Effect of undernutrition on the uterine environment during maternal recognition of pregnancy in sheep.

The effects of pregnancy and undernutrition on endometrial gene expression were investigated in ewes fed all or half their maintenance requirements and killed on Day 14 of pregnancy or of the oestrous cycle. The endometrial expression of progesterone, oestrogen, oxytocin and interferon receptors (PR, ERalpha, OXTR and IFNAR, respectively), cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-I and -II, and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was studied by immunohistochemistry or real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The luminal epithelium of cyclic control ewes was devoid of PR staining and had relatively high levels of ERalpha, OXTR, COX-2 and IFNAR2. The presence of a conceptus decreased the in vitro uterine secretion of prostaglandin (PG) F(2alpha) and the expression of IFNAR2 in most cell types, and increased the gene expression of IGF-I and IGF-II. Undernutrition tended to increase ERalpha protein and gene, but decreased in vitro uterine secretion of PGE(2) and the gene expression of IFNAR2 in cyclic ewes. There was no effect of undernutrition on pregnancy rates or the number of conceptuses recovered. Consistent with this, undernutrition of pregnant ewes did not have any effect on uterine gene expression. Moreover, in cases where changes were observed in cyclic ewes, these changes were negated when a conceptus was present.