• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1976

The glycogen content of the oocytes at the various stages of meiotic division induced during culture was determined by a microspectrophotometer. The PAS intensity decreased gradually as the meiotic resumption progressed. The amount of glycongen was also decreased in the degenerated ova. Is is concluded that the glycogen consumption in necessary for the meiotic resumption and that the glycogen loss while the germinal vesicle is intact seems to lead degeneration. These results suggest that the endogenous glycogen is important to support meiosis.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.179-191
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• 1996

In-vitro culture has provided new inforrnation on mechanisms of oocytes rnaturation and results obtained in vitro have led to new questions. In porcine, follicular and oocyte size have the crucial importance for the oocytes maturation. The addition of hormones to the culture medium was found to accelerate and facilitate meiotic maturation. The presence of some factors in serum trigger the resumption of meiosis and support the maturation of oocytes in vitro. The maturation rate of porcine oocytes was also increased by supplementation of porcine follicular fluid to the culture medium. The growth factors can stimulate nuclear maturation and enhances cytoplasnic maturation of oocytes by interaction with gonadotropins. The maturation-promoting factor brings about GVBD and the subsequent maturational events in oocytes. However, cAMP can block the spontaneous meiotic maturation of oocytes in culture. The understanding of these influences is a prerequisite to enhancing in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.162-167
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• 2021

Camel (camelus dromedarius) is a unique large mammalian species that can survive harsh environmental conditions and produce milk, meat, and wool. Camel reproduction is inferior when compared to other farm animal species such as cattle and sheep. Several trials have been reported to increase camel reproduction and production through assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization and cloning. For these reasons, obtaining enough mature oocytes is a cornerstone for ARTs. This demand would be improved by the oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) systems. In this review, the current approaches and views from different laboratories using ARTs and the IVM to produce embryos in vitro in camel species. For the last two decades, conventional IVM system was the common approach, however, recently the bi-phasic IVM system has been introduced and showed promising improvement in IVM of camel oocytes. Detailed studies are needed to understand camel meiosis and IVM to efficiently increase the production of this species.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

The ability of oocytes to undergo normal fertilization and embryo development is acquired during oocyte maturation which is transition from the germinal vesicle stage (GV), germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) to metaphase of meiosis II (MII). Part of this process includes redistribution of inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R), a predominant $Ca^{2+}$ channel on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Type 1 IP3R (IP3R1) is expressed in mouse oocytes dominantly. At GV stage, IP3R1 are arranged as a network throughout the cytoplasm with minute accumulation around the nucleus. At MII stage, IP3R1 diffuses to the entire cytoplasm in a more reticular manner, and obvious clusters of IP3R1 are observed at the cortex of the egg. This structural reorganization provides acquisition of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ oscillatory activity during fertilization. In this review, general properties of IP3R1 in somatic cells and mammalian oocyte are introduced.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.108-113
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• 2023

Cohesin is a ring-shaped protein complex that comprises the SMC1, SMC3, and α-kleisin proteins, STAG1/2/3 subunits, and auxiliary factors. Cohesin participates in chromatin remodeling, chromosome segregation, DNA replication, and gene expression regulation during the cell cycle. Mitosis-specific α-kleisin factor RAD21 and meiosis-specific α-kleisin factor REC8 are expressed in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to maintain pluripotency. Here, we demonstrated that RAD21 and REC8 were involved in maintaining genomic stability and modulating chromatin modification in murine ESCs. When the kleisin subunits were depleted, DNA repair genes were downregulated, thereby reducing cell viability and causing replication protein A (RPA) accumulation. This finding suggested that the repair of exposed single-stranded DNA was inefficient. Furthermore, the depletion of kleisin subunits induced DNA hypermethylation by upregulating DNA methylation proteins. Thus, we proposed that the cohesin complex plays two distinct roles in chromatin remodeling and genomic integrity to ensure the maintenance of pluripotency in ESCs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.793-800
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• 2016

Most hinnies (female donkey${\times}$male horse) and mules (female horse${\times}$male donkey) are sterile with few reports of equine fertile hybrids. The main cause of this sterility is thought to be a meiotic block to spermatogenesis and oogenesis. This study compared the developmental features of the testes and a histological analyses of spermatogenesis in a male hinny with those of a normal, fertile stallion and Jack donkey. Hinny testes showed a thicker tunica albuginea, fewer blood vessels and more connective tissue in the testis parenchyma than those of the stallion and Jack donkey. Although the mean number of seminiferous tubules was significantly higher in stallion and hinny than Jack donkey (p<0.01), the mean proportion of seminiferous tubules was lower in the hinny (p<0.01) which resulted in a smaller diameter of seminiferous tubules. The mean number of spermatogonia and spermatocytes per unit area were significantly lower in hinny testis (p<0.01) and no spermatids or mature spermatozoa cells were found during immunofluorescent analyses. These results indicated that defects in seminiferous tubule development and structure occur in the testis of hinnies. Furthermore, most spermatogonia and spermatocytes cease development in synapsis during mid-meiosis of spermatocytes, which results in a block to spermatogenesis that prevents the formation of spermatids and matured spermatozoa during meiosis in male hinnies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 1979

The chromosome behavior and it's synapsis in the meiosis of pollen mother cell were studied on Populus alba L. as a female parent tree, Populus glandulosa Uyeki as a male parent tree and their hybrid, Populus alba x glandulosa. 1. At metaphase I, the number of nuclear plates with early separation chromosome were observed with the lowest proportion of 11.0% in Populus glandulosa and with the highest proportion of 13.0% in Populus alba${\times}$glandulosa. 2. At metaphase II, early separation chromosomes appeared with the frequency of 11.0% in Populus alba${\times}$glandulosa. But the frequency was not different with those of the parental trees. 3. At anaphase I, lagging chromosomes appeared with some high rate of 11.6% in Populus alba${\times}$glandulosa and yet the number of chromosome bridges in populus alba x glandulosa almost were not different with the partental trees. 4. At anaphase II, lagging chromosomes appeared with some high frequency of 10.2% in Populus alba${\times}$glandulosa and the chromosome bridges in Populus glandulosa appeared with the highest frequency in all studied trees. 5. The frequency of abnormal pollen sporad was the highest value of 8.2% in Populus alba${\times}$glandulosa among the studied trees. With the results, it might be assured that the chromosome segregation and it's synapsis behaved normally in Populus alba, Populus glandulosa and Populus alba x glandulosa, and so all the studied trees could produced normal pollens.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.195-201
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• 2000

Sex differentiation process of the spotted sea bass, Lateolabrax maculatus, was investigated by histological method. The fish samples were collected from just after hatching to 365 days later. The primordial germ cells and genital ridge were appeared separately hanging under air bladder in 30-day larva (total length: 11.7~13.2 mm), and were unified into the undifferentiated gonads in 40-day larva (12.5~14.0 mm). The ovarian differentiation was started in 60-day juvenile (23.6~27.0 mm). The somatic tissues were elongated in tip of both ends of undifferentiated gonad and were fused each other. The complete ovarian cavity was appeared in 80-days juvenile(33.1~42.5 mm). The testicular differentiation was initiated in 70-day juvenile (24.8~31.6 mm). The rudiment of sperm duct was appeared in the center of the undifferentiated gonad. The meiosis of germ cells in the ovary was started in 168-day juvenile (88.0~115.4 mm). In 287-day juvenile (175.1~233.6 mm), the ovary was filled with both of chromatin stage and perinucleolus stage oocytes. The meiosis of male germ cells was started in 245-day juvenile (124.4~168.3 mm). However, the seminiferous tubules of testis were filled with numerous sperm in 365-day juvenile (162.5~253.8 mm). The sex ratio of male and female was 1:1.38. Considering these results, the spotted sea bass was showed differentiated type in sex differentiation and gonochorism in sexuality.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

During meiosis, genetic recombinants are formed by homologous recombination accompanying with the programmed double-strand breaks (DSBs) and strand exchanges between homologous chromosomes. The mechanism is generated by recombination intermediates such as single-end invasions (SEIs) and double-Holliday junctions (dHJs), and followed by crossover (CO) or non-crossover (NCO) products. Our study was focused on the analysis of meiotic recombination intermediates (DSBs, SEIs, and dHJs) and final recombination products (CO and NCO). We identified these meiotic recombination intermediates using DNA physical analysis under HIS4LEU2 "hot spot" system in budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. For DNA physical analysis, when the hot spot locus is recognized by restriction enzyme from synchronous meiotic cells, the fragmented DNA that are forming recombination intermediates can be detected and quantified through Southern hybridization analysis. Our study suggests that this system can analyze the structural change of recombination intermediates during DSB-SEI transition, double-Holiday junctions and crossover/non-crossover products in meiosis.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2004

Oocyte maturation refers to the process that prophase I arrested germinal vesicle(GV) drives the progression of meiosis to metaphase II(MII) to have the capacity for fertilization and embryo development. To better understand the molecular mechanism(s) involved in oocyte maturation, we identified differentially expressed genes(DEGs) between GV and MII mouse oocytes using a new innovative annealing control primer (ACP) technology. Using 20 ACPs, we successfully cloned 32 DEGs between GV and Mll oocytes, and 26 out of these 32 DEGs were functionally known genes. Four genes including Pscd2 were GV-specific, 10 genes including PKD2 and CSN3 were highly expressed in GV oocytes(GV-selective), and 12 genes including Diva were highly expressed in MII oocytes (MII-selective). Ail of the genes identified in this study were first reported in the oocyte expression using ACP system and especially, we could characterize the existence of PKD-CSW signaling pathwayin the mouse oocytes. Results of the present study would provide insight for studying molecular mechanisms regulating oocyte maturation.