Exosomal Cargo May Hold the Key to Improving Reproductive Outcomes in Dairy Cows

Abstract

The reproductive status of dairy cows remains a challenge for dairy farmers worldwide, with impaired fertility linked to a significant reduction in herd profitability, due in part to impaired immunity, increased metabolic pressure, and longer postpartum anestrous interval (PPAI). Exosomes are nanovesicles released from a variety of cell types and end up in circulation, and carry proteins, bioactive peptides, lipids, and nucleic acids specific to the place of origin. As such, their role in health and disease has been investigated in humans and animals. This review discusses research into exosomes in the context of reproduction in dairy herds and introduces recent advances in mass-spectrometry (MS) based proteomics that have a potential to advance quantitative profiling of exosomal protein cargo in a search for early biomarkers of cattle fertility.

Emerging role of extracellular vesicles in veterinary practice: novel opportunities and potential challenges

“…Specific miRNAs for each pregnancy stage were identified, which may be useful for future biomarker inspection. As proposed by Turner et al, specialized analysis of EV contents may provide key insights to improve reproductive outcomes in dairy cows ( 40 ). Beyond maternal fluids, EVs have also been isolated from cargoes, implicating dynamic EV-mediated modulation of the female reproductive tract in anticipation of a possible embryo presence ( 67 ).…”

The exosome: a review of current therapeutic roles and capabilities in human reproduction

“…In example, pre-eclampsia can result in an increased risk of cerebral palsy and early-onset hypertension and diabetes, while GDM may also increase the risk of early-onset metabolic dysfunction later in life [42][43][44]. As reproductive conditions contain many altercations on a cellular level, exosomal biomarkers can be important in distinguishing the occurrence and development of such pathological conditions during pregnancy [38,39,45].…”

Extracellular Vesicles in Phylogeny

“…Turner et al [ 8 ] review the roles of exosomal proteomic cargo in reproductive outcomes in dairy cows and their potential as early biomarkers for cattle fertility. Furthermore, the authors discuss the current challenges of reproducibility as well as qualitative and quantitative differences in protein exosomal cargoes.…”