Biology of Reproduction

The conceptus is believed to produce factors that regulate endometrial function and prevent luteolysis during early pregnancy. Endometrial tissues were collected from cyclic (n = 8) and pregnant (n = 2) cows at Day 17 post-estrus and cultured for 24 and 48 h with bovine conceptus secretory proteins (bCSP) (0%, 10%, 100%), where the amount of protein produced by a bovine conceptus duirng 24 h of culture is 100%. Incorporation of [3Hfleucine into secreted proteins was determined and examined qualitatively by trichloroacetic acid precipitation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-p olyacrylamide gel electropboresis and fluorography. Levels of an intracellular endometrial inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis were determined with a cotyledonary microsomal test system. Treatment with 10% and 100% bCSP reduced incorporation of /vH]leucine into secreted proteins. However, bCSP selectively induced two secreted proteins (13 and 10 kDa) from endometrium of cyclic cows. Prostaglandin F (PGF) secretion was decreased by bCSP treatment while prostaglandin E2 secretion was unaltered. An intracellular endometrial inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis was induced by bCSP; synthesis of PGF by the cotyledonary prostaglandin-generating system was decreased when incubated with cytosol of endometrium treated with bCSP, but unaltered by cytosol from control tissues. In conclusion, products produced by the bovine conceptus are capable of regulating endometrial protein and prostaglandin biosynthesis in a fashion that could act to prevent luteolysis in vivo and provide endometrial secretory products for embryonic development.