Expression of ISG15 and conjugating enzyme during peri-implanation period in sheep

Abstract

Pregnancy recognition in ruminant affects numerous genes regulation. Interferon-stimulatory gene (ISG15), an ubiquitin-like protein that mediates theconjugation of different proteins through its ISGylation enzymes UBE1L and UBCH8, is also differentially expressed during early pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of ISG-15 in the establishment of pregnancy and conceptus elongation during early post conception periods and to ascertain the presence of ISGylation enzymes UBE1L and UBCH8. Therefore, sheep were synchronized through cloprostenol sodium and gonadotrophin releasing hormone-1 and serviced by rams. The blood was collected on the post-mating days 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 23 and 25. The ISG-15, UBE1L and UBCH8 primers were used to amplify the corresponding transcriptomic region using PCR. Recovery rate of each transcriptomic fragment was compared with the housekeeping gene GAPDH. ISG-15 expression was higher on day 12, contrary to UBE1L were higher on day 6 and UBCH8 on day 21. Furthermore, the ISG-15 is ubiquitin-like protein, mediates UBE1L and UBCH8 enzymes to guard the conceptus against viral pathogenicity during early pregnancy.

Keywords

• isg-15
• sheep
• pregnancy
• isgylation
• conception
• ubiquitination