Porcine spermatozoa interact with the uterine epithel and modulate endometrial gene expression

摘要

Successful artificial insemination (Al) in pigs requires 1.5 to 3xl09 sperm per dose. This very high concentration, compared to other farm animal species, leads to an inefficient crop of boar ejaculates and impedes the development of new reproductivetechnologies such as sperm sexing where the sperm number is the main limiting factor. Based on previous research (Taylor et al., 2008), we hypothesised that one of the reasons for this phenomenon could be that following msemination a large number of vital sperm undergo a transient binding with the endometrium, thus establishing a uterine sperm population and therefore ensuring a continuous supply of viable sperm for the functional reservoir in the oviduct. Evidence also indicated a sperm-mediated influence on the expression of genes relevant for the maternal immune response and reproductive success (Taylor et al., 2009).