The effect of changes in maternal corticosterone concentrations, induced by maternal stress, maternal adrenalectomy or both, on concentration of corticosterone in serum and in adrenals of mouse (Mus domesticus) fetuses was examined. Higher baseline serum corticosterone concentrations were found in female fetuses than in male fetuses; however, there was no sex difference in the content of corticosterone in adrenals collected from these fetuses. Sex differences were observed in the fetal response to changes in maternal concentrations of serum corticosterone resulting from stress (bright light and heat) or adrenalectomy, and both factors eliminated the sex difference in corticosterone in fetal serum. When females were injected i.v. with [³H]corticosterone on day 17 of pregnancy, significantly more ³H was recovered from the serum of female than of male fetuses 15 min after the injection, while more ³H was recovered from placentae of male fetuses. This finding suggests that the difference in serum corticosterone in male and female mouse fetuses is due to greater transport of corticosterone from maternal blood across the placenta of female than of male fetuses.

Pig oocytes were examined to test their ability to undergo cortical granule exocytosis upon penetration by spermatozoa during meiotic maturation. Immature or maturing oocytes (cultured in vitro for 0 h, 26 h and 46 h) were inseminated with ejaculated boar spermatozoa in vitro. Before and after insemination, oocytes were stained with peanut agglutinin labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate and the cortical granule distributions were examined under the fluorescent microscope and the laser confocal microscope. Before insemination, all the oocytes at the germinal vesicle stage showed a uniform distribution of cortical granules throughout the cortical cytoplasm. The granules migrated centrifugally during maturation and were distributed just beneath the oolemma in the oocytes after germinal vesicle breakdown, forming a monolayer in metaphase I or metaphase II. Cortical granules were still present in all penetrated oocytes at the germinal vesicle stage 18 h after insemination; in contrast, 26% and 84% of the oocytes inseminated at the stages of germinal vesicle breakdown or at metaphase I and II, respectively, completely released their cortical granules. Nuclear activation rates of penetrated oocytes were 0%, 38% and 96% in oocytes cultured for 0 h, 26 h and 46 h, respectively. Of the nuclear-activated oocytes, 67% (oocytes cultured for 26 h) and 88% (oocytes cultured for 46 h) released cortical granules completely. Complete cortical granule exocytosis was not observed in nuclear-inactivated oocytes. Of the nuclear-activated oocytes, 67% (oocytes cultured for 26 h) and 80% (oocytes cultured for 46 h) of monospermic oocytes and 67% (oocytes cultured for 26 h) and 91% (oocytes cultured for 46 h) of polyspermic oocytes released cortical granules, and no statistical difference was observed between oocytes cultured for 26 h or 46 h, or between monospermic and polyspermic oocytes. The proportion of oocytes with cortical granule exocytosis increased as insemination time increased and was greatest 18 h after insemination in oocytes cultured for 26 h and 46 h; no obvious changes were observed when the insemination time was prolonged to 24 h. These results indicate that pig oocytes develop the ability to release cortical granules after penetration by spermatozoa following germinal vesicle breakdown, and that this ability is not fully developed until metaphase II. Cortical granule exocytosis is accompanied by nuclear activation, suggesting that both nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation are responsible for the cortical reaction. Polyspermy may be a result of a complete failure of cortical granule exocytosis in immature oocytes and delayed CG exocytosis in matured oocytes.

Summary. Pregnancy was blocked by anti-progesterone monoclonal antibody in two inbred (BALB/cJ, CBA/Ca) but to a lesser degree in an F₁ hybrid (CBA/Ca ♂ × BALB/cJ ♀) or an outbred (Tuck's no. 1) stock of mice when antibody was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 32 h post coitum (p.c.) using a dosage of 9·5–10·9 nmol. This different antifertility effect could not be explained solely by altered tubal transport in inbred mice since the rate of transport was slightly accelerated in one stock (BALB/c) but not in another (CBA). In crossbred mice tubal transport was not significantly altered by antibody treatment.

At Day 3 (54–58 h p.c.), the majority of embryos in control mice were at the 4-cell and 8-cell to morula stages in inbred and crossbred stock, respectively, but after antibody treatment they were mainly at the 4-cell stage in all 4 stocks. At Day 4 (78–82 h p.c.) the majority of embryos in control females had reached the blastocyst stage in all stocks, whereas after antibody treatment they had reached this stage in crossbred stock and relatively few had progressed so far in inbred stock.

The results indicate that there are two events in early gestation which are susceptible to passive immunization with anti-progesterone monoclonal antibody. The first of these occurs during cleavage shortly after the 4-cell stage when embryo development was arrested in two inbred stocks of mice. Antibody effects on cleavage were not direct since embryos cultured in the presence of high concentrations of antibody, or antibody saturated with progesterone, continued to develop in the normal way and formed blastocysts. The second event is the onset of implantation, an effect also influenced by genotype. The decidual cell reaction induced by intraluminal oil injection was blocked by antibody injected at 8 or 32 h p.c. in BALB/c females, but only when injected at 8 h, and not at 32 h p.c., in F₁ hybrid females. The results show that there is a greater resistance in two crossbred stocks compared with two inbred stocks to the effects of passive immunization against progesterone in early pregnancy.

Summary. Rats were treated with highly purified gossypol acetic acid at doses of 15 or 30 mg/kg day⁻¹ for 6 weeks to produce an effect on spermatogenesis as shown by reduced sperm motility and increased sperm malformation rates. The treated rats did not differ from the controls in the body weight growth curves and reproductive organ weights. When stimulated with hCG, testicular blood flow was increased in the low dose group; the testosterone concentrations in peripheral and testicular venous blood were also increased to a greater extent than those of the control group. No difference was found between the high dose and control groups in testicular blood flow or testosterone concentrations. The morphology of the Leydig cells was apparently normal, although some degenerative changes in the germinal epithelium were observed in the high dose group. Therefore, there is no evidence in our experiment to show any anti-androgenic effect following 6-week treatment of gossypol in rats, even at the dose of 30 mg/kg day⁻¹.

Summary. Mouse monoclonal anti-progesterone IgG1 antibody designated DB3 has an anti-fertility effect when injected into female mice shortly after mating. In BALB/c mice, pregnancy is blocked, probably as a result of progesterone withdrawal with inhibition of implantation. Rabbit polyclonal anti-idiotype raised against DB3 has been used in an indirect immunofluorescence method on frozen tissue sections to demonstrate the presence of DB3 on the surface of uterine luminal and glandular epithelia before implantation. DB3 was only detectable 30–60 h after a single parenteral injection (9 nmol antibody per mouse i.p. or i.v. at 32 h post coitum). Immunolocalization was both pregnancy-dependent and anti-progesterone antibody-specific, as it was not seen in pseudopregnant mice or mice treated with P3 (mouse myeloma IgG1 protein, using polyclonal anti-P3 anti-idiotype as a probe) or saline. The immunofluorescent reaction was completely blocked by addition of DB3 idiotype in vitro. The results indicate that anti-progesterone antibody binds to an antigen associated with luminal and glandular epithelia which may locally inhibit the uterine uptake of progesterone and disrupt the process of implantation.

Keywords: progesterone; monoclonal antibody; immunofluorescence; uterus; pregnancy; implantation; mouse

This study aimed to determine if short-term nutrient alteration affects (1) ovarian morphology, (2) plasma and ovarian antioxidant capability and (3) cell apoptosis and AKT signaling within the ovary. After estrus synchronization, 24 Hu sheep were assigned to three groups based on the nutrient requirement recommended for maintenance (M): 1 × M (Control), 1.5 × M (S) and 0.5 × M (R) during days 7–14 of their estrous cycle. The results indicated that undernourishment significantly increased the counts and volume of follicles <2.5 mm and decreased the counts and volume of follicles ≥2.5 mm (P < 0.05). Feed restriction altered the plasma and follicular redox balance within follicles ≥2.5 mm by inhibiting total antioxidant capacity, increasing malondialdehyde concentration (P < 0.05) and reducing the mRNA expression levels of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), as well as the activities of total SOD and GSH-PX. Feed restriction also attenuated B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2) but enhanced Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX) and BAX/BCL2 transcription and translation levels in granulosa cells (P < 0.05). Uniform staining intensities of AKT and P-AKT-Ser473 were observed in each follicle stage, whereas weaker P-AKT-Thr308 staining in the antral follicle than in the pre-antral follicle suggested possible involvement of P-AKT-Thr308 during the beginning of follicle development. P-AKT-Ser473 levels in follicles ≥2.5 mm was significantly reduced in the R group (P < 0.05). The results presented in this study demonstrate that suppressed folliculogenesis caused by feed restriction might be associated with attenuated AKT signaling, reduced follicular antioxidant capacity and enhanced granulosa cells apoptosis.

Summary. Concentrations of (+) and (−) gossypol were measured by high performance liquid chromatography after they were incubated with plasma proteins in vitro. The concentration of (−) gossypol decreased more than the concentration of (+) gossypol. A similar decrease in free gossypol concentrations in the blood plasma of rats was observed after intravenous infusion of gossypol enantiomers. The concentration of (−) gossypol was also found to be lower than the concentration of (+) gossypol at the blood–testis barrier. The biological effect of (−) gossypol probably results from its stereospecific binding to extra- and intracellular proteins in vivo and inhibition of the biological activity of some proteins.

Keywords: gossypol enantiomers; HPLC; protein binding; blood–testis barrier; rat

Being a novel target of luteinizing hormone (LH), the effect of CREB-binding protein/P300-interacting trans-activator with ED-rich tail member 4 (CITED4) gene on the proliferation, apoptosis, and steroidogenesis of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) in Hu sheep was investigated. The presence of CITED4, CREB-binding protein (CBP), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) and -beta (C/EBPβ) proteins was demonstrated in GCs and luteal cells. CITED4 protein in GCs was induced by LH, and CITED4 overexpression moderately increased GC responses to LH. In contrast, CITED4 knockdown in GCs decreased prostaglandin (PGE2)-induced LH target gene levels. Moreover, PGE2-stimulated CITED4 mRNA expression was blocked by ERK1/2 inhibition (U0126), suggesting that CITED4 is a downstream target of the ERK1/2 pathway in sheep GCs. In contrast to CITED4 knockdown, CITED4 overexpression promoted GC proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, upregulated cell cycle-related genes, and downregulated apoptosis-related genes. Additionally, CITED4 overexpression induced cell cycle transition from S to G2/M phase. No effect was observed with CITED4 knockdown. CITED4 overexpression increased progesterone (P₄) production levels and STAR mRNA expression, whereas CITED4 knockdown decreased P₄ production and STAR and 3β-HSD mRNA expression levels. Thus, our results suggest that CITED4 is involved in regulating the expression of LH-induced genes and the ERK1/2 pathway and the proliferation, apoptosis, and steroidogenesis in Hu sheep GCs by modulating the expression of related genes. These findings will help understand the role of CITED4 in follicular development and ovulation of pre-ovulatory follicles.

Identification of genes that are specifically expressed in the adult testis or the fetal testis is important for the study of genes related to the development of the testis. In this study, a human testis cDNA microarray was established. PCR products of 9216 clones from a human testis cDNA library were dotted on a nylon membrane; mRNA from adult and fetal testes were purified and probes were prepared by a reverse transcription reaction with testis mRNA as template. The microarray was hybridized with probes of adult and fetal testes, and 96.8 and 95.4% of clones were positive, respectively. In total, 731 clones were differentially expressed: 592 were highly expressed in adult testis and 139 were highly expressed in fetal testis. Among these genes, a new reticulon (Rtn)-like gene was detected and named Rtn-T. Rtn-T was highly expressed in adult human testis. The cDNA of Rtn-T contains 3491 bp and the putative protein had 968 amino acids. This protein is homologous to the six known members of the Rtn family (KIAA0886, Rtn xL, reticulon 4a, Nogo-A, Nogo-A short form, and brain my043) but was different at the 5' end. All homologues originate from one gene, and result from both different promotor regions and different splicing. Rtn-T lacks the first exon and contains a second exon that is lacking in the other homologues. Rtn-T is shorter than KIAA0886, Rtn xL, reticulon 4a and Nogo-A, but longer than the Nogo-A short form and brain my043. Sequence analysis showed that Rtn-T protein has two hydrophobic regions that may be membrane-spanning domains. Expression profiles showed that Rtn-T is specifically and strongly expressed in testis. The results of the present study indicate that the Rtn-T gene is differentially expressed in adult and fetal testes and encodes a membrane protein that may have a function in testis development.

Summary.

Serum LH, FSH and testosterone concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassays in male Sprague-Dawley rats from birth to 80 days of age. The levels of FSH were significantly elevated during the first 5 days of postnatal life. An abrupt decline in FSH concentrations occurred during this period, from levels of 800 ng/ml on Day 1 to levels of 300 ng/ml on Day 6. Subsequently, FSH levels fluctuated widely until about Days 30 to 45, when a secondary peak of FSH was observed. Thereafter, a decline in FSH levels to those found in adult rats occurred. This decline in FSH levels appears to coincide with the first release of mature spermatozoa from the germinal epithelium in the testis. During the first 30 days of postnatal life, LH and testosterone values appeared to be inversely related to each other and an LH peak and a nadir of testosterone levels was observed between Days 6 and 14 at a time corresponding to regression of the fetal generation of interstitial cells. A parallel rise in LH and testosterone levels occurred from Day 30 to sexual maturity and corresponded to the development of the adult generation of interstitial cells.