Immunolocalisation of the uterine secretory proteins uterocalin, uteroferrin and uteroglobin in the mare’s uterus and placenta throughout pregnancy.
Abstract: Previous studies have shown that the equine uterus produces many progesterone-dependent proteins throughout gestation. In particular, uterocalin and uteroferrin are detectable using electrophoresis or blot analyses but information regarding the immunohistochemical placental distribution of these two proteins is rare and information regarding uteroglobin is still lacking. The aim of the present study was to co-immunolocalise these three secretory proteins in the mare's uterus throughout gestation in an effort to understand their functional role in the maintenance of pregnancy. Therefore, endometrial biopsy samples were obtained from 20 pregnant mares between 16 and 309 days of gestation and labelled immunohistochemically for uteroglobin, uteroferrin and uterocalin. Uteroferrin remained detectable in almost every endometrial gland at all stages but with an increase in staining intensity as gestation advanced. The most progesterone-dependent protein, uterocalin, showed variable staining throughout gestation with the most intense labelling in early pregnancy and during the period of endometrial cup reaction. Uteroglobin secretion was only detectable in traces and only in individual glands throughout gestation. The results indicate that uterocalin and uteroferrin, but not uteroglobin, may play important roles in supplying nutrients for the conceptus, thereby contributing to the maintenance of pregnancy. However, further investigations are necessary to understand the role of uteroglobin during gestation.
Publication Date: 2008-06-10 PubMed ID: 18547636DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.04.050Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research studied the presence and roles of the proteins uterocalin, uteroferrin, and uteroglobin in a horse’s uterus and placenta during pregnancy. Findings suggest uterocalin and uteroferrin – but possibly not uteroglobin – are significant in providing nutrients for the fetus and maintaining the pregnancy.
Objective and Methodology
- The research aimed to investigate the occurrence and possible functional role of three proteins – uterocalin, uteroferrin, and uteroglobin – in a mare’s uterus and placenta during pregnancy. The focus on these particular proteins emerged from previous studies revealing they are primarily dependent on progesterone hormone and are produced in the mare’s uterus during the course of gestation.
- In the study, endometrial biopsy samples were taken from 20 pregnant mares at different stages of pregnancy, between 16 and 309 days. These samples were used for immunohistochemical labeling of the three proteins. This technique helps to visualize certain proteins within a tissue using specific antibodies, which bind to the proteins and can then be seen using specific detection methods.
Findings
- Uteroferrin was found in nearly every endometrial gland at every stage of pregnancy. The intensity of its staining increased as gestation advanced, suggesting a higher concentration of uteroferrin as the pregnancy progressed.
- Uterocalin showed fluctuating, variable staining throughout pregnancy. Its most intense labeling occurred in early pregnancy and during the period known as “endometrial cup reaction”, a special pregnancy-associated phenomenon in equines where the endometrium forms cup-like structures which are important for secreting equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG).
- Uteroglobin, on the other hand, was scarcely noticeable. It was detectable sporadically and only in specific glands.
Conclusion and Further Studies
- The data suggest that both uterocalin and uteroferrin, but possibly not uteroglobin, play a potentially important role in nourishing the fetus, thereby contributing to maintaining the pregnancy. This is inferred from their consistent presence in the uterus during gestation and their changes in concentration.
- However, the role of uteroglobin is still unclear due to its minimal detection and requires additional research to understand its function during pregnancy.
Cite This Article
APA
Ellenberger C, Wilsher S, Allen WR, Hoffmann C, Kölling M, Bazer FW, Klug J, Schoon D, Schoon HA.
(2008).
Immunolocalisation of the uterine secretory proteins uterocalin, uteroferrin and uteroglobin in the mare’s uterus and placenta throughout pregnancy.
Theriogenology, 70(5), 746-757.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.04.050 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Leipzig, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Pathology, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. ellenber@rz.uni-leipzig.de
MeSH Terms
- Acid Phosphatase / metabolism
- Animals
- Female
- Horses / physiology
- Immunohistochemistry / veterinary
- Isoenzymes / metabolism
- Lipocalins / metabolism
- Placenta / cytology
- Placenta / metabolism
- Pregnancy
- Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase
- Uteroglobin / metabolism
- Uterus / metabolism
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Satué K, Fazio E, La Fauci D, Medica P. Hematological indexes and iron status in pregnant mares. Arch Anim Breed 2023;66(3):197-205.
- Meuffels-Barkas J, Wilsher S, Allen WRT, Ververs C, Lueders I. Comparative reproduction of the female horse, elephant and rhinoceros: implications for advancing Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Reprod Fertil 2023 Jul 1;4(3).
- Klein C, Bruce P, Hammermueller J, Hayes T, Lillie B, Betteridge K. Transcriptional profiling of equine endometrium before, during and after capsule disintegration during normal pregnancy and after oxytocin-induced luteostasis in non-pregnant mares. PLoS One 2021;16(10):e0257161.
- Almiñana C, Rudolf Vegas A, Tekin M, Hassan M, Uzbekov R, Fröhlich T, Bollwein H, Bauersachs S. Isolation and Characterization of Equine Uterine Extracellular Vesicles: A Comparative Methodological Study. Int J Mol Sci 2021 Jan 19;22(2).
- Smits K, Willems S, Van Steendam K, Van De Velde M, De Lange V, Ververs C, Roels K, Govaere J, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Peelman L, Deforce D, Van Soom A. Proteins involved in embryo-maternal interaction around the signalling of maternal recognition of pregnancy in the horse. Sci Rep 2018 Mar 27;8(1):5249.
- Wippermann W, Heckmann A, Jäger K, Dänicke S, Schoon HA. Exposure of pregnant sows to deoxynivalenol during 35-70 days of gestation does not affect pathomorphological and immunohistochemical properties of fetal organs. Mycotoxin Res 2018 May;34(2):99-106.
- Lindeberg H, Burchmore RJ, Kennedy MW. Pulse of inflammatory proteins in the pregnant uterus of European polecats (Mustela putorius) leading to the time of implantation. R Soc Open Sci 2017 Mar;4(3):161085.
- Kitayama C, Sasaki M, Ishikawa H, Mogoe T, Ohsumi S, Fukui Y, Budipitojo T, Kondoh D, Kitamura N. Structure and functions of the placenta in common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Bryde's (B. brydei) and sei (B. borealis) whales. J Reprod Dev 2015;61(5):415-21.
- Padua MB, Lynch VJ, Alvarez NV, Garthwaite MA, Golos TG, Bazer FW, Kalkunte S, Sharma S, Wagner GP, Hansen PJ. ACP5 (Uteroferrin): phylogeny of an ancient and conserved gene expressed in the endometrium of mammals. Biol Reprod 2012 Apr;86(4):123.
- Rebuelto M, Loza ME. Antibiotic Treatment of Dogs and Cats during Pregnancy. Vet Med Int 2010 Dec 14;2010:385640.
- Perera TRW, de Ruijter-Villani M, Gibb Z, Nixon B, Sheridan A, Stout TAE, Swegen A, Skerrett-Byrne DA. Systemic Changes in Early Pregnancy in the Mare: An Integrated Proteomic Analysis of Blood Plasma, Histotroph, and Yolk Sac Fluid at Day 14 Post-Ovulation. Proteomics Clin Appl 2025 Mar;19(2):e202400095.
- Martínez-Boví R, Gaber JTH, Sala-Ayala L, Plaza-Dávila M, Cuervo-Arango J. Pregnancy and Luteal Responses to Embryo Reinsertion following Embryo Flushing in Donor Mares. Animals (Basel) 2024 May 29;14(11).
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