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Qualitative and quantitative differences in endometrial inflammatory gene expression precede the development of bovine uterine disease

Brewer, Amy
; 
Cormican, Paul
; 
Lim, Joseph J.
; 
Chapwanya, Aspinas
; 
O’Farrelly, Cliona
; 
Meade, Kieran G.
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Keywords
endometrial infammatory gene expression, bovine uterine disease, purulent vaginal discharge, Prognostic biomarkers, gene expression, cytological endometritis
Date
2020-10-26
Collections
Animal & Bioscience
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URI
http://hdl.handle.net/11019/2520
Citation
Brewer, A., Cormican, P., Lim, J.J. et al. Qualitative and quantitative differences in endometrial inflammatory gene expression precede the development of bovine uterine disease. Sci Rep 10, 18275 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75104-7
Abstract
The transcriptome of the endometrium early postpartum was profled to determine if infammatory gene expression was elevated in cows which subsequently developed uterine disease. Endometrial cytobrush samples were collected at 7 days postpartum (DPP) from 112 Holstein–Friesian dairy cows, from which 27 were retrospectively chosen for RNA-seq on the basis of disease classifcation [ten healthy and an additional 17 diagnosed with cytological endometritis (CYTO), or purulent vaginal discharge (PVD)] at 21 DPP. 297 genes were signifcantly diferentially expressed between cows that remained healthy versus those that subsequently developed PVD, including IL1A and IL1B (adjusted p < 0.05). In contrast, only 3 genes were signifcantly diferentially expressed in cows which subsequently developed CYTO. Accounting for the early physiological infammatory status present in cows which do not develop disease enhanced the detection of diferentially expressed genes associated with CYTO and further expression profling in 51 additional cows showed upregulation of multiple immune genes, including IL1A, IL1B and TNFA. Despite the expected heterogeneity associated with natural infection, enhanced activation of the infammatory response is likely a key contributory feature of both PVD and CYTO development. Prognostic biomarkers of uterine disease would be particularly valuable for seasonal-based dairy systems where any delay to conception undermines sustainability.
Funder
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Grant Number
13/S/472
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