• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.317-322
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• 2021

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), a zinc finger protein, is a transcription factor and regulator of chromatin structure. Forebrain excitatory neuron-specific CTCF deficiency contributes to inflammation via enhanced transcription of inflammation-related genes in the cortex and hippocampus. However, little is known about the long-term effect of CTCF deficiency on postnatal neurons, astrocytes, or microglia in the hippocampus of adult mice. To address this, we knocked out the Ctcf gene in forebrain glutamatergic neurons (Ctcf cKO) by crossing Ctcf-floxed mice with Camk2a-Cre mice and examined the hippocampi of 7.5-10-month-old male mice using immunofluorescence microscopy. We found obvious neuronal cell death and reactive gliosis in the hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)1 in 7.5-10-month-old cKO mice. Prominent rod-shaped microglia that participate in immune surveillance were observed in the stratum pyramidale and radiatum layer, indicating a potential increase in inflammatory mediators released by hippocampal neurons. Although neuronal loss was not observed in CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG) CTCF depletion induced a significant increase in the number of microglia in the stratum oriens of CA3 and reactive microgliosis and astrogliosis in the molecular layer and hilus of the DG in 7.5-10-month-old cKO mice. These results suggest that long-term Ctcf deletion from forebrain excitatory neurons may contribute to reactive gliosis induced by neuronal damage and consequent neuronal loss in the hippocampal CA1, DG, and CA3 in sequence over 7 months of age.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2020

Spermatogonial stem cells are self-renewal and differentiate into sperm in post-pubertal mammals. There exists a balance between the self-renewal and differentiation in the testes. Spermatogonial stem cells make up only 0.03% of testicular cells in adult mice. These cells maintain sperm production by differentiating after puberty. Therefore, analyzing the expression of genes associated with spermatogenesis is critical for understanding differentiation. The present study aimed to establish the postnatal period of cells in relation to spermatogenesis. To study the expression of differentiated and undifferentiated marker genes in enriched spermatogonial stem cells, in vitro culture was performed and cells from pup (6-8-day-old) and adult (4-months-old) testicular tissues were isolated. As a result, undifferentiated genes, Pax7, Plzf, GFRa1, Etv5 and Bcl6b, were highly increased in cultured spermaotogonial stem cells compared with pup and adult testicular cells. On the other hands, differentiated gene, c-kit was highly increased in adult testicular cells, Also Stra8 gene was highly increased in pup and adult testicular cells. This study provides a better understanding of spermatogenesis-associated gene expression during postnatal periods.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.35-39
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• 2019

This study aimed to recover the ovarian function through in vitro culture of preantral follicles from aged mice. First, we isolated the preantral follicles from ovaries of sixty-seven-week old B6D2F1 mice with decreased fecundity to know how many follicles were present in them, which was 6 preantral follicles including 2 primary, 2 early secondary and late secondary follicles from 8 aged mice. It was confirmed that a few follicles (~2) were present in aged mice through histological analysis compared to adult mice as control. The 9 days of in vitro culture of preantal follicles showed in vitro growth and induced maturation after treatment with hCG (2.5 IU/mL) and EGF (5 ng/mL). Cumulus cells in the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were removed using hyaluronidase and oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) and GV breakdown (GVBD) were obtained from preantral follicle culture of aged mice in vitro. In conclusion, these observations demonstrated that there still were a few preantral follicles in the ovaries of 67 week-old mice, which we were able to culture in vitro and oocytes were obtained from them. This study proposed an in vitro culture system using preantral follicle as a therapeutic strategy for fertility preservation in humans for assisted reproductive medicine.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.304-310
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• 2007

Monocrotophos was administered orally to adult male albino mice at dose level of 3.0 mg/kg body weight/day/mice for 50 days. The treatment has found to affect spermatogenesis as well as the endocrine functions of the testis as indicated by gravimetric, histopathological and biochemical changes. The treatment has caused degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules and Leydig cells of the testis and regression of the epididymis, seminal vesicle, vas deferens, prostate, Cowper's gland and levator ani. Similarly, cauda epididymal sperm count and sperm motility have shown significant reduction. There was a significant reduction in the protein, glycogen, sialic acid, acid and alkaline phosphatase and increase in cholesterol in the testis of monocrotophos treated mice compared with the control. The causative factors for these changes due to monocrotophos administration were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 1980

1. In adult ICR-SLC mice, significant increase in the occurrence of the Tyzzer's disease was noted when the reticuloendothelial system was blockaded with the carbon particles. The most suitable bloakading time was 2 hours before inoculating Tyzzer's organisms, the route was intraperitoneal and the dose was 3mg/body. 2. Survival rate of the experimental group ICR-SLC suckling mice receiving BCG ($3{\times}10^8$) 6 days prior to intraperitoneal inoculation of Tyzzer's organisms was 80 percent, but the control group was 17%. 3. In comparing the survival rate of the nude/nude mice with the nude/+ mice, the former congenitally thymus deficient mice are 11 percent, but the latter are 67 percent.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.171.1-171.1
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• 2001

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.110-114
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• 2015

Purpose: Growth and differentiation factor (GDF)-11 is a transforming growth factor-${\beta}$ family member that plays important regulatory roles in development of multiple tissues which include axial skeletal patterning, palatal closure, and tooth formation. Proteins that have been identified as GDF-11 inhibitors include GDF-associated serum protein (GASP)-1 and GASP-2. Recently, we found that mice genetically engineered to lack both Gasp1 and Gdf11 have an increased frequency of cleft palate. The goal of this study was to investigate the roles of GDF-11 and its inhibitors, GASP-1 and GASP-2, during dental and craniofacial development and growth. Methods: Mouse genetic studies were used in this study. Homozygous knockout mice for Gasp1 ($Gasp1^{-/-}$) and Gasp2 ($Gasp2^{-/-}$) were viable and fertile, but Gdf11 homozygous knockout ($Gdf11^{-/-}$) mice died within 24 hours after birth. The effect of either Gasp1 or Gasp2 deletion in $Gdf11^{-/-}$ mice during embryogenesis was evaluated in $Gasp1^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{-/-}$ and $Gasp2^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{-/-}$ mouse embryos at 18.5 days post-coitum (E18.5). For the analysis of adult tissues, we used $Gasp1^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{+/-}$ and $Gasp2^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice to evaluate the potential haploinsufficiency of Gdf11 in $Gasp1^{-/-}$ and $Gasp2^{-/-}$ mice. Results: Although Gasp2 expression decreased after E10.5, Gasp1 expression was readily detected in various ectodermal tissues at E17.5, including hair follicles, epithelium in nasal cavity, retina, and developing tooth buds. Interestingly, $Gasp1^{-/-}$;$Gdf11^{-/-}$ mice had abnormal formation of lower incisors: tooth buds for lower incisors were under-developed or missing. Although $Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice were viable and had mild transformations of the axial skeleton, no specific defects in the craniofacial development have been observed in $Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice. However, loss of Gasp1 in $Gdf11^{+/-}$ mice occasionally resulted in small and abnormally shaped auricles. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both GASP-1 and GDF-11 play important roles in dental and craniofacial development both during embryogenesis and in adult tissues.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the life history, morphology, and maturation of larval stages and adult worms of Fasciola gigantica in experimental mice. Lymnaea auricularia rubiginosa was used as the intermediate host, and Oryza sativa was used for encystment of the metacercariae, while Mus musculus was used as the definitive host for maturation study. Fresh eggs from the gall bladder of water buffaloes fully developed into embryonated ones and hatched out at days 11-12 after incubation at about $29^{\circ}C$. Free-swimming miracidia rapidly penetrated into the snail host, and gradually developed into the next larval stages; sporocyst, redia, and daughter redia with cercariae. Fully-developed cercariae were separated from the redia and shed from the snails on day 39 post-infection (PI). Free-swimming cercariae were immediately allowed to adhere to rice plants, and capsules were constructed to protect metacercariae on rice plants. Juvenile worms were detected in intestines of mice at days 3 and 6 PI, but they were found in the bile duct from day 9 PI. Juvenile and adult flukes were recovered from 16 mice experimentally infected with metacercariae, with the average recovery rate of 35.8%. Sexually mature adult flukes were recovered from day 42 PI. It could be confirmed that experimentally encysted metacercariae could infect and develop to maturity in the experimental host. The present study reports for the first time the complete life history of F. gigantica by an experimental study in Thailand. The obtained information can be used as a guide for prevention, elimination, and treatment of F. gigantica at environment and in other hosts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.406-411
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• 2011

To investigate the effects of short-term treatment with tri-n-butyltin chloride (TBTCl) and bisphenol A (BPA) on the reproduction of striped field mice, the mice were intramuscularly injected with TBTCl or BPA immediately before the reproductive season and examined in the reproductive season after keeping them for 4 months. As a result, there were no differences between the control and the compound-treated groups regarding body weight in both sexes, the residual levels of the compounds in the adult males, and the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and the histological structures with LM and EM of the testes and epididymides in both the adult and young males. The infant mortality and abortion rate, however, were high in the TBTCl-treated groups and BPA-treated groups respectively, compared to the control group. Conclusively, it was suggested that short-term treatment with TBTCl or BPA in mice in the non-reproductive season might have inhibited the development of the uterine embryos or fetuses, although it did not induce accumulations of these compounds or affect the reproductive organs of adult and young (F1) males.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.845-851
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• 2010

Purpose: Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been widely used to treat short stature. However, there are some concerns that growth hormone treatment may induce skeletal maturation and early onset of puberty. In this study, we investigated whether rhGH can directly affect the neuronal activities of of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Methods: We performed brain slice gramicidin-perforated current clamp recording to examine the direct membrane effects of rhGH on GnRH neurons, and a whole-cell voltage-clamp recording to examine the effects of rhGH on spontaneous postsynaptic events and holding currents in immature (postnatal days 13-21) and adult (postnatal days 42-73) mice. Results: In immature mice, all 5 GnRH neurons recorded in gramicidin-perforated current clamp mode showed no membrane potential changes on application of rhGH (0.4, $1{\mu}g/mL$). In adult GnRH neurons, 7 (78%) of 9 neurons tested showed no response to rhGH ($0.2-1{\mu}g/mL$) and 2 neurons showed slight depolarization. In 9 (90%) of 10 immature neurons tested, rhGH did not induce any membrane holding current changes or spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs). There was no change in sPSCs and holding current in 4 of 5 adult GnRH neurons. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that rhGH does not directly affect the GnRH neuronal activities in our experimental model.