Anti-CAPZB (aa 192-272) polyclonal antibody

During the preimplantation period of pregnancy in eutherian mammals, transcriptional and proteomic changes in the uterine endometrium are required to facilitate receptivity to an implanting blastocyst. These changes are mediated, in part, by proteins produced by the developing conceptus (inner cell mass and extraembryonic membranes). We hypothesized that this common process in early pregnancy in eutheria may be facilitated by highly conserved conceptus-derived proteins such as macrophage capping protein (CAPG). We propose that CAPG may share functionality in modifying the transcriptome of the endometrial epithelial cells to facilitate receptivity to implantation in species with different implantation strategies. A recombinant bovine form of CAPG (91% sequence identity between bovine and human) was produced and bovine endometrial epithelial (bEECs) and stromal (bESCs) and human endometrial epithelial cells (hEECs) were cultured for 24 hours with and without recombinant bovine CAPG (rbCAPG). RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR analysis were used to assess the transcriptional response to rbCAPG (Control, vehicle, CAPG 10, 100, 1000 ng/mL: n = 3 biological replicates per treatment per species). Treatment of bEECs with CAPG resulted in alterations in the abundance of 1052 transcripts (629 increased and 423 decreased) compared to vehicle controls. Treatment of hEECs with bovine CAPG increased expression of transcripts previously known to interact with CAPG in different systems (CAPZB, CAPZA2, ADD1,andADK) compared with vehicle controls (P < .05). In conclusion, we have demonstrated that CAPG, a highly conserved protein in eutherian mammals, elicits a transcriptional response in the endometrial epithelium in species with different implantation strategies that may contribute to pregnancy success.

Principal component analysis of traits related to carcass and meat properties were combined with microarray expression data for the identification of functional networks of genes and biological processes taking place during the conversion of muscle to meat. Principal components (PCs) with high loadings of meat quality traits were derived from phenotypic data of 572 animals of a porcine crossbreed population. Microarray data of 74 M. longissimus dorsi samples were correlated with PC datasets. Lists of significantly correlated genes were analyzed for enrichment of functional annotation groups as defined in the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes databases as well as the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis library. Ubiquitination, phosphorylation, mitochondrion dysfunction, actin, integrin, platelet-derived growth factor, epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and Ca signaling pathways are correlated with meat quality. Among the significantly trait-associated genes, CAPZB, ANKRD1, and CTBP2 are promoted as candidate genes for meat quality that provide a link between the highlighted pathways. Knowledge of the relevant biological processes and the differential expression of members of the pathway will provide tools that are predictive for traits related to meat quality and that may also be diagnostic for many muscle defects or damages including muscle atrophy, dystrophy, and hypoxia.