Pregnancy-associated changes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) and cytochrome P450, family 21, subfamily A, polypeptide 2 (CYP21A2) expression in the bovine corpus luteum

To evaluate functional changes of the corpus luteum (CL) during early pregnancy in cows, gene expression profiles of the CL at the time of maternal recognition were investigated. Microarray analysis, using a 15 K bovine oligo DNA microarray, demonstrated 30 and 266 differentially expressed genes in the CL on days 15 (P15) and 18 (P18) of pregnancy compared with the CL on day 15 (NP15) of non-pregnancy (n=4 for each group, >2-fold change relative to NP15; P<0.05). Bovine corpus luteum were obtained from Japanese-Black cows in the institute ranch within 10-30 min of exsanguination. Tissue samples were collected from cows on 15 day of the estrous cycle (NP15) and 15 and 18 days of the gestation (P15 and P18)(n=4 animals/each day). The day of artificial insemination was designated as day 1.