• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.531-535
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• 1994

APUD cells in the oviduct of the sheep at standing estrus were localized as paraneurons in the lamina propria sandwiched between this structure and the tunica muscularis by the method of masked metachromasia to toluidine blue after hot mineral acid hydrolysis. These were also confirmed by lead haematoxylin stain and argyrophilia. The oviduct was serialized into 66 zones. Cells were absent in the first and last 2 zones, and most parts of the isthmus. There was however abundant number of APUD cells in the ampulla which were fusiform shaped and were about $5{\mu}m$ width and also in the juncture, where the cells were of a smaller width ($3{\mu}m$) and were quite numerous reaching 180-200 in some zones. It is concluded that peptide secreting cells are numerous in the oviduct and that this may qualify the oviduct as an endocrine organ.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.185-190
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• 2005

The chicken oviduct is a dynamic organ that produces secretory proteins such as ovalbumin and its cells undergo cell proliferation and differentiation. There has been no study of the cellular mechanism involved in cell death in the chicken oviduct. Therefore, this study has focused on the study of apoptosis in primary oviduct cells. Because ceramide is known to activate apoptosis in tumor cells and is produced in the oviduct, we used an exogenous ceramide analog to induce cell death. The viability of ceramide-treated chicken oviduct cells decreased in a dose-dependent manner and apoptotic cells were detected by staining with annexin V. The expression of apoptosis-related genes was assessed by RT-PCR and bcl-2 mRNA was found to decrease after exposure to ceramide while Bcl-x mRNA increased 12 h post-treatment. In addition, caspase-3 was expressed strongly in the early stages of apoptosis, while caspase-1 and -9 transcripts increased at later times. We conclude that ceramide induces apoptosis in oviduct-derived primary cells via a caspase- and bcl-2-dependent pathway.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1321-1330
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• 2021

Objective: Transgenic hens hold a great promise to produce various valuable proteins. Through virus transduction into stage X embryo, the transgene expression under the control of constructed chicken ovalbumin promoters has been successfully achieved. However, a validation system that can evaluate differently developed ovalbumin promoters in in vitro, remains to be developed. Methods: In the present study, chicken oviduct epithelial cells (cOECs) were isolated from oviduct tissue and shortly cultured with keratinocyte complete medium supplemented with chicken serum. The isolated cells were characterized with immunofluorescence, western blot, and flow cytometry using oviduct-specific marker. Chicken mutated ovalbumin promoter (Mut-4.4-kb-pOV) was validated in these cells using luciferase reporter analysis. Results: The isolated cOECs revealed that the oviduct-specific marker, ovalbumin protein, was clearly detected by immunofluorescence, western blot, and flow cytometry analysis revealed that approximately 79.40% of the cells contained this protein. Also, luciferase reporter analysis showed that the constructed Mut-4.4-kb-pOV exhibited 7.1-fold (p<0.001) higher activity in the cOECs. Conclusion: Collectively, these results demonstrate the efficient isolation and characterization of cOECs and validate the activity of the constructed ovalbumin promoter in the cultured cOECs. The in vitro validation of the recombinant promoter activity in cOECs can facilitate the production of efficient transgenic chickens for potential use as bioreactors.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.171-177
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• 1999

This study was conducted for the histological observation of the infundibulum of the oviduct of the laying Korean native pheasants. The results are as follows : 1. The infundibular wall is composed of the epithelium, lamina propria, muscle layer(inner circular and outer longitudinal muscle), and serosa. The funnel lip is divided into the inner, and outer lip of the epithelium and muscle layer. 2. The epithelium of the funnel lip and most region of the cranial part of the funnel are composed of ciliated columnar cells. In the surface and lateral part of the folds, ciliated cells and non-ciliated secretory cells tend to alternate in the epithelium of the caudal funnel and the necks, but are also found in groups of the simple cuboidal epithelium at the bases of the grooves between the ridges and tubular glands found in the subepithelium. 3. The secretory material of the non-ciliated secretory cills contains PAS-positive and alcian blue-positive granules, and these materials show purple colour in the basic fuchsin-methylene blue stain. 4. The cells of the glandular groove and tubular gland of the neck portion of the oviduct mostly show weak PAS-positive, and alcian blue stain negative reaction. The tubular gland cells of the infndibulum contain pink of purple colour granules, and without reaction in the anterior neck portion of the infundibulum in basic fuchsin and methylene blue stain.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.177-183
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• 2002

The study was designed to investigate the aspects of the goblet cell of the oviduct in laying Korean ring-necked pheasants by histochemical methods (PAS, alcian blue-PAS, alcian blue pH 2.5, alcian blue pH 1.0, and aldehyde fuchsin-alcian blue stain). Twelve laying Korean ring-necked pheasants were used. The results were summarized as follows. The goblet cell of the oviduct of the Korean ring-necked pheasant contained sulfated acid mucosubstances and neutral mucosubstances in the infundibulum. The compounds of sulfated acid mucosubstances, nonsulfated acid mucosubstances, and neutral mucosubstances are present in goblet cells of the magnum, vagina and openings of the tubular gland of the uterus of the oviduct in the Korean ring-necked pheasant. The goblet cell of the isthmus and uterus of the oviduct of the Korean ring-necked pheasant contained neutral mucosubstances except openings of the tubular gland of the uterus. The histochemical characteristics of secretory granules of goblet cells in oviduct of the Korean ring-necked pheasant were not related to the position of eggs in oviduct.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.285-297
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• 1995

The mammalian oviduct is a place where ontogeny of an animal begins. Nowadays, however, it is possilbe to manipulate a part of physiological events occurring in the oviduct so that fertilization of gametes and early embryonic development of zygotes could proceed outside oviductal environment. Rabbit zygotes readily develop to blastocysts in a conventional culture condition. Most of the mouse fertilized eggs do so when cultured under a specific environment, e.g., in a medium containing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid. Similarly, a significant number of zygotes from rat, sheep, pig or cattle can develop to blastocysts if they are cultured in the presence of particular component which appear to be somewhat species-specific. Instead of changing the components of medium, somatic cells including oviductal epithelial cells, have widely been used to improve mammalian embryonic development in vitro. Many investigators have reported that mammalian zygotes, whether fertilized in vivo or in vitro, could develop to blastocysts when they were cultured on a monolayer of various kinds of somatic cells or even in a somatic cell-conditioned medium. While little is known about the nature of embryotrophic factor(s) produced in vitro by somatic cells, the existence fo oviduct-specific protein(s) has consistently been demonstrated in many laboratories. Some of these proteins are reported to be associated with oviductal eggs. However, the physiological role of these proteins has still to be determined. Recently we observed that the perivitelline space of mouse oocytes was fluorescently stained with various fluorochrome-protein conjugates following ovulation into the oviducts or upon their expossure to oviductal extracts. Furthermore, it was also found that cattle or pig oviductal fluid gave similar results when examined using mouse ghost ZP. These observations lead to suggest that mammalian oviduct induces changes of biochemical properties of oocytes. Further studies are needed to clarify the nature of oviductal factor(s) and the physiological meaning of the reaction.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.241-245
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• 2005

Porcine oviduct epithelial cells (POEC) are widely used in co-culture experiments to improve early embryonic development, in vitro fertilization in embryo transfer programs for domestic animals and in vitro maturation of immature germ cells. POEC were mechanically isolated and cultured in tissue culture medium 199. Cells grew continuously, and confluent monolayers were formed after 7 days. After forming confluent monolayer of epithelial cells, supernatant was collected as the condition medium for maturing round spermatids in vitro. Round spermatids were also separated mechanically and cultured in the POEC condition medium. In this study we observed that $20\%$ of round spermatid cultured were matured into elongating spermatid after 24 h, and about $10\%$ of round spermatid cultured showed complete elongation (elongated spermatid) within $24\~48$ h of in vitro culture. No further development was observed within $50\~72$ h and transformed cells lost their viability after 72 h. These preliminary findings suggest that the condition medium from POEC may be possible to overcome the round spermatid block by improving the milieu of culture system.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2020

NUCB2/nesfatin-1 known to regulate appetite and energy homeostasis is expressed not only in the hypothalamus, but also in various organs and tissues. Our previous reports also demonstrated that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 was expressed in the reproductive organs, including the ovaries, uterus, and testes of mice. However, it is yet known whether NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is expressed in the oviduct and how its expression is regulated. Therefore, we investigated the expression of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 in the oviduct and its expression is regulated by gonadotropin. Immunohistochemical staining results showed that nesfatin-1 protein was localized in epithelial cells of the oviduct. As a result of quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot, NUCB2/nesfatin-1 was detected strongly in the oviducts. During the estrus cycle, NUCB2/nesfatin-1 expression in the oviducts was markedly higher in the proestrus stage than in other estrus stages. In order to elucidate whether the expression of NUCB2 mRNA is controlled by the gonadotropins, we injected PMSG and hCG and measured NUCB2 mRNA level in the oviduct after injection. Its level was increased in the oviduct after PMSG injection, but no significant change after hCG injection. In addition, NUCB2 mRNA levels were markedly reduced after ovariectomy, while recovered after 17β-estradiol (E2) injection, but not by progesterone (P4). This study demonstrated that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is highly expressed in the oviduct of mouse and its expression is regulated by E2 secreted by the ovaries. These results suggest that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 expressed by the oviduct may affect the function of the oviduct regulated by the ovaries.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.203-209
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• 2009

The present study was performed to identify changes of plasminogen activator (PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) in porcine oviduct epithelial cells (POECs) during the estrous cycle. POECs obtained from ovary in pre-ovulatory (Pre-Ov), early to mid-luteal stage (Early-mid L) and post-ovulatory stage (Post-Ov). For the examine of PA activity, $1{\times}10^5$ fresh cells of POECs were cultured in DMEM/Ham F-12 containing 10% FBS and 0.2% amphotericin under humidified atmosphere of 5% $CO_2$ in air and $38^{\circ}C$. The urokinase-type PA (uPA) was observed at 7 days of POECs culture. PA activity was measured with culture prolonged of 0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h after culture of 7 days. The PA activity were high significantly (p<0.05) at 12 h of culture, but PA activity were decreased with culture periods increased. The PA activity in POECs of Post-Ov stage were higher significantly (p<0.05) than that of Early-mid L and Pre-Ov stage. When PAI-1 and PAI-2 were added during the POECs culture, the PA were observed significant low activity (p<0.05). The PA activity and protein expression were decreased by PA inhibitor. This results suggest that PAI-1 and PAI-2 have a suppressive action on change of PA activity during the estrous cycle of pigs. Specifically, this study using PA inhibitor was effect the PA activity and PAI expression in oviduct epithelial cells in pigs.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 1993

The studies were carried out to investigate the effects of co-culture with cumulus cell, oviduct epithelial cells and uterine endometrial cells on the in-vitro fertilization and cleavage rate of porcine follicular oocytes. The ovaries were obtained from slaughtered swine. The follicular oocytes surrounded with cumulus cells were recovered by aspirating follicular fluids from the visible follicles of diameter 3~5 mm. The follicular oocytes were cultured in TCM-199 medium containing hormones and 10% FCS for 24~48 hrs in a incubator with 5% CO2 in air at 38.5$^{\circ}C$ and then matured oocytes were again cultured for 12~18 hrs with motile capacitated sperm by preincubation. The results obtained in these experiments were summarized as follows : 1. The in-vitro maturation and fertilization rate of porcine oocytes co-cultured with cumulus cells in TCM-199 meidum were 64.6%~74.5% and 37.5%~55.3%, respectively. And in-vitro fertilization rate of cumulus-enclosed oocytes(51.5%) were significantly(p<0.05) higher than cumulus-denuded oocytes(21.7%). 2. The in-vitro maturation and fertilization rate of porcine oocytes co-cultured with 1$\times$104 cells/ml, 1$\times$106 cells/ml, 1$\times$108 cells/ml and 1$\times$1015 cells/ml oviduct epithelial cells in TCM-199 medium were 53.5% and 37.2%, 61.7% and 46.8%, 54.5% and 31.8%, 42.2% and 26.7%, respectively. 3. The in-vintro maturation and fertilization rate of porcine oocytes co-cultured with 1$\times$106/ml, 1$\times$108/ml, 1$\times$1015/ml uterine endometrial cells in TCM-199 medium were 54.3% and 39.1%, 58.3% and 43.8%, 55.5% and 33.3%, and 45.7% and 30.4%, respectively. 4. When the in-vitro fertilized oocytes were co-cultured with porcine cumulus cells, ovdiduct epithelial cells and uterine endometrial cells, the development rate to the blastocyst stage was 9.5%, 10.7% and 11.8%, respectively and the rates were higher than that of control, 2.1%(p<0.05).