Abstract
The expression patterns in Meishan- and Yorkshire-derived endometrium during early (gestational day 15) and mid-gestation (gestational days 26 and 50) were investigated, respectively. Totally, 689 and 1649 annotated genes were identified to be differentially expressed in Meishan and Yorkshire endometrium during the three gestational stages, respectively. Hierarchical clustering analysis identified that, of the annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 73 DEGs were unique to Meishan endometrium, 536 DEGs were unique to Yorkshire endometrium, and 228 DEGs were common in Meishan and Yorkshire endometriums. Subsequently, DEGs in each of the three types of expression patterns were grouped into four distinct categories according to the similarities in their temporal expression patterns. The expression patterns identified from the microarray analysis were validated by quantitative RT-PCR. The functional enrichment analysis revealed that the common DEGs were enriched in pathways of steroid metabolic process and regulation of retinoic acid receptor signaling. These unique DEGs in Meishan endometrium were involved in cell cycle and adherens junction. The DEGs unique to Yorkshire endometrium were associated with regulation of Rho protein signal transduction, maternal placenta development and cell proliferation. This study revealed the different gene expression patterns or pathways related to the endometrium remodeling in Meishan and Yorkshire pigs, respectively. These unique DEGs in either Meishan or Yorkshire endometriums may contribute to the divergence of the endometrium environment in the two pig breeds.
Highlights
A major limitation for increasing the litter size in pigs is the prenatal mortality that mainly occurs during the time of attachment (around gestational day (GD) 12–25) and mid-gestation [1,2]
In order to identify genes expressed in endometrium that may affect the porcine embryo implantation and placentation, the gene expression profiles on GD15, GD26 and GD50 in endometriums of Meishan and Yorkshire gilts were examined, respectively
We found that 228 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were common in Meishan and Yorkshire gilts, which were likely associated with the embryo implantation and placentation (Table S3), a total of 73 DEGs were unique to Meishan gilts (Table S4) and 536 DEGs were unique to Yorkshire gilts (Table S5)
Summary
A major limitation for increasing the litter size in pigs is the prenatal mortality that mainly occurs during the time of attachment (around gestational day (GD) 12–25) and mid-gestation (day 50–70 of gestation) [1,2]. It is generally accepted that a greater number of embryo survival in prolific Meishan pigs is due, in part, to more gradual changes in the uterine milieu and greater uterine capacity [7,8,9,10,11]. Porcine conceptuses secrete increased levels of estrogens on Days 11 and 12 and between Days 15 and 25 of pregnancy [18]. The estrogen, type I interferons (IFNG) and type II interferons (IFND) from the conceptuses together with the progesterone (P4) can temporally and spatially regulate the endometrial gene expression to determine the functional and structural changes in uterine cells [19,20,21]. Chinese Meishan pigs exhibit physiological strategy by markedly increasing in number of the uterine glands or vascular density and permeability to overcome potential limits in uterine capacity [4,11].
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