A CRISPR APPROACH TO DETERMINING PPARG REGULATION OF FATTY ACID AVAILABILITY THAT INFLUENCES EMBRYO ORIGINS OF CONCEPTUS FORMATION IN CATTLE

Long-term GoalThe long-term goal is to improve reproductive success by targeting gene-environment interactions that influence early embryo development. Results from these projects will help to close the gap between blastocyst formation and conceptus elongation as a powerful tool to determine environmental factors that condition the preimplantation embryo for developmental success. Information gained from these objectives are directly applicable to optimizing embryo environment and maternal uterine dietary conditions for early pregnancy. The overall goal is to improve embryo developmental competence and reproductive efficiency in US cattle.Specific ObjectivesDetermine the requirement of PPARG for bovine blastocyst formation and cell lineage specification.Determine developmental and transcriptomic roles of PPARG in response to FA availability for bovine embryos.Determine roles of embryonic PPARG in response to maternal FA availability for conceptus elongation.