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Placenta2015; 38; 107-111; doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2015.12.014

A method for isolating and culturing placental cells from failed early equine pregnancies.

Abstract: Early pregnancy loss occurs in 6-10% of equine pregnancies making it the main cause of reproductive wastage. Despite this, reasons for the losses are known in only 16% of cases. Lack of viable conceptus material has inhibited investigations of many potential genetic and pathological causes. We present a method for isolating and culturing placental cells from failed early equine pregnancies. Trophoblast cells from 18/30 (60%) failed equine pregnancies of gestational ages 14-65 days were successfully cultured in three different media, with the greatest growth achieved for cells cultured in AmnioChrome™ Plus. Genomic DNA of a suitable quality for molecular assays was also isolated from 29/30 of these cases. This method will enable future investigations determining pathologies causing EPL.
Publication Date: 2015-12-24 PubMed ID: 26907389DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2015.12.014Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

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The research paper presents a new method for extracting and cultivating placental cells from unsuccessful early horse pregnancies, a phenomenon that occurs in 6-10% of all horse pregnancies but is unidentified in 84% of cases. The development will enable improved investigation of this issue.

Objective and Problem

  • The researchers focused on addressing early pregnancy loss (EPL) in horses, which happens in 6-10% of all equine pregnancies. This issue is the primary cause of reproductive wastage in horses.
  • The main problem here is that, in spite of such a high wastage rate, the reasons for these losses are only recognized in about 16% cases.
  • One principle hurdle in investigating potential genetic and pathological causes for this early equine pregnancy loss is the absence of viable conceptus material, essentially the embryos or early fetuses.

Methodology and Findings

  • To overcome this problem, the researchers have developed a method to isolate and culture placental cells from failed early horse pregnancies.
  • They successfully cultured trophoblast cells, which make up a large portion of the placenta, from 60% of the miscarried horse pregnancies ranging between 14-65 days of gestation.
  • The culturing of these cells were achieved in three different media environments, with the most cell growth seen for those cultured in AmnioChrome™ Plus – a specific type of nutrient rich environment for cell growth and cultivation.
  • In addition, genomic DNA, which is crucial for molecular studies, was isolated from nearly all cases (29 out of 30).

Significance

  • This discovery is significant as it now provides a method for researchers to study the cellular and genomic elements in early horse pregnancies which result in miscarriages.
  • This process can aid in the investigation and understanding of the pathologies causing EPL, potentially leading to solutions or preventive measures against such high rates of early pregnancy loss in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Rose BV, Cabrera-Sharp V, Firth MJ, Barrelet FE, Bate S, Cameron IJ, Crabtree JR, Crowhurst J, McGladdery AJ, Neal H, Pynn J, Pynn OD, Smith C, Wise Z, Verheyen KL, Wathes DC, de Mestre AM. (2015). A method for isolating and culturing placental cells from failed early equine pregnancies. Placenta, 38, 107-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2015.12.014

Publication

ISSN: 1532-3102
NlmUniqueID: 8006349
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 38
Pages: 107-111
PII: S0143-4004(15)30110-7

Researcher Affiliations

Rose, B V
  • Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom.
Cabrera-Sharp, V
  • Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom.
Firth, M J
  • Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom.
Barrelet, F E
  • Rossdales Equine Practice, Beaufort Cottage Stables, High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JS, United Kingdom.
Bate, S
  • Newmarket Equine Hospital, Cambridge Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0FG, United Kingdom.
Cameron, I J
  • Rossdales Equine Practice, Beaufort Cottage Stables, High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JS, United Kingdom.
Crabtree, J R
  • Equine Reproductive Services (UK) Ltd., 33 Westgate, Old Malton, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 7HE, United Kingdom.
Crowhurst, J
  • Newmarket Equine Hospital, Cambridge Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0FG, United Kingdom.
McGladdery, A J
  • Rossdales Equine Practice, Beaufort Cottage Stables, High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JS, United Kingdom.
Neal, H
  • Newmarket Equine Hospital, Cambridge Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0FG, United Kingdom.
Pynn, J
  • Newmarket Equine Hospital, Cambridge Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0FG, United Kingdom.
Pynn, O D
  • Rossdales Equine Practice, Beaufort Cottage Stables, High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JS, United Kingdom.
Smith, C
  • Newmarket Equine Hospital, Cambridge Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0FG, United Kingdom.
Wise, Z
  • Newmarket Equine Hospital, Cambridge Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0FG, United Kingdom.
Verheyen, K L P
  • Department of Production and Population Health, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom.
Wathes, D C
  • Department of Production and Population Health, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom.
de Mestre, A M
  • Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: ademestre@rvc.ac.uk.

MeSH Terms

  • Abortion, Veterinary / diagnostic imaging
  • Abortion, Veterinary / pathology
  • Animals
  • Cell Culture Techniques / methods
  • Cell Culture Techniques / veterinary
  • Cell Separation / methods
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Embryo Loss / diagnostic imaging
  • Embryo Loss / pathology
  • Embryo Loss / veterinary
  • Female
  • Gestational Age
  • Horses
  • Placenta / diagnostic imaging
  • Placenta / pathology
  • Pregnancy
  • Trophoblasts / pathology
  • Ultrasonography, Prenatal / veterinary

Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Shilton CA, Kahler A, Davis BW, Crabtree JR, Crowhurst J, McGladdery AJ, Wathes DC, Raudsepp T, de Mestre AM. Whole genome analysis reveals aneuploidies in early pregnancy loss in the horse. Sci Rep 2020 Aug 7;10(1):13314.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-69967-zpubmed: 32769994google scholar: lookup
  2. Lawson JM, Salem SE, Miller D, Kahler A, van den Boer WJ, Shilton CA, Sever T, Mouncey RR, Ward J, Hampshire DJ, Foote AK, Bryan JS, Juras R, Pynn OD, Davis BW, Bellone RR, Raudsepp T, de Mestre AM. Naturally occurring horse model of miscarriage reveals temporal relationship between chromosomal aberration type and point of lethality. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024 Aug 13;121(33):e2405636121.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.2405636121pubmed: 39102548google scholar: lookup