• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1695-1704
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• 2014

Maternal malnutrition during pregnancy may give rise to female offspring with disrupted ovary functions in adult age. Neonatal ovary development predisposes adult ovary function, yet the effect of maternal nutrition on the neonatal ovary has not been described. Therefore, here we show the impact of maternal protein restriction on the expression of folliculogenic and steroidogenic genes, their regulatory microRNAs and promoter DNA methylation in the ovary of neonatal piglets. Sows were fed either standard-protein (SP, 15% crude protein) or low-protein (LP, 7.5% crude protein) diets throughout gestation. Female piglets born to LP sows showed significantly decreased ovary weight relative to body weight (p<0.05) at birth, which was accompanied with an increased serum estradiol level (p<0.05). The LP piglets demonstrated higher ratio of bcl-2 associated X protein/B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 mRNA (p<0.01), which was associated with up-regulated mRNA expression of bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) (p<0.05) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) (p<0.05). The steroidogenic gene, cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19A1) was significantly down-regulated (p<0.05) in LP piglets. The alterations in ovarian gene expression were associated with a significant down-regulation of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor mRNA expression (p<0.05) in LP piglets. Moreover, three microRNAs, including miR-423-5p targeting both CYP19A1 and PCNA, miR-378 targeting CYP19A1 and miR-210 targeting BMP4, were significantly down-regulated (p<0.05) in the ovary of LP piglets. These results suggest that microRNAs are involved in mediating the effect of maternal protein restriction on ovarian function through regulating the expression of folliculogenic and steroidogenic genes in newborn piglets.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.219-223
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• 1999

Ovarian development of the vitrified neonatal ovaries after orthotopical transplantation into the ovariectomized adult recipient mouse were observed. Ovaries were collected from the neonatal females on day of birth and grouped for fresh, vitrification for 1-minute, and 3-minute. Vitrified and thawed neonatal ovaries were orthotopically transplanted into ovarian bursa of the adult mice from which endogenous ovaries have removed just prior to the transplantation (1 minute: n=25; 3 minutes n=23). Fresh ovarian tissue transplanted (n=25) mice were included as control groups. Returning of the estrus cycles and the survival and development of the transplanted ovaries were evaluated. Intact ovaries from neonatal, and four weeks old mice were used for comparison of the ovarian development as in vivo-developed control. From 2 weeks after transplantation, 64%, 36%, and 75% of the transplanted mice showed return of the estrus cycles in fresh, 1-minute, and 3-minute groups, respectively. Four weeks after transplantation, all mice were sacrificed and ovarian tissues were recovered for histological analysis. 57.1%, 33.3%, and 64.7% mice in fresh, 1-minute, and 3-minute groups, respectively, had survived ovaries with follicles at various stages of growth from primordial to preovulatory follicles. Corpus lutea were also observed. Results of the present study suggest that 1) normal folliculogenesis has initiated in vivo after vitrification, and 2) the vitrification may be used as a preservation method for ovarian tissues for establishment of ovarian tissue bank.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.27-30
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• 2017

Adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC) is a rare cause of adrenal insufficiency during neonatal period. Mutations in the gene coding for DAX1 cause X-linked adrenal hypoplasia. Most affected patients are shown to have salt wasting and hyperpigmentation on the skin during the neonatal period and require intensive medical care. In addition, it is usually associated with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in adolescence. The DAX1 gene is expressed in the adrenal cortex, pituitary gland, hypothalamus, testis, and ovary. We report on a patient with genetically confirmed AHC whose initial clinical presentations were consistent with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. A point mutation in the DAX1 gene identified in this report resulted in a truncated DAX1 protein. Our patient was diagnosed with AHC.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2004

This study was performed to evaluate developmental and estrogenic activity of bisphenol A (BPA) and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) to the second generation of Sprague-Dawley rats ingested during gestational or lactational periods. Rats were given BPA 20$\mu\textrm{g}$/kg BBP 100mg/kg of pregnancy or lactation periods. Maternal body weight and neonatal body weight were recorded. The rats were sacrificed on day 21 after birth. Reproductive organs of dam and neonate were utilized for receptor binding assay. The plasma concentrations of BPA and MBep, one of the major metabolites of BBP were analyzed with HPLC. The co-administration of BPA and BBP induced slow weight gain compared with single administration in dams. Also, such mixture induced low neonatal body weights in next generation. The dams treated with BPA and BBP during lactational periods showed significant organ weight changes in liver and spleen. The dams exposed during lactational periods showed significant organ weight changes not only in liver and spleen but also in kidney, uterus and ovary. The F1 female rats exposed during lactation periods showed significant organ weight changes in liver, spleen, ovary. The F1 male rats showed significant organ weight changes in liver, kidney, epididymis, vesicular glands, prostate. However, no clear synergistic effects of BPA and BBP were noted. There was no significantly different ER$\alpha$ expression pattern between control and treated groups. However, ER$\alpha$ expression were increased in F1 male testis and female uterus. PI male showed distinct ER$\alpha$ expression, especially in the group of lactational combined exposure. Synergistic ER$\alpha$ expression was found by combined treatment of BPA and BBP. We could not find any evidences of synergistic effects on BPA and/or BBP combined administration on dams and their fetuses, except in ER$\alpha$ expression of F1 male.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2022

In mammalian species, females are born with a number of oocytes exceeding what they release via ovulation. In humans, an average girl is born with over a thousand times more oocytes than she will ovulate in her lifetime. The reason for having such an excessive number of oocytes in a neonatal female ovary is currently unknown. However, it is well established that the oocyte number decreases throughout the entire lifetime until the ovary loses them all. In this review, data published in the past 80 years were used to assess the current knowledge regarding the changing number of oocytes in humans and mice, as well as the reported factors that contribute to the decline of oocyte numbers. Briefly, a collective estimation indicates that an average girl is born with approximately 600,000 oocytes, which is 2,000 times more than the number of oocytes that she will ovulate in her lifetime. The oocyte number begins to decrease immediately after birth and is reduced to half of the initial number by puberty and almost zero by age 50 years. Multiple factors that are either intrinsic or extrinsic to the ovary contribute to the decline of the oocyte number. The inflammation caused by the ovulatory luteinizing hormone surge is discussed as a potential contributing factor to the decline of the oocyte pool during the reproductive lifespan.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.629-634
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• 2012

This study was conducted to improve the yield of mature oocytes from in vitro-culture of ovarian primary follicles by optimizing follicle retrieval from neonatal mice of different ages. Primary follicles of 75 to $99{\mu}m$ in diameter were collected daily from 7- to 14-day-old neonatal mice, and subsequently cultured in ${\alpha}$-MEM medium. Number of primary follicles isolated, growth of the follicle during in vitro-culture and maturation of intrafollicular oocytes were monitored. Overall, mean number of preantral follicles per animal was improved from 10.7 to 88.7 as the age of follicle donors was increased from 7 to 14-day-old. Number of primary follicles was increased gradually up to 11-day-old (35.7 follicle per an animal), then reduced to 29 in 14-day-old (p = 0.0013). More follicles retrieved from 10-day-old or 11-day-old females maintained their morphological normality at the end of primary culture than the follicles retrieved from 9-day-old. Of those cultured, primary follicles retrieved from 11-day-old mice yielded largest larger number of early secondary follicles than the follicles retrieved from in the other ages (39 vs. 13 to 29%). More than 3.3-times increase (0.86 to 2.86; p<0.05) in an average number of mature oocytes per animal was observed in the group of 11-day-old, compared with 9-day-old. However, no difference was found in the percentage of primary follicles developing into the pseudoantral stage (21 to 30%; p = 0.5222) and in the percentage of oocytes mucified (32 to 39%; p = 0.5792). In conclusion, a positive correlation between retrieval time and follicle growth was detected, which influences the efficiency to derive mature oocytes by follicle culture.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2004

To investigate the mechanism of germ cell death in postnatal stage of mouse, the involvement of apoptotic executioners, caspase-3 and caspase-activated DNase(CAD), and apoptotic initiators, Bax Fas and Fas ligand, in the germ cell death has been studied. Immune-labels of active caspase-3 and CAD were located in TUNEL-positive, apoptotic, oocytes as well as normal oocytes of primary or secondary follicles. CAD immune-labels were also detected in the nucleus of TUNEL-positive oocytes. Most of oocytes showing positive immune-labeling of active caspase-3 or CAD had vacuoles in their cytoplasm, which is the morphological characteristic of oocyte during folliclar atresia. Bax immune-stains were detected in the atretic oocytes which showed the vacuole in their cytoplasm. Positive immune-labels for Fas ligand was localized in TUNEL-positive or atretic oocytes. Presence of immunoreactivity of active caspase-3 and CAD in TUNEL-positive germ cells implicate that active raspase-3 and CAD might play a role in germ cell apoptosis during early development of mouse ovarian follicle. Immunohistochemical localization of Bax and Fas ligand in TUNEL-positive oocytes suggests that these might be the most plausible modulator of oocyte apoptosis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.185-187
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• 2004

The co-administration of BPA and BBP induced slow weight gain compared with single administration in dams. Also, such mixture induced low neonatal body weights in next generation. The dams treated with BPA and BBP showed significant organ weight changes in liver, spleen exposed during lactational periods. But the dams exposed during lactational periods showed significant organ weight changes not only in liver, spleen but also in kidney, uterus and ovary. The F1 female rats exposed during lactation periods showed significant organ weight changes in liver, spleen, ovary. The F1 male rats showed significant organ weight changes in liver, kidney, epididymis, vesicular glands, prostate. However no clear synergistic effects of BPA and BBP could be found. Estrogen receptor ${\alpha}$ expression by BPA and BBP in the uterus(dam, F1 female) and testis(F1 male) were studied. There was no significant different $ER{\alpha}$ expression pattern between control and treated groups. But $ER{\alpha}$ expression were increased in F1 male testis and female uterus. F1 male showed distinct $ER{\alpha}$ expression, especially in the group of lactational combined exposure. Synergistic $ER{\alpha}$ expression was found by combined treatment of BPA and BBP.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 2000

The regulatory mechanisms of the initiation and the formation of ovarian follicles during fetal stage of mammals are largely unknown. In addition to the gonadotropins secreted from pituitary, various growth factors, and steroid hormones are believed to be involved in the differentiation and initiation of growth of primordial follicles consisting of primordial germ cells migrated from yolk sac and streamed cells from mesonephric somatic cells. In human, primordial follicles that have already initiated differentiation at fetal stage undergo either folliculogenesis to ovulate or atresia after growth. Some of primordial follicles remain without growth for 50 years or longer. The objective of this paper is to review the mechanism of the formation, growth arrest, and initiation of primordial follicles in human fetal and neonatal ovaries.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1257-1261
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• 2006

Pleiomorphic adenoma gene-like1 (PLAGL1) encodes a zinc-finger (ZF) protein with seven ZFs of the C2H2-type which is a regulator of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and also regulates the secretion of insulin. In both human and mouse, PLAGL1 is a candidate gene for tumor suppressor and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM). In this study, a 2,238 bp fragment covering the complete coding region was obtained and deposited to GenBank (accession number: DQ288899). The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicated that PLAGL1 was expressed almost equally in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, fat, uterus and ovary. Comparing the sequences of Large White and Meishan pigs, a C-T transition in exon 6 was found. The polymorphism could be detected by TaqI and was genotyped in five purebreds (Large White, Landrace, Meishan, Tongcheng and Bamei). Association analysis was performed between the polymorphism and carcass traits in 276 pigs of a "Large White${\times}$Meishan" F2 resource population. As a consequence, significant associations of the genotypes with shoulder backfat thickness (SFT) and internal fat rate (IFR) were observed. Pigs with TT genotype had low SFT and high IFR compared with TC or CC genotypes.