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Hyaluronan and its binding proteins in the epithelium and intraluminal fluid of the bovine oviduct

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2005

Ann-Sofi Bergqvist ,
Masaki Yokoo ,
Paraskevi Heldin ,
Jan Frendin ,
Eimei Sato  and
Heriberto Rodríguez-Martínez
Ann-Sofi Bergqvist
Affiliation:
Division of Comparative Reproduction, Obstetrics and Udder Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden.
Masaki Yokoo
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohuku University, Sendai, Japan.
Paraskevi Heldin
Affiliation:
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Jan Frendin
Affiliation:
Division of Large Animal Surgery and Medicine, Section of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden.
Eimei Sato
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Reproduction, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohuku University, Sendai, Japan.
Heriberto Rodríguez-Martínez
Affiliation:
Division of Comparative Reproduction, Obstetrics and Udder Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Abstract

Hyaluronan (HA) is involved in several important steps of sperm storage and of fertilization. This study investigates the presence and concentration of HA in oviductal fluid (ODF), together with the localization of HA and the presence of hyaluronan-binding proteins (HABPs) in the oviductal epithelium of normally cycling dairy heifers and cows. The concentration and amount of HA in ODF, collected over the course of several oestrous cycles via catheters placed in the isthmic and ampullar tubal segments, were measured using an ELISA. The concentration and amount of HA in ODF did not vary significantly between these anatomical regions, nor between the stages of the oestrous cycle (p>0.05), although the amount of HA seemed to peak during oestrous. The most HA per day (2.9±0.64μg, least square mean±SEM) was produced on the day of ovulation, whereas the lowest amount (1.25±0.68μg) was produced 4 days before ovulation. To investigate the localization of HA, tissue samples were retrieved at well-defined stages of the oestrous cycle and from corresponding regions of the oviduct. Sections and protein extracts from the tissue samples were studied histochemically using biotinylated HABP and immunoblotted with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-HA, respectively. Presence of HA labelling in the oviductal epithelium was restricted to the sperm reservoir, a localization that seemed to be cycle-independent. The immunoblotting of samples from the lining epithelium revealed seven bands of HABPs. We confirm that the bovine oviduct produces HA and its binding proteins, and that HA is mainly localized to the epithelium of the sperm reservoir.

Keywords

BovineHyaluronanOviductal fluid and epithelium
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , August 2005 , pp. 207 - 218
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

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