• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.44-52
• /
• 2023

Objective: The DNA integrity of spermatozoa that attach to fallopian tube (FT) cells is higher than spermatozoa that do not attach. FT epithelial cells can distinguish normal and abnormal sperm chromatin. This study investigated the effects of sperm with a high-DNA fragmentation index (DFI) from men with unexplained repeated implantation failure (RIF) on the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in human FT cells in vitro. Methods: Ten men with a RIF history and high-DFI and 10 healthy donors with low-DFI comprised the high-DFI (>30%) and control (<30%) groups, respectively. After fresh semen preparation, sperm were co-cultured with a human FT epithelial cell line (OE-E6/E7) for 24 hours. RNA was extracted from the cell line and the human innate and adaptive immune responses were tested using an RT2 profiler polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array. Results: The PCR array data showed significantly higher TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-3, TLR-6, interleukin 1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, interferon α (IFN-α), IFN-β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), CXCL8, GM-CSF, G-CSF, CD14, ELK1, IRAK1, IRAK2, IRAK4, IRF1, IRF3, LY96, MAP2K3, MAP2K4, MAP3K7, MAP4K4, MAPK8, MAPK8IP3, MYD88, NFKB1, NFKB2, REL, TIRAP, and TRAF6 expression in the high-DFI group than in the control group. These factors are all involved in the TLR-MyD88 signaling pathway. Conclusion: The MyD88-dependent pathway through TLR-1, TLR-2, and TLR-6 activation may be one of the main inflammatory pathways activated by high-DFI sperm from men with RIF. Following activation of this pathway, epithelial cells produce inflammatory cytokines, resulting in neutrophil infiltration, activation, phagocytosis, neutrophil extracellular trap formation, and apoptosis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.9
• /
• pp.1257-1262
• /
• 2002

The objective was to identify the appropriate form of progesterone, which exhibits compact reproductive responses in Awassi ewes during mid to late seasonal anestrous period. Forty-eight Awassi ewes were randomly allocated into four groups to be treated with 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP), 30 mg fluorogestone acetate (FGA), 40 mg FGA, or 600 mg progesterone sponges. After a 12 day period, sponges were removed and ewes were administered i.m. with 600 IU PMSG (d 0, 0 h). Five harnessed Awassi rams were turned-in with the ewes to detect heat. Ewes were checked for breeding marks at 6 h intervals for 5 days. Blood samples were collected from all ewes for analysis of progesterone concentrations. Pretreatment (d -13 and -12) progesterone concentrations were ${\leq}0.2ng/mL$ among all ewes and were indicative of seasonal anestrous period. On d 0, progesterone concentrations were elevated to $1.4{\pm}0.1ng/mL$ in ewes received progesterone sponges only and were higher (p<0.0001) than those (${\leq}0.2ng/mL$) administered MAP or FGA sponges. Progesterone concentrations returned to their basal values of <0.2 ng/mL within 24 h of sponge removal and were similar (p>0.1) among all ewes. Incidence of estrus was similar (p>0.1) among the four groups and occurred in 75% (9/12), 82% (9/11), 67% (8/12) and 58% (7/12) of the ewes receiving MAP, 30 mg FGA, 40 mg FGA and progesterone sponges, respectively. Estrous responses occurred 14.7, 20 and 13.6 h earlier in progesterone-sponge-treated ewes than those of MAP- (p<0.04), 30 mg FGA- (p<0.01) and 40 mg FGA-treated (p=0.06) ewes, respectively. Induced estrus conception rates were 50% (6/12), 55% (6/11), 50% (6/12) and 42% (5/12), out of which 4/6, 4/6, 3/6 and 3/5 lambed 151 days following d 0, and were similar (p>0.1) among ewes of the four treatment groups. Ewes that returned to estrus 16 to 20 days following d 0 were 5/12, 5/11, 6/12 and 4/12 ewes treated with MAP, 30 mg FGA, 40 mg FGA and progesterone sponges, respectively, and all lambed 169 days later. Overall lambing rates were 75% (9/12), 82% (9/11), 75% (9/12) and 58% (7/12) ewes treated with MAP, 30 mg FGA, 40 mg FGA and progesterone sponges, respectively. Results demonstrate that applications of MAP, 30 mg FGA, 40 mg FGA and progesterone sponges Awassi ewes were equally effective in induction of estrus and tended to favor both types of FGA and MAP in overall lambing rates over progesterone sponges during the seasonal anestrous period.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.88-92
• /
• 2000

Excessive soil water in paddy field induces growth losses during the vegetative stages of soybean plants. Our objectives were to know growth responses of soybean as affected by the level of ridge heights. A field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of Korea University near Seoul in 1996. Ten cultivars of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) were planted at the ridge heights of 10, 30, and 50cm in paddy soil on 27 June. Total dry matter accumulation at the 10cm ridge height was severely decreased until the growth stage of R5 as compared to the ridge heights of 30 and 50cm, and this decrement was mainly due to both reduced leaf and stem dry weights. However, seed dry weight was not significantly decreased at the lower ridge height with the increment of harvest index. Cultivar differences were found on seed dry weight, crop growth rate from R1 to R5, and leaf/stem ratio of R5. From the above results, soybean growth responses to excessive soil water in paddy field were different between seed filling stage and late vegetative to early reproductive growth stages.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.83-89
• /
• 2018

The interplay of plant hormones is one of the essential mechanisms for plant growth and development. A recent study reported that Brassinosteroids (BR) and ABSCISIC ACID (ABA) interact antagonistically in early seedling developments through the BR-mediated epigenetic repression of ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3). However, the other physiological roles of the BR-mediated regulation of ABI3 and ABA responses beyond early seedling developments remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that the activation of BR signaling by high temperatures promotes flowering time through the suppression of ABI3 expressions. Elevated ambient temperature induced early flowering in wild type Col-0 plants, but not in BR-defective bri1-116 mutant plants. Conversely, a hyper BR biosynthetic dwf4-D mutant displayed more sensitive thermomorphic long shoot elongation and early flowering. Both expression patterns and physiological responses supported the biological roles of ABI3 in the regulation of floral transition and reproduction under high temperature conditions. Finally, we confirmed that the lowered expressions of the transcript and protein levels of ABI3 brought on by elevated temperature were correlated with warmth-induced early flowering phenotypes. In conclusion, our data suggest that the BR- and warmth-mediated regulation of ABI3 are important in thermomorphic reproductive phase transitions in plants.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.308-318
• /
• 2024

Background: Many plants compensate for the damage caused by herbivorous insects through tolerance responses. Besides directly causing plant tissue loss and seed production reduction, herbivory causes phenological changes in the host plant. However, little is known about the fitness costs of phenological changes caused by tolerance responses to herbivorous attacks. Results: The girdling beetle Phytoecia rufiventris caused a short-term decrease in the number of flowers of the host plant Erigeron annuus. However, accelerated growth restored the number of flowers, but after a 2-week delay. With an objective to examine whether the tolerance response with such a delay fully compensates the fitness, we experimentally reproduced a 2-week delay in germination under greenhouse and field settings. Under both conditions, intraspecific competition resulted in serious defects in the growth and reproduction of E. annuus plants which of germination was delayed. However, delayed germination (DG) resulted in better growth when competition and herbivory were eliminated from the field. Thus, we showed that the tolerance response to restore reproductive production does not fully compensate for the fitness loss caused by insect attack; rather, the delay in seed production in attacked plants leads to DG and subsequent inferiority in intraspecific competition. Conclusions: Our results imply that compensation for floral production after an herbivore attack does not fully restore offspring fitness in the presence of intraspecific competition and herbivory. Assessing the ecological consequences of defense traits in an appropriate layer of interaction is critical to interpreting adaptive values.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2012

The effects of elevated $CO_2$ and temperature on the phenological and reproductive characteristics of Phytolocca insularis were examined in ambient condition (control) and green house situation (treatment), 700 ~ 800 ppm $CO_2$ and $2^{\circ}C$ elevated temperature, from March 2010 to April 2011. Phenological responses such as foliation, inflorescence formation, flowering, fruit appearance, fruit maturing of P. insularis grown in the treatment were 6~ 20 day faster than in the control. The percent of fruit set, number of fruit and seed per shoots, weight of fruit and seed per shoots of P. insularis were higher in control than in the treatment. The number of inflorescence per shoots showed no difference between in the control and in the treatment. These results demonstrated that the reproductive response of P. insularis might be negatively influenced by increased $CO_2$ concentration and elevated temperature.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.142-147
• /
• 2009

The effects of short-term waterlogging on physiological responses, fatty acid compositions and yield components of rapeseed at both the vegetative growth and the reproductive growth stages were assessed in this study. Waterlogged plants were treated for a period of 10 days at the vegetative growth stage and 4 days at the reproductive growth stage. The results show that photosynthesis and stomatal conductance at both the vegetative growth and the reproductive growth stage were significantly reduced during the waterlogging period and after the recovery period. When the plants were removed from water, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance progressively restored similar values to those of control plants within $2{\sim}3$ days. Fatty acid compositions were unaffected by waterlogging treatment. However, yield components (pod number and pod length) of the waterlogged treated plants at the reproductive growth stage were significantly reduced. These results suggest that short-term waterlogging may thus influence oilseed yield component.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.233-237
• /
• 2002

The pheromonal repelling response occurs when a combination of female and male pheromones is found to be less attractive to courting males than are female pheromones alone. This repelling response may act to conserve a courting males’reproductive fitness by minimizing ma1e-male competition within a courting group. Recently, a Pheromonal repelling response was first reported for vertebrates in the red-spotted newt, Notophthalmus viride-scens. A male cloacal pheromone, a ∼33 kDa protein, was identified as a repelling pheromone. In this study, to determine whether both the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and/or the vomeronasal organ (VNO) are activated by the repelling pheromone, we recorded electrical field potentials from both olfactory epithelia while applying the repelling pheromone. The repelling pheromone induced electrical responses from both olfactory organs, and the magnitude of the response was greater in the VNO than in the MOE. Our results suggest that both the VNO and MOE may be involved in the pheromonal repelling response.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.103-109
• /
• 2010

Modification of proteins by the reversible covalent addition of the small ubiquitin like modifier (SUMO) protein has important consequences affecting target protein stability, sub-cellular localization, and protein-protein interactions. SUMOylation involves a cascade of enzymatic reactions, which resembles the process of ubiquitination. In this study, we characterized the SUMOylation system from an important crop plant, rice, and show that it responds to cold, salt and ABA stress conditions on a protein level via the accumulation of SUMOylated proteins. We also characterized the transcriptional regulation of individual SUMOylation cascade components during stress and development. During stress conditions, majority of the SUMO cascade components are transcriptionally down regulated. SUMO conjugate proteins and SUMO cascade component transcripts accumulated differentially in various tissues during plant development with highest levels in reproductive tissues. Taken together, these data suggest a role for SUMOylation in rice development and stress responses.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.241-244
• /
• 2000

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect on evapotranspiration and yield of soybean according to different soil water conditions, and to find the optimum time and amount for irrigation in soybean cultivation. The difference between potential evapotranspiration (PET) and maximum evapotranspiration (MET) during growing season of soybean planted in lysimeter was higher during reproductive stage than during vegetative one. The maximum crop coefficient was obtained at beginning seed stage of soybean. Soil water coefficient of irrigation treatment was higher than that of non-irrigation treatment during soybean growth stage in field experiment. Grain yield was highest in lysimeter due to its high water use efficiency and evapotranspiration rate.