ArticleBMC genomics2021
Conserved and breed-specific differences in the cervical transcriptome of sheep with divergent fertility at the follicular phase of a natural oestrus cycle.
Article in BMC genomics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Eicosanoid-immunometabotypes reveal genotypic links to cervicovaginal pH in progestagen synchronised South African Dohne Merino ewes.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Association of relative expression of HSD11B-1 and HSD11B-2 with pregnancy status in sheep.BMC genomics · 2025Article
- The cervical microbiome of ewe breeds with known divergent fertility following artificial insemination with frozen-thawed semen.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Structural variant landscapes reveal convergent signatures of evolution in sheep and goats.Genome biology · 2024Article
- Exploring Endogenous and Exogenous Factors for Successful Artificial Insemination in Sheep: A Global Overview.Veterinary sciences · 2024Review
- An Exploratory Data Analysis from Ovine and Bovine RNA-Seq Identifies Pathways and Key Genes Related to Cervical Dilatation.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Metabolic signature of cervical mucus in ewe breeds with divergent cervical sperm transport: a focus on metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2023Article
- Cervical immune activation during the luteal phase may compromise subsequent trans-cervical ram sperm transport†.Biology of reproduction · 2022Article
- Biochemical and molecular characterization of sialylated cervical mucins in sheep†.Biology of reproduction · 2022Article
- Ewe breed differences in the cervical transcriptome at the follicular phase of a synchronised oestrous cycle.BMC genomics · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe outcome of cervical artificial insemination (AI) with frozen-thawed semen in sheep is limited by the inability of sperm to traverse the cervix of some ewe breeds. Previous research has demonstrated that cervical sperm transport is dependent on ewe breed, as sperm can traverse the cervix in greater numbers in some higher fertility ewe breeds. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ewe breed differences in sperm transport through the cervix remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to characterise the cervical transcriptome of four European ewe breeds with known differences in pregnancy rates following cervical AI using frozen-thawed semen at the follicular phase of a natural oestrous cycle. Cervical post mortem tissue samples were collected from two Irish ewe breeds (Belclare and Suffolk; medium and low fertility, respectively) and from two Norwegian ewe breeds (Norwegian White Sheep (NWS) and Fur; high fertility compared to both Irish breeds) at the follicular phase of a natural oestrous cycle (n = 8 to 10 ewes per breed).
resultsHigh-quality RNA extracted from biopsies of the mid-region of the cervix was analysed by RNA-sequencing and Gene Ontology (GO). After stringent filtering (P < 0.05 and FC > 1.5), a total of 11, 1539 and 748 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in Belclare, Fur and NWS compared to the low fertility Suffolk breed, respectively. Gene ontology analysis identified significantly enriched biological processes involved in muscle contraction, extracellular matrix (ECM) development and the immune response. Gene co-expression analysis revealed similar patterns in muscle contraction and ECM development modules in both Norwegian ewe breeds, which differed to the Irish ewe breeds.
conclusionsThese breed-specific biological processes may account for impaired cervical sperm transport through the cervix in sheep during the follicular phase of the reproductive cycle. This novel and comprehensive dataset provides a rich foundation for future targeted initiatives to improve cervical AI in sheep.
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