• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2019

Reproductive potential decreases with age. A decrease in male fertility is due to a combination of morphological and molecular alterations in the testes. Transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1 (TRPV1) is associated with aging and lifespan, and its activation causes apoptotic cell death in various cell types. However, the effect of TRPV1 on testicular apoptosis in aged mice has not yet been reported. TRPV1 knockout (KO) mice had a longer lifespan than that of wild-type (WT) mice. Lifespan was increased by 11.8% in male TRPV1 KO mice compared to that in WT mice. TRPV1 KO males lived approximately 100 days longer than WT males on average, and the maximum lifespan was markedly extended in TRPV1 KO mice compared with that in WT mice. The TRPV1 expression levels were highly increased in the testes of older mice. TRPV1 was expressed in the entire testes region of the old mice. In addition, old TRPV1 KO mice had lower testicular apoptosis than that of WT mice. Our results show that TRPV1 induces testicular apoptosis and suggest that TRPV1 may be associated with testicular aging.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.93-99
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• 1999

Eosinohil and IgE responses of interleukin IL(-5 transgenic and normal C3H/HeN mice were studied after experimental infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis 9Nb). Intestinal worms were recovered at day 5 post-infection (PI), and numbers of total white blood cells (WBC) and eosinophils, and total serum IgE and anti-hapten (dinitrophenyl)(DNP) specific IgE titers, were measured at days 0,14 and PI. IL-5 mice appeared resistant to Nb infection showing a significantly ower worm recovery rate than normal mice (P<0.05). Total WBC and eosinophil counts (/mm3) were significantly increased in Nb infected normal mice (p<0.05), but unchanged (total WBC) or decreased (eosinophils) in IL-5 mice at day 21 PI. The total serum IgE level remarkably increased in normal mice, but only a little in IL-5 mice at days 14 and 21 PI. Priming with DNP brought about more remarkable increases of the total and anti-DNP specific IgE in normal mice than in IL-5 mice. The results show that IL-5 mice are resistant to Nb infection, and that eosinophil and IgE responses in these mice are not augmented by N infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.247-252
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• 1985

In the present study, the effect of primary infection to reinfection with Ascaris suum larvae was experimented in mouse model. Mice were challenged with 1,000 infective stage eggs of Ascaris suum. The embryonated eggs were directly introduced into stomach of mice. Reinfection was performed at 50 days after the primary infection with same method as primary infection. Mice were sacrificed 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20 days after infection in both groups respectively. Larvae collected from livers and lungs with Baermann's apparatus were enumerated and measured after sacrifice. Sera of mice were also collected at same time. The results of the experiment were as follows: With antigen prepared from coelomic fluid of adult Ascaris suum and sera collected from mice before reinfection, the production of antibody in experimental mice was confirmed by the gel-diffusion technique. In the livers of reinfected mice, the larvae were recovered up to 10 days after challenge, otherwhile in the primary infected mice, the larvae were observed up to 7 days. The maximum number of larvae were observed in the lungs of primary infected mice on 10 days after inoculation. In the lungs of reinfected mice, maximum number of larvae were recovered on 7 days after, only few larvae were recovered on 10 days after reinfection. As regards the growth of the larvae, the third stage larvae, over $500{\mu\textrm{m}}$ in length, appeared in livers at 5 days after reinfection, but it couldn't be found on 7 days and 10 days after challenge. The third stage larvae continuously developed were observed in lungs of mice from 5 days after reinfection. In conclusion, it was found that development of larvae in livers of immune mice were probably repressed by the immune mechanisms being rises in livers and defence mechanism is also acting by interfering with the process of larval penetration into the lung from the liver.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.405-413
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• 2013

Monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (MCP-3), a chemokine that is in a superfamily of structurally related small chemotactic cytokines involved in leukocyte trafficking, is regarded as a key factor in atherogenesis. In this study, we examined the changes in atherogenic parameters including hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative balance in MCP- 3-overexpressing transgenic mice (MCP-3 mice) under atherogenic conditions. To induce an extreme atherogenic condition, mice were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet for 12 weeks. The body weight and food intake were not changed by MCP-3 overexpression in the aorta. On a HFHC diet, the MCP-3 mice had higher plasma levels of total cholesterol and a higher atherogenic index compared with wild-type mice, although there were no differences in the plasma HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Furthermore, an increase in lipid accumulation was observed in the aortas as well as the livers of the HFHC diet-fed MCP-3 mice compared with wild-type mice. The activities of antioxidant enzymes increased in the livers of the HFHC diet-fed MCP-3 mice, whereas supplementation with antioxidants, naringin and hesperidin, reversed the activities of the hepatic antioxidant enzymes in HFHC diet-fed MCP-3 mice, indicating that there might be more oxidative damage to the tissues in the HFHC diet-fed MCP-3 mice leading to progression towards atherosclerosis and hepatic steatosis. Microarray analyses of the aorta revealed atherosclerosis-, PPARs-, lipoprotein receptor, and apolipoprotein-related genes that were affected by the HFHC diet in MCP-3 mice. These findings suggest that aortic MCP-3 overexpression may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and hepatic steatosis under atherogenic conditions.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2020

Of the various types of mice used for genome editing, conditional knock-out (cKO) mice serve as an important model for studying the function of genes. cKO mice can be produced using loxP knock-in (KI) mice in which loxP sequences (34 bp) are inserted on both sides of a specific region in the target gene. These mice can be used as KO mice that do not express a gene at a desired time or under a desired condition by cross-breeding with various Cre Tg mice. Genome editing has been recently made easy by the use of third-generation gene scissors, the CRISPR-Cas9 system. However, very few laboratories can produce mice for genome editing. Here we present a more efficient method for producing loxP KI mice. This method involves the use of an HDR vector as the target vector and ssODN as the donor DNA in order to induce homologous recombination for producing loxP KI mice. On injecting 20 ng/µL of ssODN, it was observed that the target exon was deleted or loxP was inserted on only one side. However, on injecting 10 ng/µL of the target HDR vector, the insertion of loxP was observed on both sides of the target region. In the first PCR, seven mice were identified to be loxP KI mice. The accuracy of their gene sequences was confirmed through Sanger sequencing. It is expected that the loxP KI mice produced in this study will serve as an important tool for identifying the function of the target gene.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.36.1-36.12
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• 2021

Background: Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) A59 is a highly infectious pathogen and starts in the respiratory tract and progresses to systemic infection in laboratory mice. The complement system is an important part of the host immune response to viral infection. It is not clear the role of the classical complement pathway in MHV infection. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of the classical pathway in coronavirus pathogenesis by comparing C1qa KO mice and wild-type mice. Methods: We generated a C1qa KO mouse using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and compared the susceptibility to MHV A59 infection between C1qa KO and wild-type mice. Histopathological and immunohistochemical changes, viral loads, and chemokine expressions in both mice were measured. Results: MHV A59-infected C1qa KO mice showed severe histopathological changes, such as hepatocellular necrosis and interstitial pneumonia, compared to MHV A59-infected wild-type mice. Virus copy numbers in the olfactory bulb, liver, and lungs of C1qa KO mice were significantly higher than those of wild-type mice. The increase in viral copy numbers in C1qa KO mice was consistent with the histopathologic changes in organs. These results indicate that C1qa deficiency enhances susceptibility to MHV A59 systemic infection in mice. In addition, this enhanced susceptibility effect is associated with dramatic elevations in spleen IFN-γ, MIP-1 α, and MCP-1 in C1qa KO mice. Conclusions: These data suggest that C1qa deficiency enhances susceptibility to MHV A59 systemic infection, and activation of the classical complement pathway may be important for protecting the host against MHV A59 infection.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2021

Drug addiction influences most communities directly or indirectly. Increasing studies have reported the relationship between circadian-related genes and drug addiction. Per2 disrupted mice exhibited more vulnerable behavioral responses against some drugs including methamphetamine (METH). However, its roles and mechanisms are still not clear. Transcriptional profiling analysis in Per2 knockout (KO) mice may provide a valuable tool to identify potential genetic involvement and pathways in enhanced behavioral responses against drugs. To explore the potential genetic involvement, we examined common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the striatum of drug naïve Per2 KO/wild-type (WT) mice, and before/after METH treatment in Per2 KO mice, but not in WT mice. We selected 9 common DEGs (Ncald, Cpa6, Pklr, Ttc29, Cbr2, Egr2, Prg4, Lcn2, and Camsap2) based on literature research. Among the common DEGs, Ncald, Cpa6, Pklr, and Ttc29 showed higher expression levels in drug naïve Per2 KO mice than in WT mice, while they were downregulated in Per2 KO mice after METH treatment. In contrast, Cbr2, Egr2, Prg4, Lcn2, and Camsap2 exhibited lower expression levels in drug naïve Per2 KO mice than in WT mice, while they were upregulated after METH treatment in Per2 KO mice. qRT-PCR analyses validated the expression patterns of 9 target genes before/after METH treatment in Per2 KO and WT mice. Although further research is required to deeply understand the relationship and roles of the 9 target genes in drug addiction, the findings from the present study indicate that the target genes might play important roles in drug addiction.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.437-443
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• 2023

We investigates MICE participants's evaluation on the application of smart tourism technology by comparing their importance and performance. Date were collected from MICE participants who had attended in hybrid MICE in recent five years, The three dimensions of smart tourism technology were event management, extension of contents, and community. We found that event management and community affected on overall satisfaction of MICE participants. The result of paired t-test revealed that there were significant differences in audience interaction, webinar, virtual showcase, communication by social hub, virtual marketplace, and matchmaking The importance-performance matrix also indicated that matchmaking, virtual marketplace, audience interaction, communication by social hub, and webinar were major weakness and should be improved in the future.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.195-200
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• 2014

Endothelin 2 (EDN2) induces follicular rupture by constricting periovulatory follicles. In this study, it was investigated the mechanisms of EDN2 action on follicular rupture with respect of receptor using the conditionally granulosa cell specific EDN2 receptor type A (ETa) KO mice (gcETaKO; $ETa^{flox/-}{\cdot}Amhr2^{Cre}$). It was generated the gcETaKO mice by breeding with $ETa^{flox/-}$ mice after mono-alleic ETa knockout by $ZP3^{Cre}$ and $Amhr2^{Cre}$ mice. Fertility, ovulation and maturation rates of ovulated oocytes after super ovulation were investigated in the gcETaKO mice compared with wild-type mice ($ETa^{flox/flox}$ and $ETa^{flox/-}$) as a control group. In the gcETaKO mice, normal fertility after breeding with male mice was shown compared with wild-type mice. And, there was no significant differences in ovulation rates after super ovulation, however its maturation rates was lower than that of wild type mice. These findings show that EDN2 in follicular rupture for ovulation is related with an other ETa not in granulosa cells. Further studies are needed to investigate how EDN2 is acted in ovarian follicular rupture for ovulation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.147-155
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• 2014

It has well studied that immune cells are strongly related to tumor progression and tumor suppression. To identify the difference of immune cell between tumor bearing mice and normal mice, we examined systemically the immune cell of CT26 tumor bearing mice on 21 days after tumor cell administration. As previously reported, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells population of tumor bearing mice significantly decreased 38% and 30% on day 21 compared to that of normal mice, respectively. All subpopulation of CD4 and CD8+ T cell significantly decreased, except CD49b+ T cell subpopulation. But, myeloid cell population ($CD11b^{high}$ and all Gr-1+ subpopulation) of tumor bearing mice significantly increased on day 21. Especially, all subpopulation of CD11b+Gr-1+ cell of tumor bearing mice significantly increased on day 21. Also, Foxp3+$CD25^{high}$ CD4 T cell (regulatory T cells) population significantly increased on day 21. These results suggest that tumor can induce the decline of T lymphocyte and the expansion of myeloid cells and regulatory T cells, and provide the basic information for the study of tumor immunology.