• BMB Reports
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.389-399
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• 2010

Fertilization is a complex process comprised of numerous steps. During fertilization, two highly specialized and differentiated cells (sperm and egg) fuse and subsequently trigger the development of an embryo from a quiescent, arrested oocyte. Molecular interactions between the sperm and egg are necessary for regulating the developmental potential of an oocyte, and precise coordination and regulation of gene expression and protein function are critical for proper embryonic development. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a valuable model system for identifying genes involved in fertilization and the oocyte-to-embryo transition as well as for understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern these processes. In this review, we will address current knowledge of the molecular underpinnings of gamete interactions during fertilization and the oocyte-to-embryo transition in C. elegans. We will also compare our knowledge of these processes in C. elegans to what is known about similar processes in mammalian, specifically mouse, model systems.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.353-360
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• 2006

본 연구는 쥐 난자에서 인위적 활성화 처리가 난자의 활성화, cyclin B1 단백질의 발현 및 난자의 활성화와 cyclin B1 단백질 발현간의 상관관계에 미치는 영향에 관하여 조사하고자 실시하였다. 난자의 활성화 처리는 7% ethanol(EtOH) or 10μg/ml Ca-ionophore with or without 10μg/ml cycloheximide (CH) 방법으로 단일 또는 복합처리 하였다. 난자의 활성화 비율은 단일처리(p<0.05)와 복합처리 (p<0.01)한 난자가 무처리에 비하여 유의하게 높았다. Cyclin B1 단백질의 발현이 EtOH+CH 처리한 난자를 제외한 다른 처리군에서는 무처리에 비하여 유의하게 감소하였다(p<0.05). 한편 EtOH+CH(r=0.61, p<0.05)와 Ca+CH(r=0.86, p<0.01) 처리그룹에서 cyclin B1 단백질의 발현과 난자의 활성화 간에 높은 역상관관계가 있음을 확인하였다. 하지만 단일처리 그룹에서는 두 요소간에 상관관계가 없음을 알 수 있었다. 따라서 단일(EtOH and Ca-ionophore) 또는 복합(EtOH+CH and Ca+CH) 활성화 처리가 난자의 활성화를 증가시키며, 이것은 난자의 활성화 처리에 따른 cyclin B1 단백질의 감소와 밀접한 연관이 있다고 사료된다.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.255-260
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to assess follicular viability and competence through in vitro culture of preantral follicles isolated from vitrified mouse whole ovaries. Mouse preantral follicles were enzymatically isolated from vitrified- warmed and fresh ovaries and cultured for 10 days followed by in vitro oocyte maturation. In vitro matured oocytes were fertilized and cultured to the blastocyst stage. Five minutes pre-exposure to vitrification solution of whole ovaries had significantly higher (p<0.05) oocyte survival and maturation rates than between 10 min exposure groups. Oocyte diameter was significantly smaller (p<0.05) in the 5 and 10 min exposure groups ($69.4{\pm}2.8$ and $67.8{\pm}3.1$) when compared to that of control group ($71.7{\pm}2.1$). There was no statistical significant difference in blastocyst development rates between vitrification group (8.6%) and the fresh control group (12.0%). The mean number of cells per blastocyst was significantly lower (p<0.05) in the vitrification group ($41.9{\pm}20.2$) than in the fresh control group ($55.1{\pm}22.5$). The results show that mouse oocytes within preantral follicles isolated from the vitrified whole ovaries can achieve full maturation, normal fertilization and embryo development.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.117-120
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• 2005

This study was conducted to establish the optimal temperature condition before oocyte activation in B6m F1 mouse. In experiment 1, two embryo culture media (CZB vs KSOM) were evaluated for the development of activated mouse oocytes. Parthenogenetic embryos cultured in KSOM showed better blastocyst development than ones cultured in CZB $(56.2\%\;vs\;81.0\%\;p<0.01)$. Two-hour of pre-incubation before activation significantly reduced the number of hatched blastocysts in KSOM $(22.0\%\;versus\;8.8\%\;p<0.05)$. In experiment 2, recovered oocytes were pre-incubated at different temperature conditions before activation. The experimental groups were divided by 5 as follows. Group A: pre-incubation for 120 min at $37^{\circ}C$, Group B: pre-incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 90 min then at $25^{\circ}C$ for 30 min, Group C: pre-incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 60 min then at $25^{\circ}C$for 60 min, Group D: pre-incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ for 30 min then at $25^{\circ}C$ for 90 min, and Group E: pre-incubation at $25^{\circ}C$ for 120 min before activation. Group A $(67.6\%)$ and B $(66.7\%)$ showed better development to the blastocyst stage than other groups $(Group\;C:\;50.0\%\;Group \;D:\;49.2\%\;Group\;E:\;33.3\%,\;p<0.05)$. The present study indicates that the temperature before activation affects the development of B6D2 F1 mouse parthenogenetic oocytes and exposure to room temperature should be limited to 30-min when the oocytes are left in HEPES-buffered medium for micromanipulation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.532-537
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• 2008

In order to investigate the factors affecting the culture of mouse preantral follicles in vitro, we examined the effect of culture media, protein supplements, and culture period on their growth. The oocyte diameter (initial size: $55.6{\pm}2.5{\mu}m$) was progressively increased during culture, and the maximum size ($72.0{\pm}2.4{\mu}m$) was reached on day 10 of the in vitro culture. The chromatin configuration in the germinal vesicle (GV) oocyte progressively shifted from a non-surrounded nucleolus (NSN) to a surrounded nucleolus (SN). On day 10 of the culture, most of the oocytes progressed to the SN pattern. The survival and metaphase II rates of the oocytes in alpha-minimal essential medium (alpha-MEM) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in Waymouth and tissue culture medium (TCM)-199. As a protein source, fetal bovine serum (FBS) was more suitable for the culture of mouse preantral follicles as compared to human follicular fluid (hFF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA); the optimal concentration of FBS was 5%. These results suggest that in a culture of mouse preantral follicles, alpha-MEM and 5% FBS are an optimal medium and a protein source, respectively; further, the 10 days of culture is required for the complete growth of oocytes in this culture system.

• 한국동물학회지
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.79-85
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• 1986

생쥐난자내에 cAMP phosphodiesterase(PDE)가 존재하는 가를 확인하고 cAMP PDE와 난자성숙간의 관계를 밝히기 위해 본 실험을 행하였다. 실험결과 생쥐난자내에는 Michaelis 상수 (Km)와 반응 최대속도 (Vmax)가 다른 두종의 cAMP PDE가 있다는 것이 밝혀졌다. 즉 하나는 Km 값이 $0.14 \\pm 0.01 \\muM$ 이고 Vmax 값이 $0.42 \\pm 0.07$ fmol cAMP hydrolyzed/oocyte/minute이고, 다른 하나는 Km 값이 $14.5 \\pm 2.0 \\muM$ 이고 Vmax 값이 $2.2 \\pm 0.5$ fmol cAMP hydrolyzed/oocyte/minute이다. 또한 PDE의 cAMP 분해작용은 난자성숙 억제제로 알려진 theophylline과 isobutyl-methylxanthine에 의해 저해되었으나 그 작용은 가역적이었다. 이 실험결과는 PDE의 활성저해로 인한 난자내의 cAMP의 축적이 결국 난자성숙을 억제하고 있다는 것을 암시하고 있다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.87-93
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• 2012

Objective: Lin28 has been known to control the proliferation and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. The purpose of this study was to determine the downstream effectors of Lin28 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) by RNA interference and microarray analysis. Methods: The control siRNA and Lin28 siRNA (Dharmacon) were transfected into mESCs. Total RNA was prepared from each type of transfected mESC and subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis to confirm the downregulation of Lin28. The RNAs were labeled and hybridized with an Affymetrix Gene-Chip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 array. The data analysis was accomplished by GenPlex 3.0 software. The expression levels of selected genes were confirmed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Results: According to the statistical analysis of the cDNA microarray, a total of 500 genes were altered in Lin28-downregulated mESCs (up-regulated, 384; down-regulated, 116). After differentially expressed gene filtering, 31 genes were selected as candidate genes regulated by Lin28 downregulation. Among them, neuropeptide Y5 receptor and oocyte-specific homeobox 5 genes were significantly upregulated in Lin28-downregulated mESCs. We also showed that the families of neuropeptide Y receptor (Npyr) and oocyte-specific homeobox (Obox) genes were upregulated by downregulation of Lin28. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, we suggest that Lin28 controls the characteristics of mESCs through the regulation of effectors such as the Npyr and Obox families.

• 한국동물학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.81-86
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• 1988

생쥐혹은 돼지의 난자-난구 복합체를 인공배양하면서 뇌하수체호르몬 혹은 세포내 cAMP의 농도를 높이는 시약을 사용하여 난자의 성숙과 난구세포의 분산을 조절하고 이 때 두 세토들 사이에 상호협력(metabolic cooperativity)관계가 어떻게 변하는지를 조사하여 보았다. 생귀와 돼지의 난구세포들은 뇌하수체호르몬이나 cAMP의 증가에 의해 분산이 유도됨과 동시에 배양액 내에서 있는 uridine의 흡수가 크게 촉진되었다. (대조군의 약 4배). 그러나 난구세포에 흡수된 uridine이 난자로 전달되는 물질이동율(transfer ratio)은 대조군과 같이 시간이 지남에 따라 감소하였으며 cAMP의 영향도 거의 받지 않았다. 또한 물질이동율의 감소는 난구세포의 부산여부나 난자의 성숙(핵붕괴) 여부에 크게 영향을 받지 않았다.단지 생쥐의 경우 호르몬에 의해 물질이동율의 감소가 더욱 두드러지게 나타나는 경우를 볼수 있었다. 따라서 물질이동율의 변화가 난구세포의 분산이나 난자의 성숙과 직접 관련이 없는 것으로 보여지며 두 세포들 사이의 metabolic cooperativity가 난자의 성숙조절에 중요한 요인이 되지 않는다는 것을 알았다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.299-307
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• 2003

Objectives: The present study was conducted to evaluate the mobile transposon-like element, clone MTi7 (MTi7) expression in the mouse ovary and to determine its role(s) in the mouse oocytes by RNA interference (RNAi). Methods: MTi7 mRNA expression was localized by in situ hybridization in day5 and adult ovaries. Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) was prepared for c-mos, a gene with known function as control, and the MTi7. Each dsRNA was microinjected into the germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes then oocyte maturation and intracellular changes were evaluated. Results: In situ hybridization analysis revealed that MTi7 mRNA localized to the oocyte cytoplasm from primordial to preovulatory follicles. After dsRNA injection, we found 43-54% GV arrest of microinjected GV oocytes with 68%-90% decrease in targeted c-mos or MTi7 mRNA. Conclusions: This is the first report of the oocyte-specific expression of the MTi7 mRNA. From results of RNAi for MTi7, we concluded that the MTi7 is involved in the germinal vesicle breakdown in GV oocytes, and MTi7 may be implicated with c-mos for its function. We report here that RNAi provides an outstanding approach to study the function of a gene with unknown functions.

• 한국동물학회지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.87-101
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• 1975

dbcAMP에 의한 卵子의 核 崩壞 抑制作用을 電子顯微鏡的으로 究明하기 위하여 생쥐 濾胞卵子의 微細構造를 관찰하였던 바 다음과 같은 結論을 얻었다. 1. 實驗群에서의 核膜의 彎曲은 對照群의 것에 비하여 얼마간 줄고 있으며 2種의 核膜이 정상적으로 유지되고 있으나, 核膜을 따라 무수히 많은 核膜孔이 나타나고 있다. 이는 核 崩壞 抑制와 연관성이 있는 것으로 추정할 수 있다. 2. mitochondria는 對照群에서는 細胞質 전체에 산재해 있고, cristae의 構造가 뚜렷하지 못한 未分化 혹은 移行型의 것들이 많은 반면, 實驗群에서는 mitochondria가 대체로 核 周邊部에 모여 있으며 cristae가 얼마간 발달한 상태를 나타내고 있다. 3. Iysosome은 實驗群에서 그 構造도 보다 단순하고 또 그 數도 對照群에 비하여 얼마간 減少하고 있다. 4. Golgi complex는 對照群에서는 전현적인 顆粒, 層板狀 構造를 하고있으나, 實驗群에서의 것은 그다지 뚜렷하지가 않다. 5. multivesicular body는 兩群이 모두 다수 나타나고 있으며, tonofilament도 무수히 존재하고, 細胞質 전반에 걸쳐 free ribosome이 존재하고 있다. 6. 細胞膜의 microvilli의 形態는 實驗群에서는 無定形으로 변하고 있으며, perivitellin space도 상당히 넓어지고 있다. 7. 以上의 觀察結果로 미루어 보아 dbcAMP를 處理하여 24시간 배양한 卵子와, 卵巢에서 직접 採取한 卵子의 電子顯微鏡的 構造에는 근본적인 변화는 볼 수 없으며, 實驗群의 卵子에서 核膜孔의 數가 뚜렷이 증가하고 있는 것은 dbcAMP가 核膜의 透過性에 어떠한 영향을 미치므로써 卵子의 成熟을 억제하고 있는 것이 아닌가 보인다.