Biology PhD Studentships – University Of London – UK
Posted by kanishk on July 28, 2009
Regulation Of Cervical Function In Mares Diagnosed With Failure Of Cervical Dilation
Description:
A major cause of subfertility in mares over 10 years of age who have not previously been bred is a failure of cervical relaxation during oestrus. This makes the mares prone to post-breeding endometritis, in turn providing an inhospitable environment for embryo development. In recent years, there has been much clinical interest in achieving cervical dilation around the time of breeding in such mares. Advancement has been hampered primarily due to limited knowledge of the basic biological control of equine cervical dilation and contraction. We hypothesise that failure of up-regulation of cervical receptors for reproductive hormones causes a failure of cervical dilation and consequently reduced fertility in mares. This project aims to: i) elucidate the basic biological control of relaxation and contraction of the mare’s cervix; ii) carry out a pilot study comparing reproductive pathways regulating cervical function in normal mares and mares diagnosed with failure of cervical dilation and iii) provide an evidence-based rationale for treatment of failure of cervical dilation in oestrous mares. We will investigate the cervical expression of several candidate hormone receptors and investigate novel pathways up-regulated in the mare cervix during oestrus using an equine specific whole genome microarray.
