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INVESTIGATOR: Newton, G.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY
P.O. Box 519, MS 2001
PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS 77446

MICROBIOME RESEARCH PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: A long-term goal of the International Goat Research Center (IGRC) is to use biotechnology and genomics to improve animal breeding strategies that enhance and sustain the livelihoods of our cliental in Texas, the Gulf Coast region and developing countries abroad. This proposal establishes a new area of research collaboration between Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) that will define microbial community structures and functions important to reproductive biology. Our working hypothesis is the upper female reproductive tract (UFRT) contains a unique population of commensal bacteria that influences uterine epithelial (UE) cell function and protects against invasion by pathogenic bacteria that may infiltrate the uterus during breeding. Specific objectives of this proposal are to: a) Identify temporal changes in microbial communities in the UFRT during the estrous cycle and compare the microbial communities found in the UFRT during the estrous cycle with those found on equivalent days of early pregnancy, b) Evaluate changes in the uterine luminal environment by measuring specific substances that can be attributed to known microbial communities metabolic reactions, c) Assess the uterine environment and related changes in endometrial lymphocyte and macrophage populations during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy and d) Characterize the content of exosomes (potential mediators of the inflammation reaction) found in seminal plasma. All of these objectives will provide undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) with experiential learning experiences in reproductive physiology, biotechnology and metagenomics.

OBJECTIVES: The microbiome is a term for the 100 trillion microorganisms that live in the environment, including those that inhabit the bodies of mammals. Sometimes referred to as our 'second genome', commensal bacteria and their metabolites may impact animal health and disease in a variety of ways. Studies in the literature sugggest that, in the gut, commensal bacteria, epithelial cells, and innate immune cells interact to create a protective mechanism against infection caused by pathogenic bacteria Additional studies also suggest that the healthy upper female reproductive tract (UFRT), which was previously thought to be a sterile, harbors unique populations of bacteria in the absence of infection that are associated with diminished implantation rates and reduced pregnancy outcomes after in vitro fertilization. Furthermore, a unique low-abundance placental microbiome has been identified that may influence the subsequent health and wellbeing of the offspring. Our preliminary data, generated using 16s rRNA gene profiling, suggests that distinct bacterial community composition and structural differences exist between vaginal and uterine samples obtained on day three of the goat estrous cycle. Therefore, the role commensal bacteria play in reproductive tract function, especially during the earliest stages of pregnancy, is the focus of this investigation.Our goal is to determine if the UFRT contains a unique population of commensal bacteria that could influence uterine epithelial (UE) cell function and protects against invasion by pathogenic bacteria that may infiltrate the uterus during breeding. Specific objectives of this proposal are to:1) Identify temporal changes in microbial communities in the UFRT during the estrous cycle and compare the microbial communities found in the UFRT during the estrous cycle with those found on equivalent days of early pregnancy,2) Evaluate changes in the uterine luminal environment by measuring specific substances that can be attributed to known microbial communities metabolic reactions,3) Assess the uterine environment and related changes in endometrial lymphocyte and macrophage populations during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy, and4) Characterize the content of exosomes (potential mediators of the inflammation reaction) found in seminal plasma.