Abstract
Semen changes the gene expression in endometrial and oviductal tissues modulating important processes for reproduction. We tested the hypothesis that mating and/or sperm-free seminal plasma deposition in the reproductive tract affect the expression of genes associated with sperm-lining epithelium interactions, ovulation, and pre-implantation effects (nerve growth factor, NGF; α/β hydrolase domain-containing protein 2, ABHD2; C-terminal tensin-like protein, CTEN or TNS4; and versican, VCAN) in the period 10–72 h post-mating. In Experiment 1, does (n = 9) were treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (control), GnRH-stimulated, and vaginally infused with sperm-free seminal plasma (SP-AI), or GnRH-stimulated and naturally mated (NM). In Experiment 2, does (n = 15) were GnRH-stimulated and naturally mated. Samples were retrieved from the internal reproductive tracts (cervix-to-infundibulum) 20 h post-treatment (Experiment 1) or sequentially collected at 10, 24, 36, 68, or 72 h post-mating (Experiment 2, 3 does/period). All samples were processed for gene expression analysis by quantitative PCR. Data showed an upregulation of endometrial CTEN and NGF by NM, but not by SP-AI. The findings suggest that the NGF gene affects the reproductive tract of the doe during ovulation and beyond, influencing the maternal environment during early embryonic development.
Highlights
Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are considered to be game, vermin, laboratory animals, pets, or livestock, and are principally consumed in Mediterranean Europe [1]
No differences were found in the distal isthmus, which is the sperm reservoir established in the rabbit [10]
The ABHD2 expression was downregulated by the naturally mated (NM) group in the utero-tubal junction (p < 0.05), and downregulated by NM and seminal plasma (SP)-AI groups in the ampulla (p < 0.05)
Summary
Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are considered to be game, vermin, laboratory animals, pets, or livestock, and are principally consumed in Mediterranean Europe [1]. Unlike many other livestock species, rabbits are induced ovulators, requiring the generation of genital-somatosensory signals during coitus to activate midbrain and brainstem noradrenergic neurons and generate the preovulatory peak of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) [2,3]. Previous research has proposed the distal isthmus (adjacent to, or perhaps part of, the utero-tubal junction) as the principal anatomical region restricting rabbit spermatozoa, acting as a sperm reservoir [10]. In these reservoirs, the spermatozoa are entrapped and safeguarded from the female immune system by the fluid and extracellular matrix present in the lumen of the oviduct [11]
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