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Oviductal (OF) and uterine (UF) fluids are a complex mixture of ions and macromolecules dissolved in water, derived from the secretions of secretory cells and transudates of the circulatory system. Through proteomics, OF and UF have been analyzed in different domestic species throughout the estrous cycle or during the first days of pregnancy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the volume, osmolarity, concentration and distribution pattern of proteins, as well as the identification of OVGP1, HSP70 and ezrin proteins for their importance in reproductive physiology, in OF and UF from adult criollo type domestic sheep during the early luteal phase of the estrous cycle. An average of 3.2±1.5 µL OF and 17±0.5 µL UF per reproductive system were obtained; osmolarity was 343±20.8 mOsm kg-1 and 280±96.2 mOsm kg-1 and protein concentration was 71.9±23.8 g L-1 and 21.8±1.1 g L-1, respectively. In the protein distribution pattern, 20 bands were observed in the OF and 14 bands in the UF. Of these, 14 and 8 were specific for OF and UF, respectively, and 6 were common for both. The spectra of the protein molecular weights were 24-324 and 29-353 kDa for OF and UF, respectively. The presence of OVPG1, HSP70 and Ezrin proteins in both fluids was identified, being in greater quantity in the OF (P < 0.0005). The volume recovered from the UF was five times greater than that of the OF. Both osmolarity and protein concentration were higher in OF than in UF (1.2 and 3 times higher). The pattern of protein distribution between the OF and UF was different, being more complex in the OF. OVGP1, HSP70 and ezrin were identified in the OF and UF, and were found in greater quantities in the OF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oocyte is indispensable for the embryonic development of an organism. Its quality is currently evaluated considering the morphological parameters that allow identifying the alterations that compromise the development of the embryo. So far, no morphological abnormalities have been reported in sheep oocytes. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and type of morphological alterations in them. For this, 10 collections were carried out, of which 567 ovaries were obtained from slaughtered females and 2 374 oocytes were obtained by follicular aspiration; all of them matured in vitro. According to the criteria of the Association for the Study of Reproductive Biology (ASEBIR), 798 oocytes (33.6%) were classified as normal morphology and 1 576 (66.4%) presented different morphological alterations, as granular cytoplasm (32.6%), incomplete cytoplasm (21.1%), increased perivitelline space (11.7%), presence of vacuoles (11.6%), degenerated oocytes (8.9%), abnormalities of the pellucid zone (7%), cytoplasm exudates (4.7%), polar body dimorphism (0.3%), and alterations produced by the management technique, like the absence of pellucid zone (2.1%). It is concluded that, given the high rate of morphological abnormalities in the in vitro maturation of oocytes, their detailed selection is important to obtain better results in the in vitro embryonic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several mammal species of ecological interest in our country boast some category of risk or danger of extinction. With the purpose of guarding the genetic information of these species, researchers have developed techniques of ex situ conservation, which are key components of global conservation programs that contribute for the storage of the genome. This storage is carried out through the collection of cells and tissues embedded in germplasm banks, which are the most efficient solution to the critical panorama of the threatened wild fauna. In the present work, for the very first time in Mexico, epithelial (keratinocytes) and connective tissue (fibroblasts) cells were derived in culture on day 28, from Ovis canadensis mexicana after 54 days thawed skin tissue, to create a germplasm bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]