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IN THE PIG, APPROPRIATE EMBRYO AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT DURING PREGNANCY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON PREGNANCY SUCCESS AND THEREFORE THE EFFICIENCY OF SWINE PRODUCTION. THE PRE-IMPLANTATION PERIOD OF PORCINE PREGNANCY IS CHARACTERIZED BY SEVERAL DEVELOPMENTAL HALLMARKS THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF PREGNANCY, EMBRYO SPACING, PLACENTAL DEVELOPMENT, FETAL GROWTH, UTERINE CAPACITY, LITTER SIZE AND ULTIMATELY POSTNATAL PIGLET SURVIVAL. THESE HALLMARKS ARE INITIATED BY THE DRAMATIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE THAT OCCURS AS PIG EMBRYOS ELONGATE FROM SPHERICAL TO FILAMENTOUS EMBRYOS. DEFICIENCIES IN EMBRYO ELONGATION CONTRIBUTE TO APPROXIMATELY 20% OF EMBRYONIC LOSS (WHICH LOWERS LITTER SIZES), AND ALSO HAVE A DIRECT INFLUENCE ON WITHIN-LITTER BIRTH WEIGHT VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROCESS OF ELONGATION. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CRITICAL FACTORS THAT REGULATE THE INITIATION OF PIG EMBRYO ELONGATION, BOTH WITHIN THE NATIVEUTERUS, AS WELL AS USING A NOVEL THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3-D) CULTURE SYSTEM TO INVESTIGATE EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAB.OUR RESEARCH TEAM HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED A 3-D CULTURE SYSTEM USING ALGINATE HYDROGEL MATRICES THAT CAN ENCAPSULATE PIG EMBRYOS, MAINTAIN VIABILITY AND EMBRYO ARCHITECTURE, AND FACILITATE MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENTAL HALLMARKS. AS A RESULT, THIS 3-D CULTURE SYSTEM CAN BE UTILIZED TO STUDY INITIATION OF EMBRYO ELONGATION CONTINUOUSLY AND IN REAL-TIME AND CAN SERVE AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND CONFIRMATORY APPROACH TO INTRAUTERINE ANALYSIS. WE WILL USE BOTH SYSTEMS (CULTURE SYSTEM AND UTERINE ANALYSIS) TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS THAT ALTERATION IN THE SIGNALING OF CRITICAL MOLECULAR FACTORS LEADS TO DEFICIENCIES IN PROPER INITIATION OF ELONGATION, THEREBY RESULTING IN DELAY OR FAILURE OF EMBRYO ELONGATION. WE WILL PERFORM TWO OBJECTIVES: 1) IDENTIFY EXTRAEMBRYONIC AND EMBRYONIC GENE TRANSCRIPTS AND METABOLITES THAT REGULATE THE INITIATION OF PIG EMBRYO ELONGATION WITHIN THE UTERUS AND WITHIN 3-D CULTURE SYSTEM. 2) INCORPORATE SPECIFIC MOLECULAR FACTORS WITHIN A 3-D ALGINATE HYDROGEL MATRIX CULTURE SYSTEM TO INVESTIGATE THEIR ROLE ON THE INITIATION OF ELONGATION. THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR PORCINE EMBRYO ELONGATION, WHICH COULD BE MANIPULATED TO IMPROVE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES IN THE PIG AND OTHER DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL SPECIES, IMPROVING ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY.

$464,975FY2017National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska

Investigators

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IN THE PIG, APPROPRIATE EMBRYO AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT DURING PREGNANCY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON PREGNANCY SUCCESS AND THEREFORE THE EFFICIENCY OF SWINE PRODUCTION. THE PRE-IMPLANTATION PERIOD OF PORCINE PREGNANCY IS CHARACTERIZED BY SEVERAL DEVELOPMENTAL HALLMARKS THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF PREGNANCY, EMBRYO SPACING, PLACENTAL DEVELOPMENT, FETAL GROWTH, UTERINE CAPACITY, LITTER SIZE AND ULTIMATELY POSTNATAL PIGLET SURVIVAL. THESE HALLMARKS ARE INITIATED BY THE DRAMATIC MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE THAT OCCURS AS PIG EMBRYOS ELONGATE FROM SPHERICAL TO FILAMENTOUS EMBRYOS. DEFICIENCIES IN EMBRYO ELONGATION CONTRIBUTE TO APPROXIMATELY 20% OF EMBRYONIC LOSS (WHICH LOWERS LITTER SIZES), AND ALSO HAVE A DIRECT INFLUENCE ON WITHIN-LITTER BIRTH WEIGHT VARIABILITY. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROCESS OF ELONGATION. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CRITICAL FACTORS THAT REGULATE THE INITIATION OF PIG EMBRYO ELONGATION, BOTH WITHIN THE NATIVEUTERUS, AS WELL AS USING A NOVEL THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3-D) CULTURE SYSTEM TO INVESTIGATE EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAB.OUR RESEARCH TEAM HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED A 3-D CULTURE SYSTEM USING ALGINATE HYDROGEL MATRICES THAT CAN ENCAPSULATE PIG EMBRYOS, MAINTAIN VIABILITY AND EMBRYO ARCHITECTURE, AND FACILITATE MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENTAL HALLMARKS. AS A RESULT, THIS 3-D CULTURE SYSTEM CAN BE UTILIZED TO STUDY INITIATION OF EMBRYO ELONGATION CONTINUOUSLY AND IN REAL-TIME AND CAN SERVE AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND CONFIRMATORY APPROACH TO INTRAUTERINE ANALYSIS. WE WILL USE BOTH SYSTEMS (CULTURE SYSTEM AND UTERINE ANALYSIS) TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS THAT ALTERATION IN THE SIGNALING OF CRITICAL MOLECULAR FACTORS LEADS TO DEFICIENCIES IN PROPER INITIATION OF ELONGATION, THEREBY RESULTING IN DELAY OR FAILURE OF EMBRYO ELONGATION. WE WILL PERFORM TWO OBJECTIVES: 1) IDENTIFY EXTRAEMBRYONIC AND EMBRYONIC GENE TRANSCRIPTS AND METABOLITES THAT REGULATE THE INITIATION OF PIG EMBRYO ELONGATION WITHIN THE UTERUS AND WITHIN 3-D CULTURE SYSTEM. 2) INCORPORATE SPECIFIC MOLECULAR FACTORS WITHIN A 3-D ALGINATE HYDROGEL MATRIX CULTURE SYSTEM TO INVESTIGATE THEIR ROLE ON THE INITIATION OF ELONGATION. THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR PORCINE EMBRYO ELONGATION, WHICH COULD BE MANIPULATED TO IMPROVE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES IN THE PIG AND OTHER DOMESTIC AGRICULTURAL SPECIES, IMPROVING ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY. · GrantIndex