# INTERACTION BETWEEN BLASTOCYST AND UTERINE ENDOMETRIUM

> **NIH NIH R37** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA · 1994 · $171,628

## Abstract

The long-term objectives of this study are to define the roles of
polypeptides secreted by the conceptus in embryo-maternal communication
during the perimplantation period of pregnancy and to understand the
underlying basis of the high rates of embryonic loss that occur around this
time. The current proposal will focus largely on the involvement of
embryo-derived interferons (IFN's) and other cytokines in triggering
maternal responses to early sheep, cattle, pig and mouse embryos. The
specific objectives are i) To determine the number of functional genes for
the embryonic IFN'S, ovine trophoblast protein-1 (oTP-1) and the related
bovine protein, bTP-1, by Southern blotting procedures with CDNA probes
that will distinguish these IFN's from related IFN-alphas; ii) To map and
sequence some of these genes and to define those regulatory regions that
may be in common with other IFN-alphas Is and those that are uniquely
associated with this embryonic class of IFN. A longer-term objective is to
characterize transacting factors binding to these cis- control elements
that are associated with oTP-1 and bTP-1 activation and repression in
embryonic trophectoderm. iii) To produce large amounts of pure recombinant
bTP-1 and oTP-1 in E. coli or cultured mammalian cells by recombinant DNA
procedures. iv.) To test the physical, biochemical and biological
properties of the recombinant proteins and, in particular, to assess their
effects on a number of reproductive parameters, such as estrous cycle
length, in sheep and cattle. v) To study how early bTP-1 or oTP-1 are
inducible by double-stranded RNA in embryos and whether there are factors
in uterine secretion that are responsible for the "natural" induction of
these IFN's around the time of maternal recognition of pregnancy. Induction
will be studied by in situ hybridization procedures, and the relatively
large numbers of bovine embryos necessary for these studies will be
prepared by in vitro procedures from slaughterhouse-derived ovaries. vi) To
characterize the secretory proteins responsible for IFN-like activity in
pig and mouse embryos. It is hypothesized that production of IFN's by early
embryos is a widespread phenomenon of broad significance to mammalian
fertility. vii) A final long-term objective is to screen existing ovine
libraries for cDNA's representing other proteins secreted by embryos around
Day 15 of development, to sequence these cDNA's and to infer the likely
functions of the proteins they represent. It is anticipated that the
proteins comprise additional bioactive components involved in
conceptus-maternal signalling during early pregnancy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2198359
- **Project number:** 5R37HD021896-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** SZPJL5ZRCLF4
- **Principal Investigator:** R. MICHAEL ROBERTS
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $171,628
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-07-01 → 1995-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2198359

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2198359, INTERACTION BETWEEN BLASTOCYST AND UTERINE ENDOMETRIUM (5R37HD021896-09). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2198359. Licensed CC0.

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