Analysis of allele-specific expression of exosomal transcripts from uterine flushes of bovine pregnancies produced by artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization

• Grant number: 23/15488-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2024
• End date: March 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Flavia Lombardi Lopes
• Grantee: Isabelle Alexandrino dos Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The main assisted reproduction methods applied to cattle include artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization. Reproductive biotechnologies make it possible to accelerate genetic improvement through animal selection. The gestational process is dependent on physiological changes in the reproductive tract that directly influence gestational success. Some known factors in embryo implantation failures come from anatomical changes, hormonal problems or the appearance of diseases. However, one of the main determinants of pregnancy success is maternal recognition during the gestational period, which is dependent on the correct establishment of maternal-fetal dialogue. In vitro fertilization (IVF) in cattle, despite being widely used in Brazil, still has a lower success rate when compared to artificial insemination (AI). Imbalance in allele expression, or allele-specific expression, is common throughout the mammalian genome and is related to epigenetic processes, such as genomic imprinting. Epigenetic changes have been related to pregnancy failures observed in pregnancies produced by assisted reproduction techniques in cattle and also in humans. For this project, exosomes from uterine lavages from cows undergoing artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization will be used, collected on 18 and 32 days of pregnancy. Using RNA-Seq data already available in our laboratory, the allele-specific expression for each of these groups will be analyzed, in the search for changes in the allelic pattern between pregnancies produced by AI and IVF.