stressful environment drives epigenetic modifications in oviduct epithelial cells. Theriogenology, v. 215, p. 7-pg., 2023-12-08. (20/02500-4, 19/25982-7)