Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers of reproductive status in the cow
dc.contributor.advisor
Donadeu, Francesc Xavier
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dc.contributor.advisor
Ashworth, Cheryl
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dc.contributor.author
Ioannidis, Jason
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dc.contributor.sponsor
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
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dc.date.accessioned
2018-02-06T14:08:00Z
dc.date.available
2018-02-06T14:08:00Z
dc.date.issued
2017-07-08
dc.description.abstract
Poor reproductive performance is a major challenge for the bovine dairy industry, with
implications for profitability and animal welfare. Early pregnancy diagnosis and accurate
oestrus detection can improve reproductive performance through efficient herd management.
However currently available methods do not allow this. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs)
have been proposed as non-invasive biomarkers of reproductive status in humans. The
hypothesis for this work was that differentially expressed miRNAs in plasma will be
detectable during early pregnancy / oestrus, which may provide novel potential biomarkers.
Using sequencing and PCR-based platforms I successfully identified and validated increases
in miR-26a and the miR-26a / miR-205 ratio as early as Day 8 of pregnancy (max. 7.5-fold)
in the plasma of pregnant compared to non-pregnant heifers. These miRNAs are known
regulators of immunity, angiogenesis and metabolism, however their specific roles in early
pregnancy remain to be investigated. I also identified small but significant increases in the
levels of miR-125b, let-7f, miR-145 and miR-99a-5p at oestrus, when compared with the
luteal phase of the cycle. These miRNAs have been previously shown to regulate the
follicular to luteal transition in the bovine ovary. Finally, I provide a validated high-throughput
resource which can help identify potential global biomarkers of tissue function, as
shown for the liver-enriched miR-802 in the present results. The findings of this work may be
useful in the development of diagnostic methods for early pregnancy and oestrus, and pave
the way for the functional characterisation of these miRNAs in bovine reproduction.
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dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/28701
dc.language.iso
en
dc.publisher
The University of Edinburgh
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dc.relation.hasversion
Ioannidis, Jason and Donadeu, Xavier. Circulating microRNA Profiles during the Bovine Oestrous Cycle. PLoS One. 2016.
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dc.relation.hasversion
Ioannidis, Jason and Donadeu, Xavier. Circulating miRNA signatures of early pregnancy in cattle. BMC Genomics. 2016.
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dc.relation.hasversion
Ioannidis, Jason and Donadeu, Xavier. Changes in circulating miRNAs levels can be identified as early as Day 8 of pregnancy in cattle. PLOS One. 2017.
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dc.relation.hasversion
Donadeu, Xavier, Sontakke, Sadanand and Ioannidis, Jason. MicroRNA indicators of follicular steroidogenesis. Reproduction, Fertility and Development. 2016.
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dc.relation.hasversion
Donadeu, Xavier, Mohammed, Bushra and Ioannidis, Jason. A miRNA network putatively involved in follicular atresia. Domestic Animal Endocrinology. 2017.
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dc.subject
miRNA
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dc.subject
bovine reproduction
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dc.subject
pregnancy
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dc.subject
cow
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dc.subject
oestrus
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dc.title
Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers of reproductive status in the cow
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dc.type
Thesis or Dissertation
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dc.type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
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dc.type.qualificationname
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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