• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.201-207
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• 2004

Objective: The Id family of helix-loop-helix proteins are thought to affect the balance between cell growth and differentiation by negatively regulating the function of basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcriptional factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of Ids (Id-1, -2, -3, and -4) in preimplantation mouse embryos at mRNA and protein levels. Methods: Oocytes and preimplantation embryos were collected from reproductive organs of female ICR mice following superovulation. RT-PCR was performed to investigate the mRNA expression patterns of Id genes and their protein were localized by immunofluorescence analysis. Results: Id-1 and Id-3 mRNAs were strongly expressed at the germinal vesicle (GV) oocyte and the blastocyst stages. Id-2 mRNA was expressed throughout preimplantation embryo development, but Id-4 was not expressed. Immunofluorescence showed that Id-1 and Id-2 were predominantly localized in cytoplasmic region, but the immunofluorescence signal of Id-3 was weak throughout preimplantation embryo development. Conclusion: These data show for the first time that Ids are expressed in preimplantation mouse embryos and suggest that Ids may play an important role in early preimplantation embryo development and uterine physiological changes.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.69-74
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• 1999

인슐린 유사 성장 호르몬 1과 2 (IGF-1 & IGF-2)는 착상 전 초기배아 발생을 조절하는 중요한 요소이다. 생쥐 착상 전 초기배아에서 IGF-1의 역할에 관한 연구를 위해, IGF-1과 IGF-1 수용체의 전사물의 존재 여부를 난자와 착상 전 초기배아에서 조사하였다. 새로이 고안된 IGF-1 primer를 이용하여 난자에서 전사물을 검출하였다. 그리고, PCR 산물을 제한효소인 Msp I으로 절단하여 확인하였다. 이 실험에서 IGF-1과 IGF-1 수용체의 전사물이 난자와 착상 전 초기배아에서 모두 검출됨을 보였다. GV-난자에 다량 존재하는 mRNA는 4- 혹은 8-세포기까지 지속적으로 감소하다가 이후에 다시 증가하는 양상을 보였다. GV-난자에서 IGF-1과 IGF-lR 전사물이 존재한다는 것은 초기배아에 존재하는 전사물이 모계유래 산물임을 암시한다. 또한, 난자와 착상 전 초기배아에 IGF-1과 IGF-1 수용체 전사물이 존재하는 것으로 보아 착상 전 초기배아에서 IGF-1은 자가 분비되어 IGF-1 수용체의 신호전달 경로를 통하여 배아발생에 작용하는 것으로 사료된다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.253-259
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• 2000

Objective: To verify the effect of Matrigel, a ECM complex from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma on the preimplantation development and apoptosis of mouse fertilized eggs. Method: Late pronucleus stage eggs were cultured through the blastocyst stage in the presence of Matrigel (0.5%, v/v). Characteristics of apoptosis and cell number assesed by Hoecst staining and TUNEL labeling at the blastocyst stage, respectively. Results: Morphological development, number of cells per embryo was significantly increased but rate and number of TUNEL positive nuclei of the embryo were decreased in the presence of Matrigel. Conclusion: This result suggested that at low concentration of Matrigel improves both viability and morphological development in the preimplantation mouse embryos.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.197-203
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• 1998

포유류 배아발생 중 DNA 메틸화는 세포분화와 유전자발현에서 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나, 생쥐 착상전 초기배아 발생 중 메틸화효소에 의해 유지되는 DNA 메틸화의 중요성과 자세한 기작은 잘 이해되고 있지 않다. 이 연구에서 DNA 메틸화의 역할에 관하여 알아보기 위하여, 성숙난자와 착상전 초기배아에서 DNA 메틸전이효소의 발현양상을 조사하였다. 이를 위해, DNA 메틸전이효소를 암호화하고 있는 cDNA에서 primer를 고안하였다. Primer의 정확도와 PCR조건의 적합화를 통하여, DNA MTase 전사물이 성숙난자와 착상전 초기배아에서 검출되었다. DNA MTase의 mRNA량은 성숙난자에서 가장 높으며, 전핵시기까지 비슷한 정도로 유지되었다. 이후 8-세포기까지 지속적으로 감소하다 상실기 배아에서 다시 검출되어 포배기까지 증가하는 양상을 보였다. 그리고, RNA polymerase II 억제제를 전핵시기 배아에 처리하여, 난자와 전핵시기 배아에 다량 존재하는 전사물이 모계유래인 것을 확인하였다. 결국, 난자와 전핵시기 배아에 상대적으로 다량 존재하는 DNA 메틸전이효소의 전사물은 아마도 착상전 초기배아에서 DHA 메틸화의 유지에 필요하며, 착상전 초기배아 발생에 있어서 유전자발현과 세포분화에 영향을 줄 것임을 시사하고 있다.

• 한국가축번식학회지
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.341-346
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• 1993

The development of isolated blastomeres from mammalian preimplantation embryos has been basically studied for the multiplication of embryos from superior animals. Therefore, this study was investigated the effect of co-culture with mouse fetal fibroblast cells(MFFC) on in vitro development of blastomeres from mouse preimplantation embryos. Mature female ICR mice were treated with hormone to induce superovulation and embryos were collected at each 2, 4, and 8-cell stage. Then, after removing zona pellucida with protease, blastomeres were isolated by micropipetting, or reconstituted with different stage blastomere, and incubated for 72 hrs either in T6 or TCM199 or on the monolayer of MFFC, which was prepared with fibroblast cells from 14∼14 day mouse fetus. After incubation, we examined their development rates every day and the nuclei numbers of each blastocyst by Hoechst-33342 staining. In the development rates of blastomeres, there were no significant differences between media but the higher rateswere found in the monolayer of MFFC, regardless of reconsititution. In addition, blastomeres cultured with MFFC had slightly greater number of nuclei than those cultured in single media. Generally, the higher development rates of blastomeres were found from earlier stage embryos than the later ones, regardless of culture conditions. Reconsitituted blastomeres had more nuclei but did not show the higher development rates, compared to the single blastomeres. Taken together, our results suggest that co-culture with MFFC have a beneficial effect on the in vitro development of blastomeres from mouse embryos.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.423-428
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• 2005

Immediately after fertilization, a chromatin remodeling process in the oocyte cytoplasm extracts protamine molecules from the sperm-derived DNA and loads histones onto it. We examined how the histone H3-lysine 9 methylation system is established on the remodeled sperm chromatin in mice. We found that the paternal pronucleus was not stained for dimethylated H3-K9 (H3-$m_2K9$) during pronucleus development, while the maternal genome stained intensively. Such H3-$m_2K9$ asymmetry between the parental pronuclei was independent of $HP1{\beta}$ localization and, much like DNA methylation, was preserved to the two-cell stage when the nucleus appeared to be compartmentalized for H3-$m_2K9$. A conspicuous increase in H3-$m_2K9$ level was observed at the four-cell stage, and then the level was maintained without a visible change up to the blastocyst stage. The behavior of H3-$m_2K9$ was very similar, but not identical, to that of 5-methylcytosine during preimplantation development, suggesting that there is some connection between methylation of histone and of DNA in early mouse development.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.153-160
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• 2014

Adaptive development of early stage embryo is well established and recently it is explored that the mammalian embryos also have adaptive ability to the stressful environment. However, the mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, to evaluate the possible role of aquaporin in early embryo developmental adaptation, the expression of aquaporin (AQP) 5 gene which is detected during early development were examined by the environmental condition. To compare expression patterns between in vivo and in vitro, we conducted quantitative RT-PCR and analyzed localization of the AQP5 by whole mount immunofluorescence. At in vivo condition, Aqp5 expressed in oocyte and in all the stages of preimplantation embryo. It showed peak at 2-cell stage and decreased continuously until morula stage. At in vitro condition, Aqp5 expression pattern was similar with in vivo embryos. It expressed both at embryonic genome activation phase and second mid-preimplantation gene activation phase, but the fold changes were modified between in vivo embryos and in vitro embryos. During in vivo development, AQP5 was mainly localized in apical membrane of blastomeres of 4-cell and 8-cell stage embryos, and then it was localized in cytoplasm. However, the main localization area of AQP5 was dramatically shifted after 8-cell stage from cytoplasm to nucleus by in vitro development. Those results explore the modification of Aqp5 expression levels and location of its final products by in vitro culture. It suggests that expression of Aqp5 and the roles of AQP5 in homeostasis can be modulated by in vitro culture, and that early stage embryos can develop successfully by themselves adapting to their condition through modulation of the specific gene expression and localization.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.289-298
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• 2015

Edaravone (Eda) is a potent scavenger of inhibiting free radicals including hydroxyl radicals ($H_2O_2$). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as $H_2O_2$ can alter most kinds of cellular molecules such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, cellular apoptosis. In addition, oxidative stress from over-production of ROS is involved in the defective embryo development of porcine. Previous study reported that Eda has protective effects against oxidative stress-like cellular damage. However, the effect of Eda on the preimplantation porcine embryos development under oxidative stress is unclear. Therefore, in this study, the effects of Eda on blastocyst development, expression levels of ROS, and apoptotic index were first investigated in preimplantation porcine embryos. After in vitro fertilization, porcine embryos were cultured for 6 days in PZM medium with Eda ($10{\mu}M$), $H_2O_2$ ($200{\mu}M$), and Eda+$H_2O_2$ treated group, respectively. Rate of blastocyst development was significantly increased (P<0.05) in the Eda treated group compared with only $H_2O_2$ treated group. And, we measured intracellular levels of ROS by DCF-DA staining methods and investigated numbers of apoptotic nuclei by TUNEL assay analysis is in porcine blastocyst, respectively. Both intracellular ROS levels and the numbers of apoptotic nucleic were significantly decreased (P<0.05) in porcine blastocysts cultured with Eda ($10{\mu}M$). More over, the total cell number of blastocysts were significantly increased (P<0.05) in the Eda-treated group compared with untreated group and the only $H_2O_2$ treated group. Based on the results, Eda was related to regulate as antioxidant-like function according to the reducing ROS levels during preimplantation periods. Also, Eda is beneficial for developmental competence and preimplantation quality of porcine embryos. Therefore, we concluded that Eda has protective effect to ROS derived apoptotic stress in preimplantation porcine embryos.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.25-30
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• 2002

내분비계 장애물질은 다양한 동물의 생식과 배아의 발생에 위해한 영향을 미친다고 보고되었다. 이러한 초기 배아의 비정상 발생 중 대표적인 것이 할구파편이다. 본 연구에서는 착상 전 생쥐 초기 배아를 PCB, BPA, DDT에 체내, 체외에서 각각 노출시켰다. 내분비계 장애 물질에 노출시켰던 배아는 할구파편, 불규칙한 할구와 깨짐, 일부 파괴된 투명대 배아 등의 다양한 형태학적 비정상 양상을 보였다. 착상 전 생쥐 초기배아의 세포괴사에 관여하는 유전자를 조사하기 위하여 RT-PCR을 사용하여 mRNA수준에서 평가하였다. Bcl-2, bad 그리고 bax유전자 발현 정도를 대조군과 내분비계 장애물질 처리군으로 나누어 비교하였다. Bcl-2유전자는 내분비계 장애물질 처리군에서 낮아지는 경향을 보였고, bad와bix는 내분비계 장애물질 처리군에서 보다 높은 경향을 보였다. 이러한 연구 결과는 착상 전 생쥐 초기배아를 체내와 체외에서 내분비계 장애물질에 노출시킴으로써 발생적 독성물질을 신속히 판단할수 있는 유용한 수단이 될 수 있을 것으로 생각한다.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Stress coping mechanisms are critical to minimize or overcome damage caused by ever changing environmental conditions. They are designed to promote cell survival. The unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway is mobilized in response to the accumulation of unfolded proteins, ultimately in order to regain endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis. Various elements of coping responses to ER stress including Perk, Ask1, Bip, Chop, Gadd34, Ire1, Atf4, Atf6, and Xbp1 have been identified and were found to be inducible in oocytes and preimplantation embryos, suggesting that, as a normal part of the cellular adaptive mechanism, these coping responses, including the UPR, play a pivotal role in the development of preimplantation embryos. As such, the UPR-associated molecules and pathways may become useful markers for the potential diagnosis of stress conditions for preimplantation embryos. After implantation, ER stress-induced coping responses become physiologically important for a normal decidual response, placentation, and early organogenesis. Attenuation of ER stress coping responses by tauroursodeoxycholate and salubrinal was effective for prevention of cell death of cultured embryos. Further elucidation of new and relevant ER stress coping responses in periimplantation embryos might contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the regulation of normal development of embryonic development and potentiation of embryonic development in vitro.