• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.411-416
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• 1993

We assessed effects of ovine luteinizing hormone (oLH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (oFSH) on the granulose and theca layers from the four largest follicles, $F_1-F_4$ of hens which had been hypophysectomized 12 h before expected ovulation. Ovine LH (0.4 mg), oFSH (0.4 mg) or oLH in combination with oFSH (0.4 mg each) was injected intravenously 6 h after hypophysectomy. Progesterone, testosterone and $estradiol-17{\beta}$ levels of the granulose and theca layers which were removed 6 h after hormone injection, were measured by radioimmunoassay. Progesterone contents of $F_1-F_3$ granulosa layer at 12 h after hypophysectomy were much lower than those of control hens. This reduced progesterone level was restored partially by the injection of oLH alone for $F_1$, while no follicles responded to oFSH treatment. In contrast, the injection of oLH in combination with oFSH resulted in high progesterone content of the granulose layer from all four follicles. Progesterone content of the theca layer was negligible in all treatments. Simultaneous injection of oLH and oFSH also elevated $estradiol-17{\beta}$ level accumulating in the theca layer from all follicles, of which much higher concentrations of $estradiol-17{\beta}$ were observed when comparison were made to each of their corresponding controls. No appreciable change in testosterone contents of two layers was observed in the present experiments. These results suggest that oFSH augments function of oLH to stimulate the production of progesterone in the granulose layer and $estradiol-17{\beta}$ in the theca layer.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.165-170
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• 2014

Cows may suffer impaired ovarian function, often accompanied by reduced conception rates and increased embryonic loss. Cystic ovarian disease (COD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed gynecological findings in dairy cattle. It causes temporary infertility and is likely to affect reproduction as well as production parameters in cattle. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the expression patterns of apoptosis (Bcl-2, Bax), implantation (E-cadherin) and immune related proteins (TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-10) in uterine endometrium of Hanwoo (Korean native cattle) with ovarian cyst and normal ovarian follicles. In the Western blot analysis, the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein was significantly higher in endometrium with normal ovarian follicles, whereas expression of pro-apoptotic Bax protein was significantly lower. Also, the expressions of E-cadherin and TNF-${\alpha}$ proteins were significantly higher in uterine endometrium with normal ovarian follicles. On the other hand, the expression of IL-10 protein was significantly lower in uterine endometrium with normal ovarian follicles. Taken together, our results provided that the expressions of apoptosis, adhesion and immune related proteins in uterine endometrium with ovarian cyst were showed the aberrant patterns, and we suggest that different expression changes of these proteins may be affect to pregnancy ability of cattle.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.341-348
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• 2011

Sloan-Kettering virus gene product of a cellular protooncogene c-Ski is an unique nuclear pro-oncoprotein and belongs to the Ski/Sno proto-oncogene family. Ski plays multiple roles in a variety of cell types, it can induce both oncogenic transformation and terminal muscle differentiation when expressed at high levels. The aim of the present study was to locate Ski protein in rat ovaries in order to predict the possible involvement of Ski in follicular development and atresia. First, expression of c-Ski mRNA in the ovaries of adult female rats was confirmed by RT-PCR. Then, ovaries obtained on the day of estrus were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis for Ski and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in combination with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL). Ski was expressed in granulosa cells that were positive for TUNEL, but negative for PCNA, regardless of the shape and size of follicles. Expression of Ski in TUNEL-positive granulosa cells, but not in PCNA-positive granulosa cells, was also verified in immature hypophysectomized rats having a single generation of developing and atretic follicles by treatment with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG). These results indicate that Ski is profoundly expressed in the granulosa cells of atretic follicles, but not in growing follicles, and suggest that Ski plays a role in apoptosis of granulosa cells during follicular atresia.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2017

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of supplementing vitrification and warming solutions with two types of antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and the combination thereof on the follicular integrity of vitrified-warmed mouse ovaries. Methods: Ovaries (n=154) were obtained from 5-week-old BDF1 female mice (n=77) and vitrified using ethylene glycol and dimethyl sulfoxide with the supplementation of 10 mg/mL of Flavobacterium frigoris ice-binding protein (FfIBP), 10 mg/mL of type III AFP, or the combination thereof. Ovarian sections were examined by light microscopy after hematoxylin and eosin staining, and follicular intactness was assessed as a whole and according to the type of follicle. Apoptosis within the follicles as a whole was detected by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling assay. Results: The proportion of overall intact follicles was significantly higher in the type III AFP-supplemented group (60.5%) and the combination group (62.9%) than in the non-supplemented controls (43.8%, p<0.05 for each). The proportion of intact primordial follicles was significantly higher in the FfIBP-supplemented (90.0%), type III AFP-supplemented (92.3%), and combination (89.7%) groups than in the non-supplemented control group (46.2%, p<0.05 for each). The proportions of non-apoptotic follicles were similar across the four groups. Conclusion: Supplementation of the vitrification and warming solutions with FfIBP, type III AFP, or the combination thereof was equally beneficial for the preservation of primordial follicles in vitrified mouse ovaries.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.514-518
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• 1997

This study was designed to record the ovarian response towards a combined administration of heterologous buffalo FSH (buFSH) and LH (buLH) in goats. The impact of such a treatment on ovarian structures and on the plasma profile of the ovarian sex steroids (estradiol $17-{\beta}$ and progesterone) was studied. The buFSH and buLH were isolated from the buffalo pituitaries involving a procedure of ethanolic extraction, acetone precipitation followed by metaphosphoric acid - ammonium sulphate fractionation. Both gonadotrophin samples prepared were found biologically active and potent. There was an increase in the total number of follicles in the treated group ($12.66{\pm}1.24$) vis-a-vis the control group ($8.50{\pm}2.06$). However, the percentage ($51.48{\pm}6.37$) of large follicles were found reduced ($23.74{\pm}5.93$) following the treatment. Again the number of corpora lutea were observed significantly higher ($2.33{\pm}0.47C.L.$) in the treated group than (1 C. L.) in the control group. The peak plasma estradiol- $17{\beta}$ levels achieved, were much higher ($17.16{\pm}9.52pg/ml$) in the treated group, than the peak ($7.22{\pm}1.67pg/ml$) achieved in the control group. Similar trend was observed with respect to the progesterone levels (higher in the treated group). This study thus indicated that, a combined administration of heterologous buffalo FSH and LH to goats speeded up development of larger follicles nearing the ovulation stage. This population of the follicles subsequently got reduced and lead to the formation of the increased number of the corpora lutea observed in this study.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.02a
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• pp.21-23
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• 2003

Mechanisms regulate the arrest and growth of the resting primordial follicles are very poorly understood. To elucidate genes involved in the early folliculogenesis, we conducted suppression subtractive hybridization using mRNA from day1 and day5 ovaries and selected weel for further analysis, since it was most frequent gene in the day1-subtracted cDNA library (1). Expression of weel and correlated components of the cell cycle machinery, such as cdc2, cyclin B1, cdc25C, and phosphorylated cdc2 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In primordial follicles, expression of weel, cdcw, and cyclin B1 was cytoplasmic in oocytes, but phosphorylated cdc2 was weakly expressed in oocytes. While cdc25C expression was in ovarian somatic and in some theca cells. None of components was expressed in the pre-granulosa cells of the primordial follicles, while weel weakly, and cdc2 and cyclin B1 was strongly expressed in the granulosa cells of the growing follicles. Results from the present study suggest that 1) the mejotic arrest of the oocytes may not due to of cell cycle machinery, and 2) the weel may arrest meiosis by sequestering cdc2 and cyclin B1 in the cytoplasm by protein-protein interactions and/or by inhibitory phosphorylation.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2006

Heavy metals are well known as important environmental pollutants and also considered as endocrine disrupters. This study was performed to evaluate the direct effects of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), and arsenic (As) on the various steroidogenic enzymes in frog ovarian follicles. Ovarian follicles from Rana catesbeiana were isolated and cultured for 18 hours in the presence of frog pituitary homogenate (FPH, 0.05 gland/ml) or various steroid precursors with or without heavy metals (0.01-100 ${\mu}M$), and steroid levels in the follicle or culture medium were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Thus, the steroidogenic enzyme activities were indirectly evaluated by measuring the converted steroid levels from the added precursor steroid. Among heavy metals, Hg, Cd and Zn significantly inhibited FPH-induced pregnenolone ($P_5$) production by the follicles ($EC_{50},\;4.0{\mu}M,\;25.6{\mu}M\;and\;5.7{\mu}M$, respectively ), and also suppressed the conversion of testosterone (T) to estradiol $17{beta}\;(E_2)\;(EC_{50},\;4.2{\mu}M,\;7.5{\mu}M\;and\;80.0{\mu}M) while Pb, Co and As are not or less effective in the inhibition. Other enzymes such as $C_{17-20}$ lyase and $17{\beta}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ($17{\beta}$-HSD) were suppressed only in the high concentration of Hg, Cd and Zn. Taken together, these data demonstrate that cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage (P450scc) and aromatase are much more sensitive to heavy metals than other steroidogenic enzymes and Hg, Cd and Zn show stronger toxicity to follicles than other heavy metals examined.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.251-256
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• 1999

The present study was conducted to evaluate whether vitrification could be used for ovarian tissue preservation. The important issue here is that the vitrification is very simple, easy, and economical compared to the conventional cryopreserving method that using automatic freezing instrument. Human ovarian cortical tissues were cryopreserved by vitrification with 5.5 M ethylene glycol and 1.0 M sucrose as cryoprotectant. Three points of temperature ($4^{\circ}C$, room temperature, and $37^{\circ}C$) and two points of duration (5 or 10 minutes) for cryoprotectant treatment were examined to determine the best condition for vitrification of the human ovarian cortical tissues. After thawing, viability of the isolated primordial follicles was examined by dye-exclusion method. Histological appearance of tissues before and after the cryopreservation was evaluated. There was no toxic effect of the 5.5 M ethylene glycol on the primordial follicles. However, when the tissues were treated with cryoprotectant at $37^{\circ}C$ for 10 minutes and exposed to liquid nitrogen, it seems likely that there is certain deleterious effects on the viability of the primordial follicles. The highest viability of the primordial follicles was obtained with the treatment of cryoprotectant at room temperature for 10 minutes. Follicles and oocytes survived after freezing and thawing had the similar normal shapes as was seen in the specimens before cryopreservation. It would be useful to apply vitrification in establishing ovarian tissue banking for clinical purposes.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 2004

1. The concentrations of Ang. II were 7.20.91 ${\times}$ $10^3$ , 3.80.34 ${\times}$ $10^3$, 3.50.30 ${\times}$ $10^3$, 2.80.22 ${\times}$ $10^3$ pg/ml in bovine follicular fluids from 1∼3 mm, 3∼5 mm, 5∼7 mm and 8∼10 m follicles, respectively. The concentrations of Ang. II decreased in follicular fluids from large follicles. 2. When oocytes were cultured in media containing various concentrations of Ang. II, a higher proportion of oocytes developed to MII stage in medium with 100 ng/ml (79.5%) Ang II compare to that without Ang. II (58.8%). When oocytes from different sizes of follicles were separately cultured in media containing 100 ng/ml Ang. II, maturation rates were higher in oocytes from small and medium follicles those from controls. 3. GSH content in oocytes cultured for 24 hrs in TCM-199 medium containing 10 and 100 ng/ml of Ang. II was also higher than that of oocytes cultured in medium containing 0 or 10 ng/ml Ang. II. When oocytes were cultured in media containing 0, 10, 100, 1,000 ng/ml of Ang. II, the concentrations of GSH were 5.1M, 5.5M, 7.2M, 8.7M, respectively. 4. When oocytes were cultured in media containing various concentrations of 10, 100, 1,000 ng/ml Ang. II, in vitro maturation and developmental rates were 84.0%, 90.0%, 78.0% and 28.0%, 36.0%, 20.0%, respectively. When oocytes were cultured with an addition of Ang. II in media, in vitro maturation rates higher than that of their controls (76.0%).

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

Ovarian follicular atresia in mammals is finely regulated by gonadotropins and sex steroid hormones. It is well known that granulosa cell pyknosis is a common cytological feature of atretic follicles in the ovary. The present study hypothesized that granulosa cell pyknosis during follicular atresia might be related to apoptotic process and associated with caspase-3 activation. Healthy (normal) and atretic follicles were isolated from porcine ovaries based on macro-morphological criteria. Isolated follicles were either processed for histological observation or used for collection of granulosa cells by aspiration. Hoechst 33258 staining of the cells showed a significantly higher number of fragmented nuclei, a typical morphological feature of apoptotic cell, in granulosa cells from atretic follicles than those from healthy follicles. In addition, the rate of cell death was significantly higher in granulosa cells from atretic follicles than healthy follicles, as measured by flow-cytometric cell cycle analysis. In situ detection of apoptotic cells by TUNEL revealed that apoptosis was mostly restricted to granulosa cells in follicles. Theca cells were TUNEL-negative. Finally, it has been shown by caspase-3 activity assay that granulosa cells from atretic follicles retain a higher caspase-3 activity compared to healthy follicles. Taken together, it is suggested that granulosa cell degeneration during folliclar atresia occurs by caspase-3-dependent apoptotic fashion.