Reproduction Abstracts

The role of cumulus cells during in vitro maturation is essential for proper oocyte maturation and acquisition of its developmental competence. During development of ovarian follicle, cumulus cells undergo expansion, leading to extracellular matrix production (mainly hyaluronic acid), regulated by various intracellular signaling cascades. Moreover, cumulus cells metabolize glucose to pyruvate or lactate, substrates used by oocyte for its growth and maturation. We demo...

Introduction: Multi-subunit protein complexes, called condensin I and condensin II, play a pivotal role in construction and segregation of mitotic chromosomes in many organisms. In mammals, however, previous studies examining condensins’ function are limited to siRNA-mediated knockdown experiments using some established cell lines. Hence the roles of both condensins in mammalian development have remained to be solved. In the present study, we have investigated defective p...

The hollow fiber vitrificaiton (HFV) method, we developed (Matsunari et al., JRD 58, 2012) has been shown to be very effective in the cryopreservation of highly cryosensitive embryos, such as in vitro matured-fertilized pig morulae. The objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the HFV method to the in vitro matured-fertilized bovine embryos in early developmental stage. Crossbred (Holstein×Japanese Black) in vitro matured-ferti...

This study was designed to investigate whether acteoside (antioxidant) improves canine SCNT efficiency. Cell cycle of canine fetal fibroblasts was synchronized by culturing to contact inhibition, serum starvation and treating with acteoside. Cell cycle synchronization, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection were analyzed using flow cytometry. The fibroblasts, prepared by confluent-cell culture or treating with 30 μM acteoside for 48 h, were reconstructed in...

Introduction: Human germ cells develop in synchronised nests in the fetal ovary, interspersed with somatic cells prior to reorganisation to form primordial follicles. We have isolated several somatic cell lines from disaggregated human fetal ovaries as a model for understanding their contribution to the germ cell niche. Fetal dysregulation of TGFβ signalling has been linked with fibrosis in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): effects of TGFβ on extracellular matrix (EC...

Introduction: The present study aims to investigate the effect of resveratrol supplementation on the in vitro development of porcine oocytes derived from early antral follicles.Materials and methods: Oocyte-granulosa cell complexes (OGCs) were collected from early antral follicles that were 0.5–0.7 mm in diameter and cultured in the absence or present of resveratrol (2 μM) for 14 days. The effect of resveratrol on SIRT1 expression was ...

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility affecting over 5% of the female population. PCOS is characterized by aberrant early follicle development in which hyperandrogenism is thought to play a key role. However, the molecular mechanisms of androgen action within the ovary remain largely unknown. Recent evidence suggests androgens may be acting, in part, through modulation of growth factor signalling. We have recently sh...

Oviduct luminal fluid supports early embryo development. The composition this fluid has been debated despite studies using post mortem samples and direct sampling under anesthesia. The routine availability of such data would benefit in vitro embryo culture in addition to our understanding of the influences of maternal physiology on in vivo oviduct fluid composition.We have devised an in vitro model for the determination of bovi...

Introduction: Billions of sperm are used during porcine artificial insemination (AI) but only a few thousand are able to reach ampullary-isthmic junction of the oviduct to facilitate fertilization. One of the mechanisms which reduce this sperm population is the inflammatory reaction that takes place within the uterus following insemination. Prostaglandin J2, also known as 15-deoxy-Delta-12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) is a recently discovered...

Successful semen collection and preservation is vital to the development of a crocodile artificial insemination program for the purpose of intensive production or endangered species breeding. We describe a manual cloacal palpation method for the safe and repeatable recovery of semen from Crocodylus porosus along with corresponding seminal characteristics. Experiments were also conducted to investigate fundamental sperm physiology, including the effect of excessive dil...