History of Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy

The postnatal development of the female reproductive system in laboratory animals and humans is reviewed. To enable a meaningful species comparison of the developing female reproductive system, common definitions of developmental processes were established with a focus made on aspects that are similar across species. A species comparison of the key endocrine, morphologic, and functional (onset of ovarian cycles and ability to reproduce) features of postnatal development of the female reproductive system is provided for human, nonhuman primate, dog, rat, and also mouse, minipig, and rabbit where possible. Species differences in the timing and control of female sexual maturation are highlighted. Additionally, a species comparison of the type and timing of female reproductive ovarian cycles was compiled. Human development provided the frame of reference, and then other common laboratory species were compared. The comparison has inherent challenges because the processes involved and sequence of events can differ greatly across species. Broad strokes were taken to assign a particular average age to an event and are to be used with caution. Methods of evaluation of postnatal female reproductive development in laboratory animals are discussed. Lastly, control rodent data from one of the author's laboratory on vaginal opening, first estrus, estrous cyclicity, and the histopathology involved with the developing female rat and mouse are presented. The information provided in this review is intended to be a resource for the design and interpretation of juvenile animal toxicity testing and ultimately, the relevance of the data to characterize potential risks for women and girls. Birth Defects Research 110:163-189, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

show abstract

“…In the rabbit, puberty occurs from 3 to 5 months of age, and reproductive capacity ends around 1 to 3 years of age (Bazer, ).…”

Section: Morphologic Aspects Of Female Reproductive System Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species Comparison of Postnatal Development of the Female Reproductive System

Laffan

Posobiec

Uhl

et al. 2017

Birth Defects Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In mammals, pregnancy recognition requires a tightly synchronized exchange of signals between the competent embryo and the receptive endometrium. The initiation of this signaling is triggered by key factors produced by the conceptus [1, 2], which are translated by the endometrial cells into actions that will condition the trajectory of embryo development as well as progeny phenotype. In mammalian species, including human, rodents, and ruminants, the delicate balance in embryo–maternal communication is affected by the way the embryos are generated (natural mating, artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, or somatic cell nuclear transfer) and by the sensor-driver properties of the endometrium defined by intrinsic maternal factors (e.g., maternal metabolism, aging) and environmental perturbations (e.g., pathogens, nutrition) [3–5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-tuned adaptation of embryo–endometrium pairs at implantation revealed by transcriptome analyses in Bos taurus

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interactions between embryo and endometrium at implantation are critical for the progression of pregnancy. These reciprocal actions involve exchange of paracrine signals that govern implantation and placentation. However, it remains unknown how these interactions between the conceptus and the endometrium are coordinated at the level of an individual pregnancy. Under the hypothesis that gene expression in endometrium is dependent on gene expression of extraembryonic tissues and genes expressed in extraembryonic tissues are dependent of genes expressed in the endometrium, we performed an integrative analysis of transcriptome profiles of paired extraembryonic tissue and endometria obtained from cattle ( Bos taurus ) pregnancies initiated by artificial insemination. We quantified strong dependence (|r| > 0.95, empirical false discovery rate [eFDR] < 0.01) in transcript abundance of genes expressed in the extraembryonic tissues and genes expressed in the endometrium. The profiles of connectivity revealed distinct coexpression patterns of extraembryonic tissues with caruncular and intercaruncular areas of the endometrium. Notably, a subset of highly coexpressed genes between extraembryonic tissue ( n = 229) and caruncular areas of the endometrium ( n = 218, r > 0.9999, eFDR < 0.001) revealed a blueprint of gene expression specific to each pregnancy. Gene ontology analyses of genes coexpressed between extraembryonic tissue and endometrium revealed significantly enriched modules with critical contribution for implantation and placentation, including “in utero embryonic development,” “placenta development,” and “regulation of transcription.” Coexpressing modules were remarkably specific to caruncular or intercaruncular areas of the endometrium. The quantitative association between genes expressed in extraembryonic tissue and endometrium emphasize a coordinated communication between these two entities in mammals. We provide evidence that implantation in mammalian pregnancy relies on the ability of the extraembryonic tissue and the endometrium to develop a fine-tuned adaptive response characteristic of each pregnancy.

show abstract

“…In most species, besides P4, estrogens are also needed for orchestrated expression of uterine growth factors, cytokines, and prostaglandins (PG) that work locally in an autocrine or paracrine manner [ 1 ]. In addition to embryotrophic effects, uterine fluids also contain signaling molecules of embryonic origin (reviewed in [ 2 – 4 ]). These embryo-derived factors prevent luteolysis and maintain the luteal lifespan beyond recurrent cyclic activity, which is a mechanism referred to as “maternal recognition of pregnancy” [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uterine responses to early pre-attachment embryos in the domestic dog and comparisons with other domestic animal species†

Graubner

Gram

Kautz

et al. 2017

Biology of Reproduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the dog, there is no luteolysis in the absence of pregnancy. Thus, this species lacks any anti-luteolytic endocrine signal as found in other species that modulate uterine function during the critical period of pregnancy establishment. Nevertheless, in the dog an embryo-maternal communication must occur in order to prevent rejection of embryos. Based on this hypothesis, we performed microarray analysis of canine uterine samples collected during pre-attachment phase (days 10-12) and in corresponding non-pregnant controls, in order to elucidate the embryo attachment signal. An additional goal was to identify differences in uterine responses to pre-attachment embryos between dogs and other mammalian species exhibiting different reproductive patterns with regard to luteolysis, implantation, and preparation for placentation. Therefore, the canine microarray data were compared with gene sets from pigs, cattle, horses, and humans. We found 412 genes differentially regulated between the two experimental groups. The functional terms most strongly enriched in response to pre-attachment embryos related to extracellular matrix function and remodeling, and to immune and inflammatory responses. Several candidate genes were validated by semi-quantitative PCR. When compared with other species, best matches were found with human and equine counterparts. Especially for the pig, the majority of overlapping genes showed opposite expression patterns. Interestingly, 1926 genes did not pair with any of the other gene sets. Using a microarray approach, we report the uterine changes in the dog driven by the presence of embryos and compare these results with datasets from other mammalian species, finding common-, contrary-, and exclusively canine-regulated genes.

show abstract

History of Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy

Cited by 32 publications

References 74 publications

Species Comparison of Postnatal Development of the Female Reproductive System

Species Comparison of Postnatal Development of the Female Reproductive System

Fine-tuned adaptation of embryo–endometrium pairs at implantation revealed by transcriptome analyses in Bos taurus

Uterine responses to early pre-attachment embryos in the domestic dog and comparisons with other domestic animal species†

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About