Small extracellular vesicles derived from the crosstalk between early embryos and the endometrium potentially mediate corpus luteum function

Abstract The first interactions among the embryo, endometrium, and corpus luteum (CL) are essential for pregnancy success. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are part of these interactions. We previously demonstrated that sEVs from in vivo- or in vitro-produced bovine embryos contain different miRNA cargos. Herein we show: 1) the presence and origin (in vivo or in vitro) of the blastocyst differentially reprograms endometrial transcriptional profiles; 2) the endometrial explant (EE) cultured with in vivo or in vitro embryos release sEVs with different miRNA contents, and; 3) the luteal explant (CLE) exposed to these sEVs have distinct mRNA and miRNA profiles. To elucidate this, the EE were cultured in the presence or absence of a single Day-7 in vivo (EE-AI) or in vitro (EE-IVF) embryo. After of culture we found, in the EE, 45 and 211 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with embryo presence and origin, respectively. SEVs were recovered from the conditioned media (CM) in which EE and embryos were co-cultured. Four miRNAs were differentially expressed between sEVs from CM-EE-AI and CM-EE-IVF. Luteal explants exposed in culture to these sEVs showed 1360 transcripts, and fifteen miRNAs differentially expressed. The DEGs associated with embryo presence and origin, modulating cells’ proliferation, and survival. These results demonstrate that in vivo- or in vitro-produced bovine embryos induce molecular alterations in the endometrium; and that the embryo and endometrium release sEVs capable of modifying the mRNA and miRNA profile in the CL. Therefore, the sEVs-mediated embryo-endometrium-CL interactions possibly regulate the CL viability to ensure pregnancy success.