RNA-sequencing endometrium intact, vasectomized, and control heifers

An appropriate female reproductive environment is essential for pregnancy success. In several species, including mice, pigs and horses, seminal plasma (SP) components have been shown to modulate this environment, leading to increased embryo viability and implantation. Due to the characteristics of mating in the aforementioned species, SP comes into direct contact with the uterus. However, it is questionable whether any SP reaches the uterus in species that ejaculate inside the vagina, such as humans and cattle. Hence, we hypothesized that sperm, perhaps acting as a vehicle for SP factors, play a more important role in the modulation of the maternal uterine environment in these species. In addition, changes elicited by SP and/or sperm may originate in the vagina and propagate to more distal regions of the female reproductive tract. To test these hypotheses, a bovine model in which heifers were mated to intact or vasectomized bulls or were left unmated was used. RNA-sequencing of endometr...适宜的雌性生殖微环境对于妊娠成功至关重要。在小鼠、猪、马等多个物种中，已有研究证实精浆（seminal plasma, SP）成分可调控该生殖微环境，进而提升胚胎存活率与着床成功率。鉴于上述物种的交配特性，精浆可直接接触子宫。然而，对于人类、牛等在阴道内射精的物种，精浆是否能够抵达子宫仍有待商榷。据此，我们提出假说：在这类物种中，精子或可作为精浆因子的载体，在调控母体子宫微环境的过程中发挥更为关键的作用。此外，精浆与/或精子所诱导的生殖微环境变化，可能起源于阴道，并扩散至雌性生殖道的更远端区域。为验证上述假说，本研究采用了青年母牛模型：将青年母牛分别与正常公牛、输精管切除公牛进行交配，同时设置未交配对照组。对子宫内膜开展RNA测序（RNA-sequencing）