Effects of eEF1A1 (Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A1) overexpression on quality and development of in-vitro produced bovine embryos at preimplantation stage

• Grant number: 25/20966-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2026
• End date: March 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: Mateus José Sudano
• Grantee: Rogério Amorim dos Reis
• Supervisor: Fernando Henrique Biase
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/15187-0 - The role of eEF1A1 gene (Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1A1) on the developmental competence and quality of in vitro-produced bovine embryos, BP.DR

Abstract

The eukaryotic elongation factor 1A1 (eEF1A1) which belongs to the family of soluble proteins known as eukaryotic elongation factors (eEFs), acts by catalyzing the initial steps of protein synthesis elongation during early embryonic development. Although it is important for early embryonic development, some studies have shown a relationship between the overexpression of this gene and low embryonic developmental competence. Therefore, the objective of this research is to evaluate the impacts of eEF1A1 overexpression on the quality and developmental capacity of in-vitro produced bovine embryos at the pre-implantation stage. Therefore, an experiment will be conducted, consisting of three treatments: control, technical control, and eEF1A1 overexpression, which will be performed using the electroporation technique. The treatments will follow a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Embryonic development will be monitored up to day 8.5 (day 0 = day of fertilization), and the following variables will be evaluated: cleavage rate (D2), blastocyst production rate (D7.5-D8.5), and hatching rate (D7.5-D8.5). In addition, analytical assays will be performed to assess the immunolocalization of proteins (CDX2 and eEF1A1), the quantification of eEF1A1 transcript levels, and the level of apoptotic cells (TUNEL). The data obtained related to embryonic production, apoptosis, and transcript levels evaluation will be analyzed by ANOVA or logistic regression, considering the treatments as fixed effects and replicates as random effects, using SAS software. If necessary, the data will be contrasted using the probability of individual difference (PDIFF). A significance level of 5% will be adopted.