Evidence against a role for blastocyst-secreted oxytocin in early pregnancy maintenance in sheep

Analysis of bovine conceptus RNA by slot blotting, Northern analysis and nested polymerase chain reaction failed to detect oxytocin-neurophysin prohortmone mRNA. Probes used hybridized with both the 3' end of the prohormone mRNA and the oxytocin-coding sequence. Northern analysis of bovine and porcine conceptus RNA was also negative, and polymerase chain reaction demonstrated oxytocin-neurophysin mRNA in ovine corpus luteum, but not in human corpus luteum or decidua, or in ovine endometrium