LncRNAs in Bovine Endometrial Epithelial and Stromal Cells

• Grant number: 22/05369-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): May 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Flávio Vieira Meirelles
• Grantee: Anna Eloísa Serafim Viana
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The bovine endometrium is constituted by stromal, glandular and luminal epithelial cells, with specific function and morphology. Epithelial cells are notable in luteolysis (PGF2±) and stromal cells in luteotrophic action (PGE2). Although the basic conditions of hormonal regulation in the endometrium are known, the molecular mechanisms are not fully elucidated. However, several studies in cattle have evaluated the endometrial transcriptome in order to improve reproductive efficiency. In addition, many studies have analyzed the endometrium as a whole, limiting the quality of the analysis, as it has been shown that each type of endometrial cell has a specific molecular signature, being involved in different biological processes. Thus, it is opportune to understand uterine biology in a deeper and more comprehensive way through the analysis of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in bovine endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. The lncRNAs are promising, through studies in mammals that point to its involvement in the regulation of embryonic implantation, receptivity and interaction between uterus and conceptus, evidencing their relevance for the establishment of pregnancy. This knowledge can contribute to the reduction of reproductive failures and consequent increase in the reproductive efficiency of herds. To analyze lncRNAs, the best method is RNA sequencing, which makes it possible to map and quantify the transcriptome, using less RNA and being very accurate. Therefore, this project proposes the isolation and in vitro culture of stromal and epithelial endometrial cells from cows during early luteal phase, extraction of RNA and RNA-seq for further bioinformatics analysis. With this, we intend to identify the lncRNAs in these cells, compare the expression levels of lncRNAs and messenger RNAs between them and also, by bioinformatics, estimate the biological role of the lncRNAs significantly more expressed in each cell type.