{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:37:25Z","timestamp":1760236645528,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,9]],"date-time":"2021-12-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1639008000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32072728; 31872357"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32072728; 31872357"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"the earmarked fund for Jiangsu Agricultural Industry Technology System","award":["JATS[2020]400"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JATS[2020]400"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The uterus, as part of the female reproductive tract, is essential for embryo survival and in the maintenance of multiple pregnancies in domestic animals. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of WNT6 on Hu sheep endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) and uterine glands (UGs) in Hu sheep, with high prolificacy rates. In the present study, Hu sheep with different fecundity, over three consecutive pregnancies, were divided into two groups: high prolificacy rate group (HP, litter size = 3) and low prolificacy rate group (LP, litter size = 1). A comparative analysis of the endometrial morphology was performed by immunofluorescence. RNA-seq was used to analyze the gene\u2019s expression in endometrium of HP and LP Hu sheep, providing a candidate gene, which was investigated in EECs and organoid culture. Firstly, higher density of UGs was found in the HP Hu sheep groups (p &lt; 0.05). The RNA-seq data revealed the importance of the WNT signaling pathway and WNT6 gene in Hu sheep endometrium. Functionally, WNT6 could promote the cell cycle progression of EECs via WNT\/\u03b2-catenin signal and enhance UGs organogenesis. Taken together, WNT6 is a crucial regulator for sheep endometrial development; this finding may offer a new insight into understanding the regulatory mechanism of sheep prolificacy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci8120316","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,8]],"date-time":"2021-12-08T23:30:00Z","timestamp":1639006200000},"page":"316","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Roles of WNT6 in Sheep Endometrial Epithelial Cell Cycle Progression and Uterine Glands Organogenesis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Xiaoxiao","family":"Gao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaolei","family":"Yao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiaodan","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yaxu","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zifei","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhibo","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kang","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yingqi","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Guomin","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4965-836X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Feng","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"},{"name":"Hu Sheep Academy, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"223","DOI":"10.1016\/j.omtn.2021.02.030","article-title":"Lncrna Fdncr Promotes Apoptosis of Granulosa Cells by Targeting the Mir-543-3p\/Dcn\/Tgf-Beta Signaling Pathway in Hu Sheep","volume":"24","author":"Yao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mol. 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