Beginning in 1999, SNAP and the Reproductive Sciences Laboratory (RSL) in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the Texas A & M University (TAMU) entered into a collaborative agreement with SNAP to further the development of dog and cat immunocontraception.
The RSL’s research and eduction programs on comparative gamete and embryo physiology require the use of reproductive tissues which are acquired from SNAP’s clinical facilities. The purpose of SNAP participating in these programs is to enable research into contraceptive technology to help the elimination of dog and cat overpopulation.
The University of Virgina provides the clinical testing for TAMU’s contraceptive development project. Reproductive tissues from dogs and cats collected from SNAP are sent to Virginia where the construction of the cDNA libraries occurs. Tissues collected from SNAP will continue to be used to develop protocols for oocyte maturation and in-vitro fertilization which are used for testing contraceptives.
The canine reproductive tissues are utilized to characterize a specific protein, Connexin 43, which is involved in cell to cell communication. Specific interest is in cellular communication between the oocyte and its surrounding follicular cells, as it relates to oocytes maturation. The cat cells are used to study the possible role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on in-vitro fertilization.
Progress on the Dog and Cat Immunocontraception Project
Several grant aims have been pursued in recent years. The results fall into four general categories: 1) Creation of research tools essential to the project; 2) Identification of novel egg specific vaccinogens in the mouse; 3) Cloning of the dog and cat orthologs; and 4) Immunogenicity and efficacy testing of contraceptive vaccine formulations.
1. Ovaries as well as eggs from ovaries of the dog and cat were isolated and adapter ligated ovary and egg specific cDNA libraries were constructed. These tools will allow rapid PCR cloning of dog and cat gamete genes.
2. Using proteomic approaches and mass spectrometry analysis of mouse egg proteins more than 50 novel egg genes have been identified using bioinformatics to identify the known and unknown genes in the NCBI database. From this information, 3 candidate mouse egg vacciongenes have been cloned and/or expressed. These genes are ePAD, MATER and MOP17.
3. The dog and cat homologs of ePAD and MATER are being produced.
4. A small-scale pilot immunogenicity study was conducted in mice using recombinant ePAD. Initial results indicate that litter size was reduced and a delay to the onset of pregnancy was observed. Additional amounts of recombinant ePAD are being expressed and isolated for use in a larger dose response study to be followed by an efficacy study. This protein will also be used to develop an enzyme activity assay and is considered a target for a contraceptive drug.
The RSL’s research and eduction programs on comparative gamete and embryo physiology require the use of reproductive tissues which are acquired from SNAP’s clinical facilities. The purpose of SNAP participating in these programs is to enable research into contraceptive technology to help the elimination of dog and cat overpopulation.
The University of Virgina provides the clinical testing for TAMU’s contraceptive development project. Reproductive tissues from dogs and cats collected from SNAP are sent to Virginia where the construction of the cDNA libraries occurs. Tissues collected from SNAP will continue to be used to develop protocols for oocyte maturation and in-vitro fertilization which are used for testing contraceptives.
The canine reproductive tissues are utilized to characterize a specific protein, Connexin 43, which is involved in cell to cell communication. Specific interest is in cellular communication between the oocyte and its surrounding follicular cells, as it relates to oocytes maturation. The cat cells are used to study the possible role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) on in-vitro fertilization.
