• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.269-275
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• 1996

Biosynthesis and secretion of anterior pituitary hormones are under the control of specific hypothalamic stimulatory and inhibitory factors. Among them, Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) is the major stimulator of pituitary somatotrophs activating GH gene expression and secretion. Human GHRH is a polypeptide of 44 amino acids initially isolated from pancreatic tumors, and the gene for the hypothalamic form of GHRH is organized into 5 exons spanning over 10 kilobases (kb) on genomic DNA and encodes a messenger RNA of 700-750 nucleotides. Several neuropeptides classically associated with the hypothalamus have been found in the extrahypothalamic regions, suggesting the existence of novel sources, targets and functions. GHRH-like immunoreactivity has been found in several peripheral sites, including placenta, testis, and ovary, indicating that GHRH may also have regulatory roles in peripheral reproductive organs. Furthermore, higher molecular weight forms of the GHRH transcripts were identified from these organs (1.75 kb in testis; 1.75 and >3 kb in ovary). These tissue-specific expression of GHRH gene suggest the existence of unique regulatory mechanism of GHRH expression and function in these organs. In fact, placenta-specific and testis-specific promoters for GHRH transcripts which are located in about 10 kb upstream region of hypothalamic promoter were reported. The use of unique promoters in extrahypothalamic sites could be refered in a different control of GHRH gene and different functions of the translated products in these tissues. Somatotrophs and lactotrophs have been thought to be derived from a common bipotential progenitor, the somatolactotrophs, which give origins to either phenotypes. Although the precise mechanism responsible for the lactotroph differentiation in the anterior pituitary gland has not been yet clalified, there are several candidators for the generation of lactotrophs. In human, the presence of GHRH peptides with different size from authentic hypothalamic form in the normal anterior pituitary and several types of adenoma were demonstrated. Recently our group found the existence of immunoreactive GHRH and its transcript from the normal rat anterior pituitary (gonadotroph> somatotroph> lactotroph), and the GHRH treatment evoked the increased proliferation rate of anterior pituitary cells in vitro. The transgenic mouse models clearly shown that GHRH or NGF overexpression by anterior pituitary cells induced development of pituitary hyperplasia and adenomas particularly GH-oma and prolactinoma. Taken together, we hypothesize that the pituitary GHRH could serve not only as a modulator of hormone secretion but as a paracrine or autocrine regulator of anterior pituitary cell proliferation and differentiation. Interestingly enough, the expression of Pit-1 homeobox gene (the POU class transcription factor) was confined to somatotrophs, lactotrophs and somatolactotrophs in which GHRH receptors are expressed commonly. Concerning the mechanism of somatolactotroph and lactotroph differentiation in the anterior pituitary, we have focused following two possibilities; (1) changes in the relative levels or interactions of both hypothalamic and intrapituitary factors such as dopamine, VIP, somatostatin, NGF and GHRH; (2) alterations of GHRH-GHRH receptor signaling and Pit-1 activity may be the cause of lactotroph differentiation or pituitary hyperplasia and adenoma formation. Extensive further studies will be necessary to solve these complicated questions.

• 한국동물번식학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국동물번식학회 2004년도 춘계학술발표대회
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• pp.195-195
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• 2004

To discover germ cell-specific transcripts, we prepared a cDNA library from adult testes of 35-day old mice and subtracted it with mRNA from the testes of juvenile mice. Real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that 42 cDNA clones in the subtracted library were expressed more intensely in the adult testes than in the juvenile testes. One clone identified by subtraction is expressed preferentially in the late spermatid and is located on chromosome 17E3 in mouse and 2p22 in human. (omitted)

• BMB Reports
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• 제39권5호
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• pp.511-515
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• 2006

Alanine aminotransferase (AAT) is mainly synthesized in the liver, and its level in mammalian serum is elevated after acute phase induction. Here we demonstrated that sheep anti-human AAT antibody cross-reacted with amphioxus humoral fluids as well as human serum; and the concentration of AAT in the humoral fluids in amphioxus increased after the acute challenge with lipopolysaccharide, while the level of total proteins remains unchanged. These suggest the presence of the same acute phase response pattern in amphioxus, as observed in some mammalian species. Immunohistochemically, AAT was localized in the hepatic diverticulum, ovary and testis. It appears that the hepatic diverticulum in amphioxus is functionally homologous to the vertebrate liver in respect of AAT synthesis, supporting the hypothesis that the vertebrate liver evolved from the hepatic diverticulum of an amphioxus-like ancestor during early chordate evolution.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.61-64
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• 1988

Echinostoma cineterchis(Trematoda: Echinostomatidae)의 인체감염 1예를 praziquantel 투여후 수집된 성충으로 확인하고 국내 계 4례로 기록하였다. 환자에서 이 흡충 감염과 관련된 특별한 증상은 없었고 송사리, 올챙이, 미판리 등을 생식한 경력이 있어 이들이 감염원이 되었을 것으로 추측되었다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제49권11호
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• pp.629-634
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• 2016

Transmembrane and coiled-coil domain family 3 (TMCC3) has been reported to be expressed in the human brain; however, its function is still unknown. Here, we found that expression of TMCC3 is higher in human whole brain, testis and spinal cord compared to other human tissues. TMCC3 was expressed in mouse developing hind brain, lung, kidney and somites, with strongest expression in the mesenchyme of developing tongue. By expression of recombinant TMCC3 and its deletion mutants, we found that TMCC3 proteins self-assemble to oligomerize. Immunostaining and confocal microscopy data revealed that TMCC3 proteins are localized in endoplasmic reticulum through transmembrane domains. Based on immunoprecipitation and mass spectroscopy data, TMCC3 proteins associate with TMCC3 and 14-3-3 proteins. This supports the idea that TMCC3 proteins form oligomers and that 14-3-3 may be involved in the function of TMCC3. Taken together, these results may be useful for better understanding of uncharacterized function of TMCC3.

• 대한바이러스학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.115-120
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• 1996

Human papillomavirus (HPV), especially type 16 and 18, has been closely associated with carcinomas and uterine cevical cancer, recently. From in vitro assays, E6 and E7 genes of HPV16 are closely linked with transformation of cell lines of rodent fibroplasts. However, the transforming activity of E6 and E7 genes of HPV type 16 in vivo has not been fully elucidated. For explaining this mechanism, we prepared a expression system with the promoter of mouse mammary tumorvirus long terminal repeat and E6E7's open reading frames. This expression system was introduced in rodent cell lines, No. 7, 3Y1 and shown normal transforming abilities. And, we produced transgenic mice with E6, E7 expression system. These transgenic mice were confirmed from Southern blot analysis. One male of them was observed enlargement of the testis after 5 months postdelivery.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.273-278
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• 1995

Mammalian, including human, spermatozoa undergo morphological and physiological changes during sperm maturation. There were, these changes may affect the fertilization and embryonic development. In this study, we examined the pronucleus formation, pronucleus disappearance and embryonic development in the human oocytes fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The injected spermatozoa were grouped into ejaculated, epididymal and testicular by the collecting region. Among 363 metaphase II injected oocytes, 287(79.1%) oocytes were normally fertilized and displayed two pronuclei. There were no difference in the fertilization rates and in the pronucleus formation and pronucleus disappearance at 16, 20 and 24 hr after ICSI, among the each spermatozoa group. Also, at 64 hr, the appearance of embryonic development was similar. From these results it can be concluded that there was no difference of maturity among the sperm collected from ejaculated, epididymis and testis in the pronucleus formation and embryonic development. Therefore, testicular spermatozoa are successfully used with ICSI in IVF-ET program.

• BMB Reports
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.193-198
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• 2010

In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a novel C2H2 zinc finger protein, ZNF552, from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. ZNF552 is composed of three exons and two introns and maps to chromosome 19q13.43. The cDNA of ZNF552 is 2.3 kb, encoding 407 amino acids with an amino-terminal KRAB domain and seven carboxyl-terminal C2H2 zinc finger motifs in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Northern blotting analysis indicated that a 2.3 kb transcript specific for ZNF552 was expressed in liver, lung, spleen, testis and kidney, especially with a higher level in the lung and testis in human adult tissues. Reporter gene assays showed that ZNF552 was a transcriptional repressor, and overexpression of ZNF552 in the COS-7 cells inhibited the transcriptional activities of AP-1 and SRE, which could be relieved through RNAi analysis. Deletion studies showed that the KRAB domain of ZNF552 may be involved in this inhibition.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.93-98
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• 2009

In this study, bovine Dnmt1 cDNA was sequenced and detected Dnmt1 mRNA level in bovine tissues by northern blot, methylation pattern of genome by southern blot, specific localization of Dnmt1 in mouse and bovine preimplantation embryos by immunocytostaining and Dnmt1 protein level in ovary and testis by western blot. Bovine Dnmt1 cDNA sequence showed more homology with that of human than mouse and rat. The RNA level of Dnmt1 was 10 times higher expression in placenta than other tissues. This indicates that placenta was hypermethylated compared to others organs. The genomic DNA could not be cut by a specific restriction enzyme (HpaII) in placenta, lung and liver of bovine. It suggests that Dnmt1 in some somatic cells was already methylated. Dnmt1, which has the antibody epitope 1316~1616, was distributed in nucleus and cytoplasm including the stage of pronuclear stage and maturation of oocyte and gradually weaken to blastocyst stage compare to negative. In addition, Dnmt1 was strongly expressed in tetraploid embryo and cloned 8-cell than IVF 8-cell. An aberrant pattern of DNA methylation in cloned embryo may be abnormal development of fetus, embryonic lethality and placenta dysfunction. The somatic specific band (190kDa) was appeared in ovary and testis, but oocyte specific band (175kDa) was not. Further investigations are necessary to understand the complex links between the methyltransferases and the transcriptional activity of genes in the cloned bovine tissues.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.637-647
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• 2018

Extra-hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) plays an important role in reproduction. To study the treatment effect of Grin (a novel hGHRH homodimer), the infertility models of 85 male Chinese hamsters were established by intraperitoneally injecting 20 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide once in a week for 5 weeks and the treatment with Grin or human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) as positive control was evaluated by performing a 3-week mating experiment. 2-8 mg/kg of Grin and 200 U/kg of hMG showed similar effect and different pathological characteristics. Compared to the single cyclophosphamide group (0%), the pregnancy rates (H-, M-, L-Grin 26.7, 30.8, 31.3%, and hMG 31.3%) showed significant difference, but there was no difference between the hMG and Grin groups. The single cyclophosphamide group presented loose tubules with pathologic vacuoles and significant TUNEL positive cells. Grin induced less weight of body or testis, compactly aligned tubules with little intra-lumens, whereas hMG caused more weight of body or testis, enlarging tubules with annular clearance. Grin presented a dose-dependent manner or cell differentiation-dependentincrease in testicular GHRH receptor, and did not impact the levels of blood and testicular GH, testosterone. Grin promotes fertility by proliferating and differentiating primitive cells through up-regulating testicular GHRH receptor without triggering GH secretion, which might solve the etiology of oligoasthenozoospermia.