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| Author(s): |
Janaína Munuera Monteiro
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2005-07-29 |
| Examining board members: |
José Roberto Kfoury Junior;
Francisco Javier Hernandez Blazquez;
Flávia Thomaz Veréchia Pereira
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| Advisor: | José Roberto Kfoury Junior |
| Abstract | |
Heat Shock Proteins (HSP) can be found in any kind of cell. These proteins are classified according to their molecular weight and their known families include the HSP 27, 60, 70, 90 and 110 kDa. Among these, HSP 60 and 70 are the ones of interest in reproduction. They were known as chaperonines because of their capacity to fold and unfold other proteins into the cell, without changing their own conformation. They are expressed during several stress conditions likes virus and bacteria infections, hormones, heat, cellular differentiation, etc, and also take part signalizing for innate and acquired immune responses. Heat shock proteins are expressed in several tissues and organs, including the placenta. In this study we have evaluated the expression of these proteins in the bovine placenta, using thirty samples from different animais with distinct gestational periods, fixed in 10% formalin and processed for immunohistochemistry. The same numbers of samples were processed for immunoelectron microscopy using freeze-substitution and post embedding labeling techniques. The immunohistochemistry results show the expression of HSP 60 and 70 in trophoblasts, maternal epithelia and binucleated cells. The HSP 60 expression was higher in the beginning of gestation, becoming lower during the second and third trimester. Heat shock protein 70 expression were practically constant throughout the gestation. The immunoelectron microscopy analysis revealed that both HSP 60 and 70 were located in the cytoplasm and nucleio binucleated cells and maternal epithelia from the beginning to the end of pregnancy. The immunolocalization of HSP 60 and 70 in the bovine placenta were distinct from the ones found in studies on women, probably due to the differences of the placentation type and to the fact that those samples were collected from abnormal or discontinuous pregnancy. Beef production in Brazil is an important economical activity and studies to improve the bovine reproductive characteristics are necessary and must be expended, therefore our results certainly contributes for further studies on HSP function during pregnancy in this species. (AU) | |