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BOVINE PREGNANCY AND THE LINK TO GENE EXPRESSION WITHIN THE LIVER
The establishment of pregnancy in animals is still a topic that arguably raises more questions than it answers, and is the subject of many a research paper, scientific study or of course a PhD thesis (taking up almost 4 years of my life!). A paper published by Ruhmann B et al., ‘Interferon-τ induced gene expression in bovine hepatocytes during early pregnancy’ explores how the bovine ‘pregnancy indicator’ interferon-tau (which originates from the embryo itself) works to allow the progression of pregnancy via the presence of certain genes. The content published in the abstract is looked at here, with the full paper printed in Theriogenology (2017 Jul 31;104:198-204). This study sought to establish whether interferon-tau could affect liver cells using Angus heifers as an animal model.
Whilst two different techniques were used (both within the body – in vivo at day 18 of pregnancy and out with the body – in vitro), ultrasound imaging in the ovaries was also employed to elucidate when ovulation occurred. For the in vivo experiment a biopsy from the liver was retrieved and the different types of genes and proteins expressed were looked at. The in vitro experiment involved growing cells in culture followed by priming them with interferon-tau, before checking the types of genes expressed here. These kinds of studies are not only important in expanding our current knowledge of how pregnancy affects the body in general, but also in revealing the differences between carrying out experiments on the animal itself versus in an artificial ‘like-for-like’ environment.
The results from the liver biopsy showed that pregnancy increased the number of expressed genes relative to animals who were not pregnant whilst a protein called OAS 1 was present within liver cells specifically. The experiments carried out in vitro revealed similar results, confirming that interferon-tau does have an effect within the hepatic region during early bovine gestation. To see what scanners we stock suitable for use in cattle, please see our website or feel free to contact us.