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Uterine influences on embryogenesis and early placentation in the horse revealed by transfer of day 10 embryos to day 3 recipient mares

The Paul Mellon Laboratory of Equine Reproduction, 3 Tower Stables, Cheveley Park, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9DE, UK

Correspondence should be addressed to S Wilsher; Email: paulmellonlab{at}btconnect.com

Formerly The Equine Fertility Unit, Mertoun Paddocks, Newmarket, UK

Eight day 10 horse embryos were transferred non-surgically to recipient mares that had ovulated 7 days after the donors. The embryonic vesicle was seen ultrasonographically in all eight recipients, and three out of eight (38%) of the vesicles developed an embryo proper with a beating heart. Conceptus expansion was initially slower than that in control mares but continued until day 22 (recipient day 15). Time of fixation of the vesicle was related to its diameter, rather than uterine stage. Although the embryo proper first appeared ultrasonographically on day 22, as normal, it grew more slowly and the allantois expanded more slowly than that in control mares with normal pregnancies. The development of endometrial cups and their secretion of equine chorionic gonadotropin in the two mares allowed to remain pregnant to >50 days occurred at a conceptus age 7 days later than that in the control mares. The results demonstrated the uniqueness of the horse conceptus in being able to overcome a 7-day asynchrony with the uterus, and also highlighted the overriding influence of the uterine environment on conceptus development in the mare.