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Updated: Sep 26, 2025
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Isolation of Leukocytes from the Human Maternal-fetal Interface
Published on: May 21, 2015
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Changes in mononuclear immune cells during bovine pregnancy
Heloisa M Rutigliano1, Kelsy A Leppo2, Kira P Morgado2
1School of Veterinary Medicine, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA; and Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, 4815 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
Reproduction, Fertility, and Development
|April 20, 2022
Summary
This study reveals distinct gene expression in immune cells between pregnant cow blood and uterus. Uterine immune cells show higher inflammatory mediator mRNA, suggesting a localized immune response during pregnancy.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Reproductive Immunology
- Cattle Molecular Biology
Background:
- Immune cell populations and their functions differ between peripheral blood and reproductive tissues.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for reproductive health in cattle.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare gene expression of mononuclear cells from peripheral blood and endometrium in pregnant cattle.
- To quantify mononuclear cell proportions in the endometrium of pregnant and diestrous cows.
Main Methods:
- Mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood and endometrial tissue of pregnant cows (Day 34±2).
- Cell populations were quantified, sorted, and analyzed for mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
Main Results:
- Proportions of CD8+, CD4+, CD4+CD25-, and CD4+CD25dim cells were higher in blood than endometrium during pregnancy.
- Endometrial CD14+ and CD68+ cells showed higher mRNA levels for IL-6, CXCL8, and IL-10 compared to blood.
- Specific immune cell subsets in the endometrium exhibited differential inflammatory gene expression compared to blood, varying between pregnant and diestrous states.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences exist in immune cell gene expression profiles between bovine peripheral blood and endometrium during pregnancy.
- The endometrium of pregnant cows shows an elevated expression of inflammatory mediators in specific immune cell populations.
- These findings contribute to understanding the localized immune environment of the pregnant bovine uterus.
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