• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.293-303
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• 2007

목 적: 본 연구는 정소에서만 발현한다고 알려져 있는 Obox4에 대한 난소 및 난자에서의 동정과 난자 성숙에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 수행하였다. 연구방법: RT-PCR을 이용하여 발달 단계별 난소와 정소, 난자에서의 Obox4의 mRNA발현을 확인하였다. 난자 성숙동안에 Obox4의 기능을 알아보기 위해 GV 난자의 세포질에 Obox4의 dsRNA를 미세 주입하는 RNAi 방법을 사용하였다. Obox4 dsRNA를 미세주입한 후, M16 배지에서 16시간 동안 배양하거나, IBMX가 첨가된 M16 배지에서 24시간 동안 배양하면서 난자 성숙율 및 spindle, 염색체의 배치와 형상의 변화를 관찰하였다. Obox4 RNAi후 여러 유전자들의 발현 양의 변화를 RT-PCR을 이용하여 확인하였다. 결 과: Obox4의 mRNA는 난소에서 다른 Obox family들과 비교하여 낮게 발현함을 관찰하였다. Obox4 RNAi를 위해 합성된 dsRNA가 Obox4의 발현만을 특정적으로 감소시켰다. Obox4 RNAi후에 M16배지에서 16시간 배양한 군에서의 난자 성숙률은 대조군의 난자 성숙률과 별다른 차이를 보이지 않았다. 흥미롭게도, IBMX가 첨가된 M16 배지에서 24시간 동안 배양한 군에서는 대조군의 난자들이 GV 상태에 정지되어 있는데 반해, Obox4 RNAi군에서는 IBMX에서 존재함에도 불구하고, MI과 MII로의 난자 성숙이 진행되었다. 또한 Obox4 RNAi 난자의 spindle 구조는 완전히 사라지고 매우 응축되어 있는 염색체를 확인하였다. 결 론: 본 연구에서는, 생쥐의 난소 및 난자에서 Obox4의 발현을 처음으로 밝혔으며, 난자 성숙 동안에 Obox4가 염색체 분리 및 spindle 형성에 관여되어 있는 유전자임을 확인하였다. 또한, CAMP에 의해 조절되는 GV-arrest mechanism에 Obox4가 매우 밀접하게 연관되어 있을 것임을 알게 되었다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

Objective: Oocyte-specific homeobox 4 (Obox4) is preferentially expressed in oocytes and plays an important role in the completion of meiosis of oocytes. However, the Obox4 expression pattern has not been reported yet. In this study, we investigated the subcellular localization of Obox4 using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion expression system. Methods: Three regions of Obox4 were divided and fused to the GFP expression vector. The partly deleted homeodomain (HD) regions of Obox4 were also fused to the GFP expression vector. The recombinant vectors were transfected into HEK-293T cells plated onto coated glass coverslips. The transfected cells were stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindol and photographed using a fluorescence microscope. Results: Mutants containing the HD region as well as full-length Obox4 were clearly localized to the nucleus. In contrast, the other mutants of either the N-terminal or C-terminal region without HD had impaired nuclear localization. We also found that the N-terminal and C-terminal of the Obox HD contributed to nuclear localization and the entire HD was necessary for nuclear localization of Obox4. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, we demonstrated that the intact HD region of Obox4 is responsible for the nuclear localization of Obox4 protein in cells.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.68-74
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• 2011

Objective: Previously, we found that oocyte specific homeobox (Obox) 4 plays significant role in completion of meiosis specifically at meiosis I-meiosis II (MI-MII) transition. The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanism of action of $Obox4$ in oocyte maturation by evaluating downstream signal networking. Methods: The $Obox4$ dsRNA was prepared by $in$ $vitro$ transcription and microinjected into the cytoplasm of germinal vesicle oocytes followed by $in$ $vitro$ maturation in the presence or absence of 0.2 mM 3-isobutyl-1-metyl-xanthine. Total RNA was extracted from 200 oocytes of each group using a PicoPure RNA isolation kit then amplified two-rounds. The probe hybridization and data analysis were used by Affymetrix Gene-Chip$^{(R)}$ Mouse Genome 430 2.0 array and GenPlex 3.0 (ISTECH, Korea) software, respectively. Results: Total 424 genes were up (n=80) and down (n=344) regulated after $Obox4$ RNA interference (RNAi). Genes mainly related to metabolic pathways and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was changed. Among the protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, PKC-alpha, beta, gamma were down-regulated and especially the MAPK signaling pathway PKC-gamma was dramatically decreased by $Obox4$ RNAi. In the cell cycle pathway, we evaluated the expression of genes involved in regulation of chromosome separation, and found that these genes were down-regulated. It may cause the aberrant chromosome segregation during MI-MII transition. Conclusion: From the results of this study, it is concluded that $Obox4$ is important upstream regulator of the PKC and anaphase-promoting complex action for maintaining intact germinal vesicle.