Modeling the embryo-maternal contact zone in vitro: Differentiated long-term cultures derived from the oviduct epithelium

Datum

29.04.2016

Zeit

13:00 - 14:00

Sprecher

Dr. Jennifer Schön

Zugehörigkeit

Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)

Sprache

en

Hauptthema

Materialien

Andere Themen

Materialien, Physik

Host

Kristina Krummer

Beschreibung

The oviduct (i.e. fallopian tube in primates) is a fascinating, multi-functional organ. It hosts processes like maturation and transport of the female and male gametes, provision of the ideal milieu for fertilization and embryonic development, and transport of the early embryo to the uterus. The fine-tuned, synchronized course of (inter-)actions facilitating the development of a mature, implantable embryo in vivo is still far from being understood. Therefore, well characterized cell culture systems, especially for the luminal epithelium, are indispensable for modern reproductive science. However, the complex morphology of the epithelial layer is hard to mimic in vitro. Only two culture methods preserve epithelial differentiation for more than 24h: Three-dimensional organoid cultures and compartmentalized culture systems using porous filter supports. The compartmentalized system can either be used to grow cells at the interface of two different media or to grow the cells at the Air-Liquid-Interface (ALI) with no medium in the apical compartment. Primarily known from differentiated long-term cultures of skin and airway epithelia, ALI systems also proved useful to maintain differentiation of female reproductive tract epithelia. Our group established highly differentiated primary ALI long-term cultures of the porcine oviduct epithelium and developed a protocol for hormonal simulation of different estrous cycle stages. Mimicking the estrus cycle in vitro allowed analysis of the effect of E2 and P4 on differentiation, gene expression, and cellular function in the oviduct epithelium under defined, standardized conditions. These novel culture systems provide an innovative platform to investigate the interactions of gametes and embryos with the epithelial cells of the oviduct and to elucidate the metabolic and endocrine mechanisms that influence these interactions.

Links

• Seminars at the IFW

Letztmalig verändert: 29.04.2016, 10:03:27