Cloning of bovine RANTES mRNA and its expression and regulation in ovaries in the periovulatory period

RANTES may be one of the chemoattractants involved in stimulating eosinophils and macrophages to migrate selectively into bovine dominant follicles and into developing corpora lutea. We sequenced a 736 bp fragment of the bovine RANTES mRNA encoding the complete protein and defined the ovarian source of RANTES mRNA. As demonstrated by competitive RT‐PCR, follicle‐derived macrophages showed a 100–1000 times higher RANTES mRNA level compared to unpurified granulosa cells or follicle‐derived fibroblasts. By means of in situ hybridization, RANTES mRNA positive macrophages were located in the former thecal layer of the developing corpora lutea.