INTERACTION BETWEEN BLASTOCYST AND UTERINE EPITHELIUM

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Sequence analysis of ESTs and cDNA from trophoblast tissues of cattle, sheep and relatives. We also have a particular interest in gene families that have trophoblast-specific expression and that are evolving at high rates. These families include the interferon-tau, which are Type I interferon (IFN) structurally related to the IFN-alpha. Their genes are not virally inducible; instead they are constitutively expressed for a few days prior to implantation. A second family is the pregnancy- associated glycoproteins (PAG), which are structurally related to pepsin and other aspartic proteinases. There are over 100 members and they appear to be a new class of polypeptide-binding molecules, possibly involved in immune protection of the embryo. The third family is also large and consists of a group of polypeptides with Kunitz domains at their amino termini, preceded by a series of hydrophobic repeats, which exhibit overall general similarity but are nevertheless distinct in sequence. Publications - Winkelman, GL, Roberts, RM, Peterson, AJ, Alexenko, AP, and Ealy, AD.: "Identification of the Expressed Forms of Ovine Interferon-Tau in the Periimplantation conceptus: Sequence Relationships and Comparative Biological Activities.": Biol. Reprod.: 61:1592-1600:1999. Hughes, AL, Green, JA, Garbayo JM, and Roberts, RM.: "Adaptive diversification within a large family of recently duplicated, placentally expressed genes.": Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.: 97:3319-3323: 2000. Achievements - A classification of the interferon-tau based on strucural phylogeny.