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Control of interferon-tau expression during early pregnancy in ruminants
1Department of Animal Sciences; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0910, USA. ealy@ufl.edu
Problem:
A type I interferon (IFN), termed IFN-tau (tau), is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of early pregnancy in cattle and sheep. The control of IFNtau gene (IFNT) expression is not completely understood.
Method Of Study:
This article will provide an overview of recent progress made in understanding the dynamic expression pattern of IFNT during pre- and peri-attachment conceptus development.
Results:
Several ubiquitous transcriptional regulators (Ets2 and AP1) and at least two trophectoderm factors (Cdx2 and Dlx3) control IFNT transcription during early pregnancy. Co-activators (CBP/p300) are also involved in this process. At least two uterine-derived factors (GM-CSF and FGF2) stimulate IFN-tau production in bovine trophectoderm, and multiple signaling pathways are functionally linked with IFNT expression.
Conclusion:
Although understanding the regulation of IFNT expression is far from complete, considerable progress has been made in uncovering how uterine-derived factors and key placental-specific transcriptional regulators control IFNT expression.
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