Melatonin has important effects on reproduction, but the melatonin system has not been studied in the sheep uterus. This research demonstrated the expression of melatonin synthetising and catabolising enzymes, and melatonin receptors in the sheep uterus, and showed that they are influenced by the day of the oestrous cycle and undernutrition. The results help explain the adverse effects of undernutrition on reproduction in sheep, and the success of exogenous melatonin treatments in improving reproductive outcomes.

Animal cloning was first achieved nearly 30 years ago and is a powerful tool to create gene-edited animals and reproduce animals with valuable genetics, yet it remains a difficult and inefficient process. This study determined that a combination of chemicals added at the beginning of the cattle cloning process resulted in a four-fold increase in cloned cattle produced. We can now further learn how these chemicals improve cloned embryos and test this process on additional species.