Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #326450
Title: Influence of preovulatory estradiol on conceptus survival and uterine glucose transporter expression

Author
item NORTHROP, EMMA - South Dakota State University
item RICH, J - South Dakota State University
item Cushman, Robert - Bob
item SPENCER, T - University Of Missouri
item BROOKS, KELSEY - University Of Missouri
item PERRY, GEORGE - South Dakota State University

Submitted to: International Congress on Animal Reproduction
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2016
Publication Date: 6/1/2016
Citation: Northrop, E.J., Rich, J.J., Cushman, R.A., Spencer, T.E., Brooks, K., Perry, G.A. 2016. Influence of preovulatory estradiol on conceptus survival and uterine glucose transporter expression [abstract]. 18th International Congress on Animal Reproduction, June 26-30, 2016, Tours, France. Abstract W136, p. 461.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Glucose is an essential component of uterine secretions, and is delivered into the uterine lumen by glucose transporters. We have previously reported increased concentrations of glucose in uterine flushes of cows that exhibited estrus. Our objective in the present study was to determine the effects of preovulatory estradiol on abundance of uterine glucose transporters. Beef cows/heifers were synchronized with the CO-Synch protocol and AIed (d0). Blood was collected to determine estradiol (d -2 to 0) and progesterone (d 3 to 15) concentrations. Cows were classified by expression of estrus (estrus and no estrus). Uteri were flushed following slaughter to collect d 16 embryos and endometrial tissue. Uterine flushes were analyzed for interferon tau concentrations. Total cellular RNA was extracted from caruncular and intracaruncular endometrial tissue to measure relative abundance of glucose transporters. Data were analyzed using the mixed procedure in SAS. There was an estrus by time interaction on circulating concentrations of estradiol (P<0.01) but not progesterone (P=0.25). There was no embryo by time interaction on circulating concentrations of estradiol (P=0.35), but there was a tendency (P=0.06) for cows with an embryo to have greater concentrations of progesterone. There tended (P=0.09) to be more embryo’s recovered from cows that exhibited estrus, but there was no effect of embryo presence (P=0.81), estrus (P=0.94), or embryo presence by estrus interaction (P=0.31) on interferon tau concentrations in uterine flush media. In both caruncular and intercaruncular endometria, animals that exhibited estrus had greater abundance of SLC2A1 (P=0.05; 0.05) and SLC5A1 (P=0.04; 0.01). Presence of an embryo tended to decrease abundance of SLC5A1 in intercarcunular tissue, but had no effect (P>0.13) on abundance of SLC2A1 in either tissues or SLC5A1 in carcuncular tissue. In carcuncular tissue, cows from which an embryo was recovered had decreased SLC2A4 abundance (P=0.04), but there was no effect of estrus (P=0.14) and no effect of estrus or embryo in intercarcuncular tissue. There was no difference in SLC2A5 abundance between estrus and no estrus (P=0.91; 0.20), nor between embryo and no embryo (P=0.59; 0.58) in carcuncular or intercarcunular tissue. In summary, glucose transporter abundance in the endometrium of beef cows was influenced by preovulatory estradiol and embryo presence. This may serve as a possible mechanism to regulate glucose concentrations into the uterine lumen where it can be utilized by the developing conceptus.