Date of Award:
5-2014
Document Type:
Dissertation
Degree Name:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department:
Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences
Committee Chair(s)
Christopher J. Davies
Committee
Christopher J. Davies
Committee
Gregory J. Podgorski
Committee
Abby D. Benninghoff
Committee
Kenneth L. White
Committee
Zhongde Wang
Committee
Dirk K. Vanderwall
Abstract
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), or cloning, is a form of artificial reproductive technology that can be used to improve economic traits of domestic animals. However, extreme inefficiency of producing viable offspring via this method is a major limitation. An aggressive immune response at the maternal-fetal interface is an important reason for SCNT pregnancy loss. The goal of this project was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of immune-mediated miscarriage in cloned cattle pregnancies.
Many publications hint that immune-mediated miscarriage is associated with abnormal MHC-I expression in the placenta. The regulation of bovine MHC-I genes was systematically studied to identify the cause of abnormal MHC-I expression during immune-mediated miscarriage. We also produced cloned pregnancies to study immune- mediated pregnancy loss. MHC-I and cytokines involved in proinflammatory responses were highly expressed in the placental trophoblast cells of cloned fetuses and in the uterine endometrium of recipients carrying MHC-I incompatible fetuses, respectively, suggesting that MHC-I compatibility between fetus and surrogate mother is important for the success of animal cloning.
The results from this research not only reveal the cause of high pregnancy loss in cloned animals but also provide molecular clues to prevent immune-mediated miscarriage in cattle and potentially in human clinics.
Checksum
21d03a27abe7971e220b6b3d83515427
Recommended Citation
Shi, Bi, "Regulation of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Genes in Bovine Trophoblast Cells" (2014). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 3727.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/3727
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