Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Landscape of the Bovine Uterine Lumen in the Second Week of the Estrous Cycle

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

10-2025

Publication Title

Journal of Animal Science

Abstract

Abstract: In cattle, during the second week of pregnancy, the embryo transitions from the spherical, zona-enclosed blastocyst to the initially elongated conceptus. The overarching hypothesis is that endometrial function changes temporally to support embryo development. The experimental hypothesis is that concentrations of amino acids (AA) and lipids in the uterine luminal mucus (ULM), and the gene expression of luminal epithelial cells (LE) change between day 7 (D7) and D14 of the estrous cycle. Objective was to compare the concentrations of AA and lipids in the ULM, and the expression of target genes in LE among D7, D10 and D14, which correspond to the blastocyst stage, hatching from the zona pellucida and conceptus initial elongation, respectively. ULM and LE were collected from the uterine body of primiparous, non-lactating, cyclic, Bos indicus-influenced crossbred cows (n=5) using a cytology brush in each of D7, D10 and D14 after synchronized estrus. Targeted metabolomics of ULM was performed by mass spectrometry and gene expression of LE was determined by RNA-seq. Univariate analysis of select metabolites and expression of select genes was conducted to evaluate the effect of day. The concentration of five essential (Arg, Gln, His, Trp and Val) and six non-essential (Ala, Asn, Asp, Glu, Gly and Ser) AA changed over time (P≤ 0.1), out of the 17 AA detected in the ULM. In general, AA concentrations increased from D7 to D10 and decreased from D10 to D14. A list was generated with 152 genes expressed in the bovine LE that potentially participate in synthesis, degradation and transport of AA in ULM, that were affected by time (P ≤ 0.1). There were 37 genes associated with synthesis of non-essential AA (e.g., PHGDH, PSPH, ADSS2), 43 genes associated with catabolism (e.g., FAH, ASRGL1, HPD) and 12 genes associated with transport of AA (e.g. SLC36A2, SLC6A14, SLC6A9). The expression of 36 genes increased from D7 to D10 and then remained constant, and that of 47 genes decreased from D7 to D10 then remained constant. The concentration of three diacylglycerols, 33 glycerophospholipids, five glycosylceramides, six sphingolipids and nine triacylglycerols out of 25, 60, 32, 13 and 24 detected in ULM, respectively, changed overtime (P ≤ 0.1). In general, there was a gradual increase in the concentration of lipids in the ULM from D7 to D14. Analysis of the expression of genes potentially involved in the regulation of lipid concentrations in the ULM is currently underway. In conclusion, the luminal metabolome and gene expression changed dramatically during the second week of the estrous cycle, associated with the blastocyst-to-elongation transition. Disruption in these dynamics may influence embryonic development and pregnancy outcomes in cattle.

Volume

103

Issue

Suppl 3

First Page

403

Last Page

404

Comments

2025 ASAS-CSAS (American Society of Animal Science - Canadian Society of Animal Science) Annual Meeting, July 6-10, 2025, Hollywood, FL

DOI

10.1093/jas/skaf300.462

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