Alterations in eicosanoid composition during embryonic development in the chorioallantoic membrane of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and domestic chicken (Gallus gallus)

Published

November 1, 2016

Author(s)

John Bowden, Theresa M. Cantu, Jacob Scott, Jimena B. Perez-Viscasillas, Kevin M. Huncik, Matthew P. Guillette, Louis J. Guillette Jr.

Abstract

Eicosanoids are signaling lipids that regulate several physiological processes in the mammalian placenta, including the initiation of parturition. Though all amniotes construct similar extraembryonic membranes during development, the composition and function of eicosanoids in extraembryonic membranes of oviparous reptiles is largely unknown. The majority of effort placed in investigate eicosanoids is typically targeted toward defining the role of specific compounds in disease etiology; however, comprehensive characterization of several pathways in eicosanoid synthesis during development is also needed to better understand the complex role of these lipids in comparative species. To this end, we have examined the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) during development. Previously, our lab has demonstrated that the CAM of several oviparous species shared conserved steroidogenic activity, a feature originally attributed to mammalian amniotes. To further explore this, we have developed a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method that quantifies multiple eicosanoids in the CAM of two oviparous species at different stages of development. We identified 18 eicosanoids in the alligator CAM; the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway showed the largest statistical increase from early development to later development in the alligator CAM. Similarly, the chicken CAM had a significant increase in COX products and COX activity, which supports the LC-MS/MS analyses. Jointly, our findings indicate that the CAM tissue of an oviparous species is capable of eicosanoid synthesis, which expands our knowledge of placental evolution and introduces the possibility of future comparative models of placental function.

Citation

General and Comparative Endocrinology

Volume

238

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.07.006

Keywords

American alligator, Eicosanoid, Prostaglandin, Chorioallantoic Membrane, Oviparous, Amniotes, Cyclooxygenase

Citation

Bowden, J. , Cantu, T. , Scott, J. , Perez-Viscasillas, J. , Huncik, K. , Guillette, M. and Guillette, L. (2016), Alterations in eicosanoid composition during embryonic development in the chorioallantoic membrane of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) and domestic chicken (Gallus gallus), General and Comparative Endocrinology, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.07.006 (Accessed April 25, 2024)