The transcriptome of the endometrium early postpartum was profiled to determine if inflammatory gene expression was elevated in cows which subsequently developed uterine disease. Endometrial cytobrush samples were collected at 7 days postpartum (DPP) from 112 Holstein–Friesian dairy cows, from which 27 were retrospectively chosen for RNA-seq on the basis of disease classification [ten healthy and an additional 17 diagnosed with cytological endometritis (CYTO), or purulent vaginal discharge (PVD)] at 21 DPP. 297 genes were significantly differentially expressed between cows that remained healthy versus those that subsequently developed PVD, including IL1A and IL1B (adjusted p < 0.05). In contrast, only 3 genes were significantly differentially expressed in cows which subsequently developed CYTO. Accounting for the early physiological inflammatory status present in cows which do not develop disease enhanced the detection of differentially expressed genes associated with CYTO and further expression profiling in 51 additional cows showed upregulation of multiple immune genes, including IL1A, IL1B and TNFA. Despite the expected heterogeneity associated with natural infection, enhanced activation of the inflammatory response is likely a key contributory feature of both PVD and CYTO development. Prognostic biomarkers of uterine disease would be particularly valuable for seasonal-based dairy systems where any delay to conception undermines sustainability.
Objectives Isolation and culture of distinct primary endometrial cells are key to reliable in-vitro models to investigate the uterine immune response and optimse new disease interventions. Details on the isolation method and purity of distinct cell populations is lacking in currently available protocols leading to inconsistent results across laboratories. Methods Bovine endometrial tissue from non-pregnant bovine uteri were collected immediately post-mortem and separated using differential size filtering. Isolations (n = 15) yielded an average of 3.1 × 10 5 ± 0.7 × 10 5 epithelial cells and 1.88 × 10 6 ± 5.44 × 10 5 stromal fibroblasts per uterine horn. Following expansion in culture, the purity of cell populations was confirmed using morphology and positive staining for cytokeratin and vimentin which identifies epithelial and stromal fibroblast populations, respectively. Using PCR, cDNA from both cell populations was negative for CD45, a marker of immune cells. Results On challenge with a bacterial PAMP (LPS), epithelial and stromal fibroblasts showed a marked increase in the expression of the inflammatory mediators IL8, IL6, S100A8 and S100A9, with both cell populations displaying distinct expression profiles. Here we provide a detailed methodology on the culture of primary bovine endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and demonstrate these cells provide a physiologically relevant model for studies of endometrial inflammation and its regulation.
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