Transcription can also impact alternative splicing decisions

nflammatory and immune responses in this anatomical region found in the present study. 10 / 18 Insemination Influences Oviductal Transcriptome in Pigs Fig 5. Interactome of functional associations among genes included in Network 3 by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130128.g005 In our study the presence of zygotes could be influencing the gene regulation in the ampullar-isthmic section of the oviduct. Little is known about early embryo stage and maternal communication. In a previous report it was demonstrated the down-regulation of immune response genes by the presence of embryos in MedChemExpress EMA-401 different stages in the oviduct and in the uterine horn, suggesting a modulation of the uterine milieu to further develop the embryos properly. Whereas the release of inflammatory cytokines by the recently formed zygote was 11 / 18 Insemination Influences Oviductal Transcriptome in Pigs doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130128.t004 demonstrated some years ago, the relationship between inflammation and the arrest or progress of the zygote and young embryos through the oviduct is worth consideration. The seminal PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19736355 plasma contains several proteins and agents which influences the sperm survival and modulation. Moreover it is known that seminal plasma influences the endometrium activating changes in gene expression and induces oviductal synthesis of growth factors and Fig 6. Immunohistochemical localization of GSTA1 in the porcine oviduct. GSTA1 protein expression extended from the epithelial cells to deeper layers of the oviductal wall in the inseminated sows compared with the non-inseminated animals, where labelling was mainly observed at the epithelial level. The corresponding negative controls are shown in Fig 6B, magnified in 6B1 for the inseminated animals and in Fig 6D, magnified in 6D1, for the non-inseminated sow. In all figures, scale bars correspond to 100 m. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130128.g006 12 / 18 Insemination Influences Oviductal Transcriptome in Pigs Fig 7. Immunohistochemical localization of TOR3A in the porcine oviduct. Strong immunostaining for TOR3A protein was only observed in the oviductal wall of the inseminated sows. The labelling was absent in non-inseminated animals as well as in the corresponding negative controls for the inseminated and non-inseminated sows. In all figures, scale bars correspond to 100 m. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130128.g007 cytokines which support further embryo development. In the present paper the insemination was performed using the ejaculated from fertile boars. However, the ejaculated, as mentioned in the material and methods section, was diluted in BTS previous to insemination, so the level of seminal plasma in the insemination dose is very low and in consequence the impact of this fluid in the oviduct may be very limited. Limiting our study to this area may have contributed to the lower number of genes identified compared with previous studies in which the authors analysed the entire oviduct. There are changes in the proportions of secretory and ciliated cells between the different parts of the oviduct, so differences at the level of gene expression would be anticipated. The IPA software clustered 12 of the DEGs identified in Network 1. The top canonical pathway affected PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19735871 by AI is related to the inflammatory response and immune system. Some of these genes have been previously detected in the oviduct of human and animals where they were over-expressed in the presence of spermatozoa or pre-implanta