This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Michael, D. D. Articles by Ealy, A. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Michael, D. D. Articles by Ealy, A. D.

Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Is Expressed by the Bovine Uterus and Stimulates Interferon- Production in Bovine Trophectoderm

Department of Dairy and Animal Science (D.D.M., O.M.O.), The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802; Department of Animal Sciences (I.M.A., S.E.J., A.D.E.), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611; and United States Department of Agriculture (A.M.P., N.C.T.), Agricultural Research Service, Animal and Natural Resources Institute, Biotechnology and Germplasm Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland 20705

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Alan D. Ealy, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110910, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0910. E-mail: ealy{at}animal.ufl.edu.

Uterine-derived factors are essential for conceptus development and secretion of the maternal recognition-of-pregnancy factor, interferon- (IFNT), in ruminant species. The objectives of this study were to determine whether fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) is expressed in the bovine uterus during early pregnancy in cattle and to determine whether FGF-2 supplementation affects IFNT mRNA and protein abundance in bovine trophectoderm. FGF-2 mRNA was present in endometrium throughout the estrous cycle and was localized to the luminal and glandular endometrial epithelium at d 17–18 after estrus in pregnant and nonpregnant cows. Immunoreactive FGF-2 protein was detected within the endometrium and in the uterine lumen at d 17–18 after estrus, and concentrations did not differ based on pregnancy status. In a bovine trophectoderm cell line, CT-1, supplementation of medium with at least 1 ng/ml FGF-2 increased the incorporation of [³H]thymidine into DNA. Similarly, IFNT secretion from CT-1 cells increased after FGF-2 supplementation (1–100 ng/ml) for 72 h. Abundance of IFNT mRNA in CT-1 cells increased after 24 h exposure to 1, 10, or 100 ng/ml FGF-2. In bovine blastocysts, FGF-2 supplementation did not affect cell number after 72 h of culture but did stimulate IFNT protein concentrations in conditioned medium. In summary, FGF-2 is present in the uterine lumen during early pregnancy and increases IFNT mRNA and protein abundance in trophectoderm. The magnitude by which FGF-2 stimulates IFNT expression suggests that this uterine-derived factor plays an active role in regulating the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in ruminants.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. H. Purcell, J. D. Cantlon, C. D. Wright, L. E. Henkes, G. E. Seidel Jr., and R. V. Anthony The Involvement of Proline-Rich 15 in Early Conceptus Development in Sheep Biol Reprod, December 1, 2009; 81(6): 1112 - 1121. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. N T Cooke, K. A Pennington, Q. Yang, and A. D Ealy Several fibroblast growth factors are expressed during pre-attachment bovine conceptus development and regulate interferon-tau expression from trophectoderm Reproduction, February 1, 2009; 137(2): 259 - 269. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Khatib, C. Maltecca, R. L. Monson, V. Schutzkus, X. Wang, and J. J. Rutledge The fibroblast growth factor 2 gene is associated with embryonic mortality in cattle J Anim Sci, September 1, 2008; 86(9): 2063 - 2067. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Wang, C. Maltecca, R. Tal-Stein, E. Lipkin, and H. Khatib Association of Bovine Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) Gene with Milk Fat and Productive Life: An Example of the Ability of the Candidate Pathway Strategy to Identify Quantitative Trait Genes J Dairy Sci, June 1, 2008; 91(6): 2475 - 2480. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Das, T. Ezashi, R. Gupta, and R. M. Roberts Combinatorial Roles of Protein Kinase A, Ets2, and 3',5'-Cyclic-Adenosine Monophosphate Response Element-Binding Protein-Binding Protein/p300 in the Transcriptional Control of Interferon-{tau} Expression in a Trophoblast Cell Line Mol. Endocrinol., February 1, 2008; 22(2): 331 - 343. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]