• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.248-253
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• 2008

Stresses and nutritional starvation are two main external signals for the induction of sex pheromones in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In an attempt to identify the components involved in transduction of starvation signals, we screened 135 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants and isolated 6 mutants that induced the pheromone even in the presence of a nitrogen source. These mutants exhibited two distict induction phenotypes: pheromone induction at restrictive but not at permissive temperatures; and pheromone induction at both permissive and restrictive temperatures. The times required for the maximum pheromone induction at the restrictive temperature differed slightly in each mutant. In addition to the pheromone induction phenotype, the ts243 and ts304 mutants exhibited cell-division-cycle defects. The ts304 mutant cells showed an abnormal cytoplasmic DAPI staining pattern. The nucleolus of this mutant seemed to be fragmented, a phenomenon which is typically observed in aged yeast cells. The result of our genetic analysis indicated that the pheromone induction mutants belonged to 6 separate complementation groups. We designated these mutants pws1 to pws6.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.293.2-293
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• 1998

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.309-319
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• 2018

Previously, six Schizosaccharomyce pombe mutants that induce pheromone even in the presence of nitrogen source were isolated from a bank of temperature sensitive mutants. In this report, one of these mutants, pws6 was further characterized. The pheromone induction in pws6 mutant cells was specific to nutrient: the M-factor pheromone was induced without nitrogen starvation but not without glucose starvation. This result suggests that the pws6 mutant might have a specific defect in the pathway for nitrogen starvation. The pws6 mutant induces P-factor pheromone as well as M-factor without starvation of nitrogen in temperature sensitive mode, suggesting that the pheromone induction phenotype of pws6 mutation is not cell-type specific. From cloning of the $pws6^+$ gene by complementation of the temperature sensitive growth defect, three plasmids containing 8.1 kb, 3.3 kb, and 4.8 kb yeast DNA were recovered. These plasmids complement the growth defect of the pws6 mutant by 100%, 70%, and 10~20%, respectively. The abilities of these plasmids to complement pheromone induction phenotype of pws6 mutant cells were correlated well with the efficiencies of complementation of the growth defect. With comparison of their open reading frames to the complementation efficiencies, it is concluded that the open reading frame, SPBC19C7.06 is responsible for the complementation of temperature sensitive phenotype of the pws6 mutant. This open reading frame, named prs1, contains one long exon with no intron and encodes a putative prolyl tRNA synthetase. The putative Prs1 protein exhibits significant similarities to the prolyl tRNA synthetases of other species.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.407-415
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• 2018

Pheromone (PHB)-receptor (RCB) interaction in the mating pheromone response pathway of Lentinula edodes was investigated using synthetic PHBs. Functionality of the C-terminally carboxymethylated synthetic PHBs was demonstrated by concentration-dependent induction of a mating-related gene (znf2) expression and by pseudoclamp formation in a monokaryotic strain S1-11 of L. edodes. Treatment with synthetic PHBs activated the expression of homeodomain genes (HDs) residing in the A mating type locus, and of A-regulated genes, including znf2, clp1, and priA, as well as genes in the B mating type locus, including pheromone (phb) and receptor (rcb) genes. The synthetic PHBs failed to discriminate self from non-self RCBs. PHBs of the B4 mating type (B4 PHBs) were able to activate the mating pheromone response pathway in both monokaryotic S1-11 and S1-13 strains, whose B mating types were B4 (self) and B12 (non-self), respectively. The same was true for B12 PHBs in the B4 (non-self) and B12 (self) mating types. The synthetic PHBs also promoted the mating of two monokaryotic strains carrying B4-common incompatible mating types ($A5B4{\times}A1B4$). However, the dikaryon generated by this process exhibited abnormally high content of hyphal branching and frequent clamp connections and, more importantly, was found to be genetically unstable due to overexpression of mating-related genes such as clp1. Although synthetic PHBs were unable to discriminate self from non-self RCBs, they showed a higher affinity for non-self RCBs, through which the mating pheromone response pathway in non-self cells may be preferentially activated.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.383-392
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• 2015

We investigated the induction of pupal diapause and number of generation for H. armigera using outdoor rearing and sex pheromone trapping in Suwon, Korea. Over-wintering pupae were induced when neonate larvae were reared in the outdoors from late Aug. to early Oct. in 2013 and 2014. H. armigera adults emerged from late May to early Jun. for 2013 colonies and from late May to late Jun. for 2014 colonies. The colonies placed after mid September produced only diapause pupae, to show environmental conditions that day-lengths on the rearing start date were 11 h 49 min~12 h 24 min, and mean temperatures before pupation were $14.8{\sim}20.7^{\circ}C$. Summer diapause was not observed in all colonies. The peak occurrence of H. armigera adults from sex pheromone trap in Suwon and Hwaseong were pooled and showed four generations (1st: from late Apr. to mid Jun., 2nd: from mid Jun. to late Jul., 3rd: from mid Jul. to late Aug., 4th: from late Aug. to mid Oct.). A degree-day model for development of H. armigera developed by Mironidis and Savopoulou-Soultani (2008) was used to validate the number of generation from field observations using pheromone traps. The 3rd and over-wintering generations were mainly overlapped. It was decided that H. armigera has one over-wintering and three complete generations in a year, and diapause is induced from offsprings of the 3rd and 4th generations adults. It is expected that larvae of the 1st and 2nd generations give a damage to ear zone in maize fields in which have been planted during April.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2009

To search a new pig pheromonal odorant, the $N^1$-allyl-$N^2$-(tetrahydrofuran-Z-ylmethyl)oxalamide molecule predicted by ligand based approach and molecular docking method was synthesized by nucleophilic addition-elimination reaction ($Ad_{NU-E}$) between N-allyloxalamic acid ethylester and tetrahydrofurlmethylamine. According to the evaluation results for efficiency of pig estrus control, the synthesized pig pheromonal $N^1$-allyl-$N^2$-(tetrahydrofuran-2-ylmethyl)oxalamide molecule advanced the estrus by 11.3 days (p<0.05) compared with the non-pheromone group. And from these results, it is predicted that the synthesized pig pheromonal compound will be able to increase the reproduction efficiency of pig.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.216-221
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• 2009

Bisphenol A (BPA) is commonly used in the production of pharmaceutical, industrial, and housing epoxy, as well as polycarbonate plastics. Owing to its extensive use, BPA can contaminate the environment either directly or through derivatives of these products. BPA has been classified as an endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs), and the primary toxicity of these EDCs in males involves the induction of reproductive system abnormality. First, in order to evaluate the direct effects on the Y chromosome associated with reproduction, we evaluated Y chromosome abnormalities using a Y chromosome microdeletion detection kit. However, we detected no Yq abnormality as the result of BPA exposure. Secondly, we performed high-density oligonucleotide array-based comparative genome hybridization (CGH) to assess genomic alteration as a component of our toxicity assessment. The results of our data analysis revealed some changes in copy number. Seven observed features were gains or losses in chromosomal DNA (P-value<1.0e-5, average log2 ratio>0.2). Interestingly, 21 probes of chr7:7312289-10272836 (qA1-qA2 in cytoband) were a commonly observed amplification (P-value 3.69e-10). Another region, chr14:4551029-10397399, was also commonly amplified (P-value 2.93e-12, average of log2 ratios in segment>0.3786). These regions include many genes associated with pheromone response, transcription, and signal transduction using ArrayToKegg software. These results help us to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the reproductive effects induced by BPA.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 1997.06a
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• pp.51-72
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• 1997

Diapause hormone (DH) is a neuropeptide hormone which is secreted from the suboesophageal ganglion (SG) and is responsible for induction of embryonic diapause of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. DH is isolated from SGs and determined to be a 24 amino acid peptide amide. The cDNA encodes the polyprotein precursor from which DH, pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) and three other neuropeptides are released and become matured. The C-terminal FXPRL-NH2 sequence of DH is essential but not sufficient for expression of full activity. Recently, we have isolated a unique hydrohobic peptide (VAP peptide) with a slight diapause egg induceing activity from organic solvent extracts of the male adult heads of the silkworm. The VAP peptide itself has no diapause inducing activity, but enhances DH activity through reducing ED50 value and the threshold concentration of DH. The DH-PBAN gene is composed of 6 exons interrupted by 5 introns and is expressed in 12 neurosecretory cells of the SG. The incubation of eggs at 25$^{\circ}C$, which induces embryonic diapause in the progeny, caused DH-PBAN mRNA content to increase at 5 different stages in the life cycle. By contrast, a 15$^{\circ}C$ incubation only induced expression of the gene at the late phrase adult stage. The temperature-controlled expression of DH-PBAN gene is closely correlated to the incidence of diapause, indicating that DH-PBAN gene expression is the initial event leading to diapause induction. DH acts to stimulate trehalase activity in developing ovary to bring about hyprglycogenism in mature eggs, a prerequisite metabolism for diapause initiation. Using in vivo and in vitro systems, DH is clearly shown to induce trehalase gene expression in developing ovaries. New protein synthesis is not needed for this process, but a Ca2+-dependent proteinkinase seems to be involved. Quite recently, we have sucessfully applied a new and potent trehalase inhibitor (Trehazoline) to reudce glycogen content in developing ovaries. The eggs deficient in glycogen were also able to enter diapause as the natural eggs do, so that we could provide the new egg system to reconsider the diapause associated metabolism other than the glycogen-sorbitol metabolic system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.85-85
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• 2002

Pregnancy block by male pheromones in mice differs in incidence depending on the combination of strains. Female mice of BALB/cA strain mated with BALB/cA males show a 100% pregnancy block when exposed to males of inbred strain DDK shortly after copulation (Chung et al., Biol Reprod 1997). In the present study, BALB/cA females mated with the males of other strains (CBA/J, C3H/HeN, C57BL/6Cr, and IXBL) showed higher pregnancy rates (66.6-87.5%) even when they were exposed to DDK males. In the pharmacological induction of pregnancy block with dopamine agonist (Bromocriptine, 4mg/kg BW), BALB/cA females mated with BALB/cA males showed a 100% pregnancy block. In contrast, BALB/cA females mated with CBA/J, C3H/HeN, and C57BL/6Cr males showed higher pregnancy rates (40-70%). These results suggest that the better pregnancy rate of BALB/cA females mated with alien males may be due to the stronger viability of F 1 embryos. This interpretation was confirmed by an embryo transfer experiment in which a higher implantation rate was observed when BALB/cA embryos grown in BALB/cA females exposed to BALB/cA males were transferred into recipient BALB/cA females exposed to DDK males. These results suggest that the embryonic genotype or viability of the embryo is one factor contributing to the occurrence of pregnancy block by male pheromones in mice.