Investigation and application of bovine placental formation by intrauterine genome dynamics

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H03133
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 42010:Animal production science-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science
• Principal Investigator: KUSAMA Kazuya 東京薬科大学, 薬学部, 講師 (30579149)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 堀 正敏 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 教授 (70211547)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 胎盤 / トロホブラスト / 着床 / 内在性レトロウイルス / ウシ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In Japan, the pregnancy rate in cattle has been steadily declining, and there has been no improvement. A possible cause is placental formation failure, but the mechanism has been characterized. In this study, we performed transcriptome analysis by RNA-seq with bovine placental trophoblast cells to clarify the regulatory mechanism of endogenous retrovirus-derived factors (ERVs) expression and their involvement in placental formation. As a result, we revealed that two types of ERVs are expressed in binuclear trophoblast cells necessary for placental formation after implantation in bovine placental tissue. We also identified that the transcription factor PPARγ is involved in this. Furthermore, when the cells were treated with a PPARγ activator, ERVs gene expression increased and binuclear cells increased. Similar changes were observed in bovine embryos after implantation.

Free Research Field

生殖科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、妊娠の維持に必須の胎盤形成のメカニズムの一端を明らかにした。胎盤形成においてその構成細胞であるトロホブラストの2核化が多くみられる。しかしながらその形成機序は不明であった。本成果は、機能が未だ不明な内在性レトロウイルス由来因子(ERVs)が関与しており、それらをPPARγ活性化により制御できることを明らかにした。これは、畜産現場で問題となっている着床・胎盤形成不全による早期胚死滅の原因解明および、その抑止につながる成果である。