熊本 海生航

Estrogen is synthesized throughout various tissues in the body, and its production is regulated by the rate-limiting enzyme aromatase (encoded by the Cyp19a1 gene). Notably, aromatase is also expressed in central nervous system cells, allowing for localized estrogen synthesis in regions such as the hypothalamus. Estrogens produced within these neurons are referred to as neuroestrogens. In this study, we investigated the role of neuroestrogens in the regulation of appetite through modulation of hypothalamic pathways in OVX, ArKO, and aromatase-restored mice. Estrogen suppresses appetite by influencing the expression of appetite-regulating peptides, including POMC and NPY, via MC4R. We explored the direct effects of neuroestrogens, independent from ovarian estrogen, on appetite suppression and the underlying molecular mechanisms. We monitored body weight and food intake and evaluated the expression of Cyp19a1, Mc4r, and other appetite-related genes. Our findings indicate that OVX and ArKO mice exhibited increased body weight and food consumption, which correlated with altered expression of Mc4r and Cyp19a1. Conversely, restoration of Cyp19a1 expression in a neuron specific manner significantly decreased food intake and increased Mc4r expression in the hypothalamus. Furthermore, neuroestrogens enhanced leptin responsiveness. Our results imply that neuroestrogens likely contribute to appetite regulation and may be relevant for body weight reduction.

The live attenuated human rotavirus vaccine strain RIX4414 (Rotarix®) is used worldwide to prevent severe rotavirus-induced diarrhea in infants. This strain was attenuated through the cell culture passaging of its predecessor, human strain 89-12, which resulted in multiple genomic mutations. However, the specific molecular reasons underlying its attenuation have remained elusive, primarily due to the absence of a suitable reverse genetics system enabling precise genetic manipulations. Therefore, we first completed the sequencing of its genome and then developed a reverse genetics system for the authentic RIX4414 virus. Our experimental results demonstrate that the rescued recombinant RIX4414 virus exhibits biological characteristics similar to those of the parental RIX4414 virus, both in vitro and in vivo. This novel reverse genetics system provides a powerful tool for investigating the molecular basis of RIX4414 attenuation and may facilitate the rational design of safer and more effective human rotavirus vaccines.

A long-term high-fat diet (HFD) causes obesity and changes in renal lipid metabolism and lysosomal dysfunction in mice, causing renal damage. Sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitors, including phlorizin, exert nephroprotective effects in patients with chronic kidney disease, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. A HFD or standard diet was fed to adult C57BL/6J male mice, and phlorizin was administered. Lamellar body components of the proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) were investigated. After phlorizin administration in HFD-fed mice, sphingomyelin and ceramide in urine and tissues were assessed and label-free quantitative proteomics was performed using kidney tissue samples. Mitochondrial elongation by fusion was effective in the PTECs of HFD-fed obese mice under phlorizin administration, and many lamellar bodies were found in the apical portion of the S2 segment of the proximal tubule. Phlorizin functioned as a diuretic, releasing lamellar bodies from the apical membrane of PTECs and clearing the obstruction in nephrons. The main component of the lamellar bodies was sphingomyelin. On the first day of phlorizin administration in HFD-fed obese mice, the diuretic effect was increased, and more sphingomyelin was excreted through urine than in vehicle-treated mice. The expressions of three peroxisomal β-oxidation proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism were downregulated after phlorizin administration in the kidneys of HFD-fed mice. Fatty acid elongation protein levels increased with phlorizin administration, indicating an increase in long-chain fatty acids. Lamellar bodies accumulated in the proximal renal tubule of the S2 segment of the HFD-fed mice, indicating that the urinary excretion of lamellar bodies has nephroprotective effects.

BACKGROUND: Cystogenesis in polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is likely accelerated by various renal insults, including crystal deposition, that activate renal tubule obstruction and dilation. We developed a capsule-based device that can be applied to cystic kidneys to restrict tubular lumen dilatation and cyst expansion. METHODS: Kidney capsule devices were designed from computed tomography images of wild-type and Cy/+ rats. Capsule devices were surgically implanted on kidneys in six surgical sessions over a period of 14 months in 7 wild-type rats of 6.5-8 weeks (3 sham operations, 2 right, 2 left) and 6 Cy/+ rats of 6.5 weeks (2 sham, 3 left, 1 bilateral). After surgery, the rats were followed for 5.4-12.4 weeks' growth and sacrificed to retrieve the kidneys. During the follow-up, serum creatinine was measured and retrieved kidneys were weighed. Histological analysis including cystic area measurement and immunohistochemistry was performed. RESULTS: Morphometric capsule devices were configured and developed by an image processing technique and produced using a 3D printer. Encapsulated Cy/+ kidneys (n = 5; mean weight 3.64 g) were consistently smaller in size (by 21-36%; p < 0.001) than unencapsulated Cy/+ kidneys (n = 7; mean weight 5.52 g). Encapsulated Cy/+ kidneys (mean %cyst area: 29.4%) showed smaller histological cystic area (by 28-58%; p < 0.001) than unencapsulated Cy/+ kidneys (mean %cyst area 48.6%). Cell proliferation and macrophages were also markedly reduced in encapsulated Cy/+ kidneys, compared to unencapsulated Cy/+ kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: We report a pilot feasibility study for the application of a novel morphometric 3D capsule device to the Cy/+ rat model showing restricted kidney volume expansion on polycystic kidney disease progression.

エストロゲンにはさまざまな生理作用があり、食欲抑制はそのなかの一つである。近年、神経細胞内で生合成されるエストロゲン(ニューロエストロゲン)がさまざまな生理作用を持っていることが明らかになってきた。しかし、このニューロエストロゲンと食欲の関係は不明である。ニューロエストロゲンの食欲に対する作用を明らかにするため、卵巣切除したマウス(OVX)を作製して卵巣から分泌されるエストロゲンの影響を排除し、食欲とニューロエストロゲンの関係について検討した。その結果、OVXでは視床下部でのアロマターゼ発現量が増加し、食餌量は低下した。一方でOVXにアロマターゼ阻害薬(レトロゾール)を投与すると食餌量は増加した。このとき、視床下部での食欲抑制ペプチドPOMCの減少、食欲亢進ペプチドNpyの増加が観察された。さらに、アロマターゼを発現させたマウス由来視床下部神経細胞N38(TG)を用い、in vitroでエストロゲン、テストステロンを加えて検討した結果、N38(TG)によって合成されたエストロゲンによりPOMCの受容体であるMC4Rや、レプチン受容体が増加した。本研究では、卵巣から分泌されるエストロゲンではなく、ニューロエストロゲンによって食欲がコントロールされている可能性を示す。(著者抄録)

With the recent establishment of robust reverse genetics systems for rotavirus, rotavirus is being developed as a vector to express foreign genes. However, insertion of larger sequences such as those encoding multiple foreign genes into the rotavirus genome has been challenging because the virus segments are small. In this paper, we attempted to insert multiple foreign genes into a single gene segment of rotavirus to determine whether it can efficiently express multiple exogenous genes from its genome. At first, we engineered a truncated NSP1 segment platform lacking most of the NSP1 open reading frame and including a self-cleaving 2A sequence (2A), which made it possible to generate a recombinant rotavirus stably expressing NanoLuc (Nluc) luciferase as a model foreign gene. Based on this approach, we then demonstrated the generation of a replication-competent recombinant rotavirus expressing three reporter genes (Nluc, EGFP, and mCherry) by separating them with self-cleaving 2As, indicating the capacity of rotaviruses as to the insertion of multiple foreign genes. Importantly, the inserted multiple foreign genes remained genetically stable during serial passages in cell culture, indicating the potential of rotaviruses as attractive expression vectors. The strategy described here will serve as a model for the generation of rotavirus-based vectors designed for the expression and/or delivery of multiple foreign genes.

Daily fat and sugar intake has increased in Japan, while total energy intake has decreased. However, the number of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients has increased, and this often causes renal injury characterized by autophagic vacuoles. Although many studies with comparisons of high fat or sugar versus a normal macronutrient balanced diet have been reported, there are few studies that equalized calorie intake and body weights. In the current study, AIN93M diets (CONT group) with matching energy content with lard derived high saturated fat (LARD group), soybean oil derived unsaturated fat (SOY OIL group) and sucrose (SUCROSE group) were provided to compare their effects on renal morphology in streptozotocin-injected CD-1 mice without causing obesity. The number of renal tubular vacuoles was higher in SUCROSE and slightly higher in LARD compared with CONT mice, and was higher in LARD and SUCROSE compared with SOY OIL mice. Most of those vacuoles were LAMP1-positive, a marker of lysosomal autophagy. These results suggest that despite identical energy contents, diets with high sucrose or saturated fat compared to unsaturated fat may aggravate lysosomal renal injury in a non-obese, streptozotocin-induced model of diabetes mellitus.

<p>Objectives: Proximal stoma creation in neonates results in growth failure and distal intestinal atrophy. "Recycling stool" consists of stool injection from the proximal limb to the distal limb of a stoma. Because this method may prevent distal bowel atrophy and increase body weight, we investigated the effects of recycling stool upon distal intestinal mucosa by generating an ileostomy model in rats.</p><p>Methods: An ileostomy was created 5 cm proximal to the cecum in male Wistar/ST rats. Discharged stool or saline was injected into the distal limb, twice per day for 7 days. The intestinal adaptation was assessed by measuring the villus height and counting goblet cell number. Proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed by Ki67 and TUNEL immunostaining.</p><p>Results: The ratios of the height of the distal villi (D) to the that of proximal villi (P) were 0.97 (median [range] of D and P length: 421 [240–729] μm and 436 [294–638] μm, P<0.05) in the stool-injected group and 0.81 in the saline-injected group (442 [315–641] μm and 548 [236–776] μm, P<0.05). Compared with the saline-injected group, the stool-injected group showed elevated numbers of goblet cells (3.6 [2.0–7.6] vs. 4.9 [2.4–7.5] cells/100-μm villus length) and Ki67-positive cells (26.8% [13.8%–35.4%] vs. 40.1% [31.2%–45.7%]), along with a reduced number of apoptotic cells (5.0 [2.0–14.0] vs. 4.0 [1.0–9.0] cells/100-μm villus length).</p><p>Conclusions: Recycling stool prevented distal intestinal atrophy; this experimental design may facilitate further studies concerning alternative methods to prevent intestinal atrophy and growth failure.</p>

The field of genome editing was founded on the establishment of methods, such as the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) system, used to target DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, the efficiency of genome editing also largely depends on the endogenous cellular repair machinery. Here, we report that the specific modulation of targeting vectors to provide 3' overhangs at both ends increased the efficiency of homology-directed repair (HDR) in embryonic stem cells. We applied the modulated targeting vectors to produce homologous recombinant mice directly by pronuclear injection, but the frequency of HDR was low. Furthermore, we combined our method with the CRISPR/Cas9 system, resulting in a significant increase in HDR frequency. Thus, our HDR-based method, enhanced homologous recombination for genome targeting (eHOT), is a new and powerful method for genome engineering.

© 2019 Nagao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The anti-diuretic hormone arginine vasopressin is thought to be a detrimental factor in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). We previously reported that high water intake (HWI) reduced urine osmolality and urinary arginine vasopressin, improved renal function, and reduced the kidney/body weight ratio in PCK rats, an orthologous model of human PKD. In PKD patients, however, it is reported that HWI increases total kidney volume, urine volume, and urine sodium excretion, which could be a consequence of high salt intake. In the current study, we loaded PCK rats with high salt concurrently with HWI to determine whether this human-imitated condition exacerbates disease progression. PCK rats were assigned into 4 groups: control group (CONT: distilled water), HWI group (HWI: 5% glucose in water), HWI with 0.2% NaCl group (HWI+0.2%NaCl), and HWI with 0.45% NaCl group (HWI+0.45%NaCl). Total water intake during the experimental period was increased by 1.86-, 2.02-, and 2.42-fold in HWI, HWI+0.2%NaCl, and HWI+0.45%NaCl, and sodium intake was increased by 2.55- and 5.83-fold in HWI+0.2%NaCl and HWI+0.45%NaCl, respectively, compared with CONT. Systolic blood pressure was higher in HWI+0.2%NaCl and HWI+0.45%NaCl than in both CONT and HWI. Serum urea nitrogen, kidney/body weight ratio, cAMP, cystic area, and fibrosis index were significantly lower in HWI compared with CONT, and these ameliorative effects were not abrogated in either HWI+0.2%NaCl or HWI+0.45%NaCl. The amount of sodium excreted into the urine was increased by 2.50- and 8.38-fold in HWI+0.2%NaCl and HWI+0.45%NaCl, respectively, compared with HWI. Serum sodium levels were not different between the groups. These findings indicate that the beneficial effect of HWI against the progression of cystic kidney disease was not affected even by high salt-overload in this rodent model of PKD.

In this Article, Figure 5 was inadvertently published as Figures 5 and 6, leading to the incorrect publication of Figure 6 as Figure 7 and the omission of the correct Figure 7. The correct Figures 5, 6, and 7 appear below as Figures 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The Figure legends are correct. (Figure Presented).

Although alpha-synuclein (alpha Syn) has been linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), the mechanisms underlying the causative role in PD remain unclear. We previously proposed a model for a transportable microtubule (tMT), in which dynein is anchored to a short tMT by LIS1 followed by the kinesindependent anterograde transport; however the mechanisms that produce tMTs have not been determined. Our in vitro investigations of microtubule (MT) dynamics revealed that alpha Syn facilitates the formation of short MTs and preferentially binds to MTs carrying 14 protofilaments (pfs). Live-cell imaging showed that alpha Syn co-transported with dynein and mobile beta III-tubulin fragments in the anterograde transport. Furthermore, bi-directional axonal transports are severely affected in alpha Syn and gamma Syn depleted dorsal root ganglion neurons. SR-PALM analyses further revealed the fibrous co-localization of alpha Syn, dynein and beta III-tubulin in axons. More importantly, 14-pfs MTs have been found in rat femoral nerve tissue, and they increased approximately 19 fold the control in quantify upon nerve ligation, indicating the unconventional MTs are mobile. Our findings indicate that alpha Syn facilitates to form short, mobile tMTs that play an important role in the axonal transport. This unexpected and intriguing discovery related to axonal transport provides new insight on the pathogenesis of PD.

The robust axonal growth and regenerative capacities of young neurons decrease substantially with age. This developmental downregulation of axonal growth may facilitate axonal pruning and neural circuit formation but limits functional recovery following nerve damage. While external factors influencing axonal growth have been extensively investigated, relatively little is known about the intrinsic molecular changes underlying the age-dependent reduction in regeneration capacity. We report that developmental downregulation of LIS1 is responsible for the decreased axonal extension capacity of mature dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. In contrast, exogenous LIS1 expression or endogenous LIS1 augmentation by calpain inhibition restored axonal extension capacity in mature DRG neurons and facilitated regeneration of the damaged sciatic nerve. The insulator protein CTCF suppressed LIS1 expression in mature DRG neurons, and this reduction resulted in excessive accumulation of phosphoactivated GSK-3 beta at the axon tip, causing failure of the axonal extension. Conversely, sustained LIS1 expression inhibited developmental axon pruning in the mammillary body. Thus, LIS1 regulation may coordinate the balance between axonal growth and pruning during maturation of neuronal circuits.

Tumor lymphangiogenesis is a major prognostic indicator of gastric cancer. Tumor-induced inflammation has been shown to attract tumor-associated macrophages that affect lymphangiogenesis. However, detailed mechanisms of macrophage-induced lymphangiogenesis have not been elucidated. Here, we evaluated the interaction between tumor-associated macrophages and lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) derived from lymph nodes (LNs) of human gastric cancer. Lymphatic endothelial cells were directly or indirectly cocultured with macrophages from healthy human blood, with or without the supernatant of the gastric cancer cell line, OCUM-12. We analyzed the effect of cancer pretreated macrophages and of macrophages from metastatic LNs of gastric cancer on LECs. We observed morphological changes of LECs in coculture and assessed the gene expression of possible lymphangiogenic molecules of macrophages and LECs after contact coculture, and of cancer pretreated macrophages, by quantitative RT-PCR. Specimens of metastatic LN of gastric cancer were immunofluorescently stained. We found that tubulogenesis of LECs was observed only in the contact coculture model. OCUM-12 cells promoted macrophage-induced tubulogenesis of LECs. Relative gene expression of MMP and adhesion molecules was significantly upregulated in both capillary-forming LECs and cocultured macrophages. Cancer pretreated macrophages upregulated lymphangiogenic factors including inflammatory cytokines, MMPs, adhesion molecules, and vascular endothelial growth factor-C. Blocking of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and macrophage activation suppressed tubulogenesis of LECs. Immunohistochemistry showed macrophages localized around lymphatic vessels. Our results suggested that interaction between LECs and macrophages may be an important initial step of tumor lymphangiogenesis developing LN metastasis. Understanding of its mechanisms could be useful for future therapeutics of gastric cancer.

Objective: To investigate the localization and function of gremlin-2 during human ovarian folliculogenesis. Study design: Ovarian tissue from a gynecologic cancer patient was cultured in the presence or absence of gremlin-2 and then analyzed histologically. Growing follicles were counted by the microscopic observations of ovarian histological sections. Immunocytochemical staining was carried out to detect the expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 4 and phosphorylated Smad 1/5/8 (p-Smad 1/5/8). Results: Gremlin-2 was detected in human primordial, primary, and early growing follicles before culture. By day 4 of culture, the follicle growth rate in the presence of gremlin-2 (13.7%; 24/175) was significantly lower than that of the control (54.8%; 92/175; p &lt; 0.01). BMP4 expression was similar in the presence and absence of gremlin-2, whereas the p-Smad 1/5/8 signal was noticeably stronger in the absence of gremlin-2 in primordial and early-stage growing follicles. Conclusions: Gremlin-2 maintains the follicle store as primordial follicles by suppressing Smad 1/5/8 signaling in the human ovary. The data presented here provide potential insight into reproductive medicine for cases of intractable infertility, such as premature ovarian insufficiency and cancer survivors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Primary cilia protrude from the surface of quiescent cells and disassemble at cell cycle reentry. We previously showed that ciliary reassembly is suppressed by trichoplein-mediated Aurora A activation pathway in growing cells. Here, we report that Ndel1, a well-known modulator of dynein activity, localizes at the subdistal appendage of the mother centriole, which nucleates a primary cilium. In the presence of serum, Ndel1 depletion reduces trichoplein at the mother centriole and induces unscheduled primary cilia formation, which is reverted by forced trichoplein expression or coknockdown of KCTD17 (an E3 ligase component protein for trichoplein). Serum starvation induced transient Ndel1 degradation, subsequent to the disappearance of trichoplein at the mother centriole. Forced expression of Ndel1 suppressed trichoplein degradation and axonemal microtubule extension during ciliogenesis, similar to trichoplein induction or KCTD17 knockdown. Most importantly, the proportion of ciliated and quiescent cells was increased in the kidney tubular epithelia of newborn Ndel1-hypomorphic mice. Thus, Ndel1 acts as a novel upstream regulator of the trichopleinAurora A pathway to inhibit primary cilia assembly.

Background Worldwide studies on lung adenocarcinoma have demonstrated a genetic divergence of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway according to ethnicity, such as higher frequency of activated EGFR mutations among East Asian patients. However, such information is still lacking in some developing countries. Methods We investigated the frequency of EGFR mutations among Bangladeshi patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung. Fine-needle aspiration tissue samples were collected from 61 Bangladeshi patients. Polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism was performed on extracted DNA for mutational analysis of EGFR exons 19 and 21. Results EGFR mutations were found in 14 of 61 (23.0 %) Bangladeshi patients. There was no significant difference in EGFR mutation rate with regard to patient's age, sex, smoking history, clinical stage of lung cancer, subtypes of adenocarcinoma, and tumor differentiation. Conclusion The present study revealed that the EGFR mutation rate in Bangladeshi patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung was higher than in African-American, Arabian, and white Caucasian patients, and was lower than in East Asia.

Cytoplasmic dynein drives the movement of a wide range of cargoes towards the minus ends of microtubules. We previously demonstrated that LIS1 forms an idling complex with dynein, which is transported to the plus ends of microtubules by kinesin motors. Here we report that the small GTPase Rab6a is essential for activation of idling dynein. Immunoprecipitation and microtubule pull-down assays reveal that the GTP bound mutant, Rab6a(Q72L), dissociates LIS1 from a LIS1-dynein complex, activating dynein movement in in vitro microtubule gliding assays. We monitor transient interaction between Rab6a( Q72L) and dynein in vivo using dual-colour fluorescence cross- correlation spectroscopy in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Finally, we demonstrate that Rab6a( Q72L) mediates LIS1 release from a LIS1-dynein complex followed by dynein activation through an in vitro single-molecule assay using triple-colour quantum dots. Our findings reveal a surprising function for GTP bound Rab6a as an activator of idling dynein.

Toward a therapeutic intervention of lissencephaly, we applied a novel calpain inhibitor, SNJ1945. Peri-natal or post-natal treatment with SNJ1945 rescued defective neuronal migration in Lis1⁺/⁻ mice, impaired behavioral performance and improvement of ¹⁸F-FDG uptake. Furthermore, SNJ1945 improved the neural circuit formation and retrograde transport of NFG in Lis1⁺/⁻ mice. Thus, SNJ1945 is a potential drug for the treatment of human lissencephaly patients.

Neuronal migration is a critical feature to ensure proper location and wiring of neurons during cortical development. Postmitotic neurons migrate from the ventricular zone into the cortical plate to establish neuronal lamina in an "inside-out" gradient of maturation. Here, we report that the mitotic kinase Aurora-A is critical for the regulation of microtubule organization during neuronal migration via an Aurora-A-NDEL1 pathway in the mouse. Suppression of Aurora-A activity by inhibitors or siRNA resulted in severe impairment of neuronal migration of granular neurons. In addition, in utero injection of the Aurora-A kinase-dead mutant provoked defective migration of cortical neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrated that suppression of Aurora-A impaired microtubule modulation in migrating neurons. Interestingly, suppression of CDK5 by an inhibitor or siRNA reduced Aurora-A activity and NDEL1 phosphorylation by Aurora-A, which led to defective neuronal migration. We found that CDK5RAP2 is a key molecule that mediates functional interaction and is essential for centrosomal targeting of Aurora-A. Our observations demonstrated novel and surprising cross talk between Aurora-A and CDK5 during neuronal migration.

The function of cumulus cells after sperm penetration is not well understood. The present study examined the phagocytic action of cumulus cells on sperm after dispersion of cumulus-oocyte complexes. In a co-incubation system of cauda sperm and cumulus cells, the sperm heads were beginning to vanish after 2.5 h and 77% +/- 1.34 of sperm heads had disappeared at 30 h. Most of the sperm heads were engulfed by cumulus cells. Immunofluorescent studies showed that cumulus cells were expressing the CD36 molecule, and sperm were exposing phosphatidylserine (PS). Anti-CD36 antibody and annexin V inhibited the engulfment of sperm by cumulus cells by 26.0% and 40.5%, respectively. These results suggested that the cumulus cells recognized the PS molecules on sperm via CD36 and this molecular interaction possibly triggered the phagocytosis of sperm by cumulus cells. These results suggest that cumulus cells might play a role in inhibiting undesired immune reactions induced by sperm antigens. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Bacillus subtilis cells, the GTP level decreases and the ATP level increases upon a stringent response. This reciprocal change in the concentrations of the substrates of RNA polymerase affects the rate of transcription initiation of certain stringent genes depending on the purine species at their transcription initiation sites. DNA microarray analysis suggested that not only the rrn and ilv-leu genes encoding rRNAs and the enzymes for synthesis of branched-chain amino acids, respectively, but also many genes, including genes involved in glucose and pyruvate metabolism, might be subject to this kind of stringent transcription control. Actually, the ptsGHI and pdhABCD operons encoding the glucose-specific phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system and the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex were found to be negatively regulated, like rrn, whereas the pycA gene encoding pyruvate carboxylase and the alsSD operon for synthesis of acetoin from pyruvate were positively regulated, like ilv-leu. Replacement of the guanine at position 1 and/or position 2 of ptsGHI and at position 1 of pdhABCD (transcription initiation base at position 1) by adenine changed the negative stringent control of these operons in the positive direction. The initiation bases for transcription of pdhABCD and pycA were newly determined. Then the promoter sequences of these stringent operons were aligned, and the results suggested that the presence of a guanine(s) and the presence of an adenine(s) at position 1 and/or position 2 might be indispensable for negative and positive stringent control, respectively. Such stringent transcription control that affects the transcription initiation rate through reciprocal changes in the GTP and ATP levels likely occurs for numerous genes of B. subtilis.

Assisted reproductive technologies have progressed significantly and have provided successful treatment for many infertile couples. However, more advanced technologies are required for severe infertility such as premature ovarian failure and ovarian impairment due to adjuvant therapy for cancer. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation followed by in vitro growth of isolated follicles is a feasible proposition for such patients. Close coordination of communication among follicle cells including oocytes, granulosa and theca cells is required for follicle growth. Crucial factors may regulate the gonadotropin-independent and -dependent follicle growth stages. To facilitate development of a culture system for early growing follicles, DNA microarray analysis of mouse ovaries recovered at 7, 10, 13, 16 and 19 days of age was performed to identify factors required for the growth of early-stage follicles. These studies showed strong intensity of zona pellucida glycoproteins, bone morphogenic protein-15 (BMP-15) and growth differentiation factor (GDF-9) in 7 days old mice, which gradually declined in 19 days old mice. KIT, KIT ligand, anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), known as granulosa cell secreted factors, also showed relatively high expression. These studies will facilitate our understanding of the regulatory factors involved in folliculogenesis and thereby enable establishment of in vitro culture system for ovarian follicles. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

CD52 is a GPI anchor protein present in lymphocytes, the epithelial cells of the epididymis and sperm. It has been reported that mate reproductive tract CD52 induces antibodies interfering with sperm function and causes infertility. CD52 is also expressed in ovulated cumulus cells in female reproductive tissues. In the present study, we examined the distribution and the mechanism of regulation of CD52 in the uterus. CD52 expression was evaluated in uterine tissue recovered at 0.5, 4.5, 8.5 and 12.5 dpc (days post-coitum). Immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, Western blotting and gel shift analysis were performed to determine localization and transcriptional regulation of CD52. Cd52 mRNA and CD52 protein were found to increase simultaneously from 0.5 to 4.5 dpc. Gel shift analysis revealed that NKX2.2, a transcriptional factor, binds to the promoter region of the U52 gene. CD52 and NKX2.2 were co-localized in the endometrium of the uterus. Pathway analysis using Ingenuity pathway analysis predicted that Cd52 is associated with genes involved in the formation of uterosomes which are necessary for embryo attachment. These findings suggest that CD52 synthesis is regulated by NKX2.2 at a transcriptional level, and that Cd52 may be a member of the network of genes regulating uterine receptivity for embryo implantation. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All fights reserved.

Branched-chain amino acids are the most abundant amino acids in proteins. The Bacillus subtilis ilv-leu operon is involved in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids. This operon exhibits a RelA-dependent positive stringent response to amino acid starvation. We investigated this positive stringent response upon lysine starvation as well as decoyinine treatment. Deletion analysis involving various lacZ fusions revealed two molecular mechanisms underlying the positive stringent response of ilv-leu, i.e., CodY-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The former is most likely triggered by the decrease in the in vivo concentration of GTP upon lysine starvation, GTP being a corepressor of the CodY protein. So, the GTP decrease derepressed ilv-leu expression through detachment of the CodY protein from its cis elements upstream of the ilv-leu promoter. By means of base substitution and in vitro transcription analyses, the latter (CodY-independent) mechanism was found to comprise the modulation of the transcription initiation frequency, which likely depends on fluctuation of the in vivo RNA polymerase substrate concentrations after stringent treatment, and to involve at least the base species of adenine at the 5&apos; end of the ilv-leu transcript. As discussed, this mechanism is presumably distinct from that for B. subtilis rrn operons, which involves changes in the in vivo concentration of the initiating GTP.

Bacillus subtilis LmrA is known to be a repressor that regulates the hnrAB and yxaGH operons; lmrB and yxaG encode a multidrug resistance pump and quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase, respectively. DNase I footprinting analysis revealed that LmrA and YxaF, which are paralogous to each other, bind specifically to almost the same cis sequences, LmrA/YxaF boxes, located in the promoter regions of the hnrAB operon, the yxaF gene, and the yxaGH operon for their repression and containing a consensus sequence of AWTATAtagaNYGgTCTA, where W, Y, and N stand for A or T, C or T, and any base, respectively (three-out-of-four match [in lowercase type]). Gel retardation analysis indicated that out of the eight flavonoids tested, quercetin, fisetin, and catechin are most inhibitory for LmrA to DNA binding, whereas quercetin, fisetin, tamarixetin, and galangin are most inhibitory for YxaF. Also, YxaF bound most tightly to the tandem LmrA/YxaF boxes in the yxaGH promoter region. The lacZ fusion experiments essentially supported the above-mentioned in vitro results, except that galangin did not activate the lmrAB and yxaGH promoters, probably due to its poor incorporation into cells. Thus, the LmrA/YxaF regulon presumably comprising the 1mrAB operon, the yxaF gene, and the yxaGH operon is induced in response to certain flavonoids. The in vivo experiments to examine the regulation of the synthesis of the reporter P-galactosidase and quercetin 2,3-dioxgenase as well as that of multidrug resistance suggested that LmrA represses the hnrAB and yxaGH operons but that YxaF represses yxaGH more preferentially.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of semen collection into tubes containing extender supplemented with BSA on the cryosurvival of goat spermatozoa. Semen was collected from two goats into empty tubes or tubes containing 10 ml extender supplemented with 0, 0.1, 1, or 5% BSA, and the washed spermatozoa were frozen as pellets in egg yolk-trehalose extender with the addition of 0.04% SDS and 4% glycerol. Sperm motion parameters were evaluated after post-thawing and during a thermal resistance test. The acrosome status of frozen-thawed spermatozoa was also observed using FITC-PNA staining. In frozen semen that was collected into tubes containing extender supplemented with 5% BSA, the post-thawed spermatozoa exhibited a significant improvement in motion parameters and maintained high motility throughout incubation and acrosome integrity, as compared with semen collected into tubes containing extender supplemented with lower concentrations of BSA. In conclusion, semen collection into tubes with a large volume of extender containing high concentrations of BSA dramatically improves the motility and acrosome integrity of frozen-thawed spermatozoa. This suggests that the in vitro functional freezability of spermatozoa is abruptly modified by reducing contact with seminal plasma and by flash contact with BSA at ejaculation.

The objective of this experiment was to investigate whether the motility parameters and acrosome integrity of goat ejaculated spermatozoa are affected by collecting semen into tubes containing an extender, and thereby determine the significance of reducing contact between seminal plasma and the sperm membrane at ejaculation. Semen were collected from three goats into tubes containing 0, 1 or 10 ml extender, or collected into tubes containing 10 ml extender supplemented with 0.1, 1 or 5% BSA. Sperm motion parameters were evaluated immediately after collection, after washing, and during a 3-h thermal resistance test. Acrosome integrity was assessed using FITC-PNA staining. Semen collection into tubes containing 10 ml extender produced higher sperm motility, progressive motility, and acrosome integrity than that using a smaller volume of extender. Furthermore, collection into 5% BSA-containing extender exhibited higher sperm characteristics and maintained high sperm motility and progressive motility throughout incubation. In conclusion, semen collection into tubes with a large volume of extender, especially extender containing higher concentrations of BSA, improved the quality of ejaculated spermatozoa, strongly suggesting that the in vitro functional characteristics of the spermatozoa were abruptly modified by flash sperm contact with accessory sex gland fluid at ejaculation.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate whether the steroid hormone(s) secreted from cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) is a prerequisite for bovine oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion using aminoglutethimide (AGT), a P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage inhibitor. Methods: In experiment 1, COCs were cultured in maturation medium with various concentrations of AGT for 22 h to determine the effective concentration of AGT to inhibit steroid hormone secretion, meiotic maturation and cumulus expansion. In experiment 2, COCs were cultured in conditioned medium (CM) and TCM-199 medium with or without 10 mM AGT to check whether steroid hormones secreted from COCs were responsible for oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion. Experiments 3 and 4 were carried out to determine whether exogenous progesterone or estradiol-17beta was able to overcome the inhibitory effects of AGT on oocytes maturation and cumulus expansion. COCs cultured in 10 mM AGT-containing medium supplemented with various concentrations of progesterone or estradiol-17beta for 22 h were examined for oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion. Results: Experiment 1 showed that a concentration of 10 mM AGT in medium was sufficient to block steroid hormone secretion, oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion, and that these inhibitory effects were fully reversible. In experiment 2, the addition of 10 mM AGT to CM did not significantly prevent oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion, implying that CM contains the steroid hormone(s) secreted from COCs, which are closely associated with oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion. The results in experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that the addition of any concentration of progesterone or estradiol-17beta in the medium did not reduce the inhibitory effects of AGT on oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion. Conclusion: Our results indicate that bovine oocytes surrounded by cumulus cells are prevented from maturation and cumulus expansion through the inhibition of steroid secretion due to AGT, and that these inhibitory effects of AGT on oocyte maturation and cumulus expansions can not be overcome by the addition of either progesterone or estradiol-17beta in the medium. These observations suggest that some steroid hormone(s) other than P-4 and E-2 secreted from bovine COCs is essential for their meiotic maturation and cumulus expansion.

Background: The objectives of this study were to develop an easy and rapid method for measuring gene expression in a small number of cells by real-time PCR without RNA extraction and purification, and to use this method to determine more precisely IGF-I gene expression in the cumulus cells surrounding oocytes. Methods: First, after small numbers of cumulus cells were lysed in cell lysis buffer, they were digested with various concentrations of DNase I for different periods at 37 C to determine the optimal conditions for digestion of genomic DNA in the lysate. Since nonspecific amplification was liable to occur when the non-purified RT product of the cell lysate was used for real-time PCR with the given primers, the optimal conditions for Mg2+ and annealing temperature were well investigated. Further, to create the same conditions as in the actual sample reaction for measurement by real-time PCR, RT-minus product was added to the reaction mixture of the standard curve, and then the amplification efficiency was assessed. Next, IGF-I gene expression in cumulus cells collected from cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) every 4 h during maturation was determined using the developed method. Results: The optimal conditions for measuring gene expression using the cell lysate from a small number of cells were as follows: incubation of the cell lysate with 0.16 U/microL DNase I with 10 U/microL for 30 min, an Mg concentration of 1.5 mM for amplification of target gene by real-time PCR using RT-product of the cell lysate. When the RT-minus products added to the reaction mixture for the standard curve, which was prepared for purified 18SrRNA plasmid, the PCR efficiency was similar between the sample and the standard. The IGF-I gene expression in the cumulus cells was elevated up through the first 8 h of the culture and then declined gradually by the end of maturation, with the maximal gene expression (778-fold) seen at 8 h. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the method developed here, in which equivalent to cumulus cells collected from 0.03 - 0.075 COCs were employed per reaction, permits rapid and easy determination of target gene expression in a limited number of cells using real- time PCR without RNA extraction.