Effect of ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 on bovine blastocyst implantation

The ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) is an efflux transporter that excretes xenobiotics and waste matter. High expression of ABCB1 induced by forskolin (FSK) and rifampicin (RIF) in the bovine blastocysts reportedly improves the cellular quality. In the present study, interferon-α, similar to FSK and RIF, was highly potent in inducing the expression of ABCB1 in the bovine blastocysts but did not exhibit an additive effect with FSK and RIF. Bovine blastocysts stimulated by the combined treatment with FSK, RIF, and interferon-α to express high levels of ABCB1 displayed better freezing resistance as indicated by higher cell numbers in post thawing cultures. On transfer to recipients, such embryos established pregnancies with significantly higher frequencies in repeat breeder cows rather than normal ones.

Development of multidrug resistance type I Cmdr1 expression in chicken embryonic gonads

A primary role of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), encoded by the multidrug resistance type I gene, is to protect against naturally occurring xenotoxics. Recently, the preferential expression of chicken multidrug resistance type I (Cmdr1) was identified in the embryonic gonads during the early periods of development. Here we investigated the expression of Cmdr1 and P-gp in the gonads during embryogenesis, and compared to that in the ovarian follicles of domestic hens (Gallus gallus). As revealed by immunohistochemistry, P-gp was highly expressed in theca cells of mature follicles, whereas the expression was low in immature follicles. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that expression of Cmdr1-type P-gp was very low in embryonic gonads. Cmdr1 mRNA was undetectable in the gonads of 5-day embryos (E5) by RT-PCR, whereas Cmdr1 mRNA was significantly detectable in the developing gonads at E9 and E21. In the testicular tissues, germ cells were distributed along developing seminiferous cords as identified by a specific marker gene, whereas Cmdr1-type P-gp positive cells were observed evenly on testicular tissues. Collectively, it is concluded that Cmdr1 expression is initiated in the chicken ovary and testis after sexual differentiation, but expression of Cmdr1-type P-gp is very low through embryogenesis.

Expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the porcine oocyte and its possible function

The present study was designed to investigate the localization of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in porcine oocytes and its possible function during in vitro development. RT-PCR and immunoblotting analyses revealed the presence of eNOS in the oocytes prepared from small follicles, with an amplified product of 456 bp and an apparent mol wt of 130 kDa, respectively. The synthesis of oocyte NO was suppressed during a 72-h culture of cumulus-oocyte complexes in the presence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), but not luteinizing hormone (LH). However, the decrease in NO synthesis did not result from the levels of eNOS mRNA and its protein, as revealed by analyses of RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, suggesting that expression of oocyte eNOS is not dependent upon gonadotropin stimulation. In proliferated cumulus cells, LH receptor mRNA expression was detected after a 48-h culture with FSH, as revealed by RT-PCR analysis. mRNA expression was inhibited by an NO-releasing agent (S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine) after an additional 24-h culture. These results suggest that oocytes may release eNOS-derived NO as a signal for somatic cells to steadily suppress the development of cumulus cells, if not FSH stimulation. Conversely, the synthesis of NO is suppressed during the action of FSH on the cumulus cells with no changes in eNOS expression.

Expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene in cultured porcine granulosa cells after FSH stimulation

The present study was designed to investigate nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and the expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) gene in cultured porcine granulosa cells. Granulosa cells prepared from small follicles (1-4 mm diameter) were cultured in plastic dishes coated with fibronectin in chemically defined medium, and matured after 48 h of stimulation with FSH. The concentrations of nitrite and nitrate remained relatively constant until 42 h of stimulation, after which they increased significantly up to twofold at 48 h. NO synthesis was accompanied by an increase in cGMP. Gene expression for eNOS was studied by RT-PCR, and a PCR product of the expected size amplified. eNOS mRNA was expressed in the presence of FSH, but not in the absence of FSH. Although eNOS mRNA was not expressed in the initial period, it was expressed after 12 h of stimulation with FSH, and remained at a relatively constant level until 48 h. Expression of eNOS mRNA preceded expression of LH receptor mRNA, which showed a maximal level at 24 h of stimulation. These observations suggest that eNOS expression is not related to a rapid synthesis of NO in developing granulosa cells, and that the activation of NO synthesis is rigidly regulated in the initial period of development.

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme isoforms (high and low molecular weight) in urine of premature and full-term infants

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) isoforms in urine from healthy and mildly hypertensive untreated patients have been described in the literature. Healthy subjects have high- and low-molecular-weight ACEs (170 and 65 kDa), whereas mildly hypertensive untreated patients have only low-molecular-weight ACEs (90 and 65 kDa), both of which resemble ACE from the N-terminal domain. Previous studies have shown that ACE is regulated during development, and renal tubules of premature human infants are not completely mature, given that nephrogenesis is not complete until the 36th week of gestation. The aim of the present study was to purify and characterize ACE isoforms from urine of premature and full-term infants and to detect the presence of the N-domain form of ACE during prenatal development. Urine from premature and full-term infants was concentrated in an Amicon concentrator, dialyzed in the same equipment against 50 mmol/L Tris-HCl buffer (pH 8.0) that contained 150 mmol/L NaCl, and submitted to gel filtration on an AcA-34 column equilibrated with the buffer described above. Two peaks (P1 and P2 for premature infants; TP1 and TP2 for full-term infants) with ACE activity on hippuryl-His-Leu (K(m), 3 mmol/L) were detected. All enzymes were Cl(-) dependent and inhibited by captopril and EDTA. The peptides angiotensin-(1-7) and N-acetyl-Ser-Asp-Lys-Pro, described as specific for N-domain ACE, were hydrolyzed by P2 and TP2, which suggests that both enzymes are N-domain ACE. In premature infants, P1 activity with hippuryl-His-Leu was 12-fold lower than P2 activity, but in full-term infants, the difference between TP1 and TP2 was 1.6-fold. Chromatography profiles of urine from premature infants were analyzed on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 30 after birth. The P1 of ACE was detected around the 21st and 30th days, whereas P2 was detected from day 1. These results suggest that ACE activity is related to renal development and that N-domain ACE as well as full-length ACE is present in urine from premature infants. This may indicate that healthy subjects produce and secrete the N-domain form of ACE even before term development.

FSH suppression of nitric oxide synthesis in porcine oocytes

The present study was designed to evaluate the regulation of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in porcine oocytes during follicular development. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were obtained by aspirating the small follicles of immature porcine ovaries and cultured at 39 degrees C for 24-72 h with FSH in a serum-free medium. The oocyte-surrounding cumulus cells markedly proliferated and expressed LH receptor mRNA in response to FSH. The endothelial type of NO synthase (eNOS) (130 kDa) was detected in the oocyte, but not in the proliferated cumulus cells, by immunoblotting. The amount of oocyte eNOS did not significantly alter during culture, but measurement of nitrite and nitrate revealed FSH suppression of NO synthesis by approximately 50%. NO-releasing agents were added to the cultures to examine the effect of NO on the growth of cumulus cells. NO-releasing agents showed inhibitory effects on proliferation of the cumulus cells and expression of LH receptor mRNA. Thus, synthesis of eNOS-derived NO is suppressed in the porcine oocyte during development with no change in the enzyme amount, and it is suggested that it has an inhibitory function in the growth of cumulus cells.

In vivo gene transfer into the blastoderm of early developmental stage of chicken

An attempt was made to improve gene transfer into chick embryos in order to produce transgenic chickens. The beta-actin-lacZ/MiwZ, a marker gene in transfection reagent, was injected into the blastodisc of either unincubated fertilized eggs (stage X) or eggs induced from the shell gland by treating the hens intravenously with oxytocin or arginine vasotocin (stages IV-VI). All the manipulated embryos were incubated to reach stage XIV, the period at which primordial germ cells (PGCs) migrate from the germinal crescent to the gonadal anlage via the blood stream. MiwZ was detected in the embryos, extraembryonic tissues and blood by the histochemical staining method of beta-galactosidase. The MiwZ DNA was detected in 57% (127/221) of the survival embryos and in 9% (12/127) of the embryonic tissues. The expression was observed mosaically in the epidermis, heart and neural tube. The PGCs in the blood collected from the vitelline artery or dorsal aorta also showed a positive histochemical staining. However, the expression of MiwZ using the soft shelled eggs was more intense in the extraembryonic tissues, although it did not emerge in the embryos. Thus, it is possible to introduce an exogenous gene into the embryonic tissues using incubated fertilized eggs without sacrificing the hens. This technique for successive genetic operations should facilitate the production of transgenic chickens.

A novel action of epidermal growth factor in rat granulosa cells: its potentiation of gonadotrophin action

It is well known that epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces down-regulation of LH receptors and desensitization to gonadotrophin stimulation in gonadal cells, including granulosa cells. In a previous study we showed that EGF receptor levels in rat granulosa cells were increased up to fourfold after 96 h of culture with human GH in the presence of FSH, and the present study has evaluated the action of EGF on these cells. The induced EGF receptors were identical in size to the pre-existing receptors as assessed by affinity labelling with 125I-EGF. After 48 h in culture, various amounts of EGF (0.5-10 ng) were added and the cells were cultured for a further 48 h. The addition of EGF caused down-regulation of LH receptors in cells expressing high levels of EGF receptors. However, this down-regulation was less than that in control cells. After the cells were washed, cAMP synthesis in response to human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) increased by two to three times the control value and this increase was closely correlated with an increase in EGF receptor content. However, stimulation with cholera toxin or forskolin showed no such augmentation, indicating that it may not be due to quantitative alterations in G proteins and their effector systems. Induction of EGF potentiation required long-term exposure to EGF, for at least more than 24 h. In addition, progesterone synthesis was sensitive to stimulation with lower doses of hCG. These findings indicate that the activation of hGH-induced EGF receptors may potentiate gonadotrophin action in granulosa cells.

Human growth hormone augmentation of epidermal growth factor binding sites on rat granulosa cells

The effect of human GH (hGH) on the regulation of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor was investigated during differentiation of FSH-treated rat granulosa cells, which has been reported to be mediated by a cAMP-dependent mechanism. By measuring the binding of [125I]iodo-EGF to the intact cells, FSH was shown to cause increases in the number of EGF binding sites after culture for 72 h. When granulosa cells were cultured with hGH, the number of FSH-induced EGF binding sites was augmented, with a half-maximal effect at about 10 micrograms hGH/l and a maximal stimulatory concentration of 100 micrograms/l. The stimulatory effect of hGH was absolutely dependent on insulin which by itself showed stimulatory effects on EGF binding sites. Scatchard analysis of EGF binding sites indicated that treatment with hGH increased the number of EGF binding sites (17,200 sites/cell after treatment with FSH; 31,700 sites/cell after FSH plus hGH), but did not alter the binding affinity. The augmentation was observed after culturing for 48 h and increased progressively with time, reaching 280% of the level after FSH treatment by 120 h. Although progesterone synthesis was increased by hGH, the markers of cell differentiation such as cAMP synthesis and LH binding sites were suppressed, indicating hGH inhibition of the cAMP-mediated signal. The action of hGH on the EGF binding sites was not accompanied by cell proliferation. These findings indicate that hGH has a novel action on the regulation of rat granulosa cell EGF binding sites and that the granulosa cell may possess both cAMP-dependent and -independent mechanisms for expression of EGF binding sites.

Co-ordinate actions of FSH and insulin-like growth factor-I on LH receptor expression in rat granulosa cells

The actions of FSH and Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) were studied in cultured rat ovarian granulosa cells. Cells became differentiated and expressed LH receptors when they were incubated for 72 h with 200 micrograms FSH/l (high FSH) but not 20 micrograms FSH/l (low FSH). Treatment with high but not low FSH increased the release of both immunoreactive and bioactive IGF-I into the medium. A combination of low FSH and IGF-I reproduced the effect of high FSH on LH receptor expression. We then examined the critical time when low FSH and IGF-I exerted their effects. In the presence of continuous low FSH, IGF-I was capable of inducing LH receptor expression even when added 24 h after the addition of low FSH. However, when IGF-I was added at 36 h, LH receptor expression measured at 72 h was greatly reduced. In contrast to the action of IGF-I, continuous exposure to low FSH was required for LH receptor expression, and IGF-I had no effect when FSH was not included for the entire 72 h of culture. DNA synthesis as assessed by both [3H]thymidine incorporation and nuclear bromodeoxyuridine labelling was moderate at the beginning of culture and markedly reduced at 24 h both in the presence and absence of either high FSH or low FSH plus IGF-I. In the presence of either high FSH or a combination of low FSH plus IGF-I, DNA synthesis remained decreased for up to 72 h whereas it began to increase in the absence of either high FSH or a combination of low FSH plus IGF-I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inhibition by extracellular Na+ replacement of GRF-induced GH secretion from rat pituitary cells

To further clarify the ionic mechanism of the action of growth hormone (GH)-releasing factor (hGRF) on GH secretion, the involvement of extracellular Na+ was studied in perifused dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells. Replacing extracellular Na+ with mannitol or tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris+) suppressed hGRF- and dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (DBcAMP)-induced GH secretion. The peak responses to a 2-min application of 1 nM hGRF were 165.0 +/- 5.6 ng/ml (normal medium, mean +/- SE), 21.2 +/- 1.4 ng/ml (Na+-free, mannitol medium), and 18.0 +/- 1.7 ng/ml (Na+-free, Tris+ medium). GH secretion induced by DBcAMP was also suppressed by Na+ replacement to less than 50% of that in normal medium. However, either 15 or 30 mM KCl-stimulated GH secretion was not markedly affected by replacement of Na+ with either compound. Tetrodotoxin, a voltage-sensitive Na+ channel blocker, had no effect on either hGRF- or excess K+-induced GH secretion. cAMP production by hGRF was not greatly affected by replacing extracellular Na+. Thus extracellular Na+ plays an important role in hGRF-induced GH secretion, especially in the process after cAMP production. The involvement of cAMP-sensitive Na+ channels in hGRF-stimulated GH secretion is discussed.

Mitochondrial cholesterol availability during gonadotropin-induced Leydig cell desensitization

In order to define the early lesion (before pregnenolone formation) of the androgen biosynthetic pathway induced by human CG (hCG) or LH in the Leydig cell, we initially have optimized the use of aminoglutethimide to obtain maximal and sustained inhibition of steroidogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Aminoglutethimide inhibited Leydig cell steroidogenesis in vitro at a dose of 100 micrograms/ml. The minimal serum concentration of aminoglutethimide necessary for maximal inhibition of testosterone in vivo was also 100 micrograms/ml (1 h after the ip injection of 20 mg aminoglutethimide). However, testosterone levels were normal 12 h later, coincident with a marked fall in the serum aminoglutethimide levels. The t 1/2 of the circulating aminoglutethimide was 5 +/- 0.7 h on the first day of treatment but was reduced to 3.0 +/- 0.4 and 2.25 +/- 0.35 h at 2 and 3 days of treatment. At the dose eliciting maximal and sustained steroid inhibition (60 mg/day) aminoglutethimide was able to prevent the estradiol-dependent late steroidogenic lesion (after pregnenolone formation) induced by 1 microgram hCG, with no effect on the early lesion (before pregnenolone formation) caused by 10 micrograms hCG. The aminoglutethimide-induced in vivo accumulation of cholesterol in the inner mitochondrial membrane (by 50%) was associated with an increase in the production of testosterone and pregnenolone by the Leydig cell when subsequently incubated in vitro. Similar increases in the steroidogenic capacity were observed after initial exposure of Leydig cells to aminoglutethimide in vitro, even after acid wash to remove the surface-bound endogenous LH. The steroidogenic cholesterol was also increased in desensitized Leydig cells (by 50-70%); however, the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone was substantially blocked in animals with the early lesion. Our findings define the requirement of increasing high levels of aminoglutethimide to inhibit cholesterol metabolism and provide a dose schedule suitable for studies on cholesterol availability and inhibition of steroidogenesis in the rat. These results support our proposal that the early lesion observed in desensitized Leydig cells is due to inhibition of the side-chain cleavage activity rather than to a decrease in the amount of metabolically available cholesterol.

An early steroidogenic defect in hormone-induced Leydig cell desensitization

To define the nature of the lesion of the early steroidogenic pathway (prior to pregnenolone formation) in gonadotropin-induced desensitization of rat testicular Leydig cells, we evaluated cholesterol side-chain cleavage activity in isolated mitochondria by measurement of pregnenolone synthesis and [14C]isocaproic acid formation from [26-14C]cholesterol. The enzyme activity was shown to be reduced after in vivo treatment with 10 micrograms hCG when compared to that of mitochondria from control animals only when measured in the presence of limiting NADPH concentrations (100 microM). Sonication of mitochondria from control and hCG-treated rats caused complete loss of cholesterol side-chain cleavage activity. When acetone-powdered adrenal cell mitochondria were employed as the source of the enzyme, the addition of sonicated Leydig cell mitochondria from control and hCG-treated animals caused the same differences as those observed with intact Leydig cell mitochondria in the presence of low concentration of NADPH. The Km value of the adrenal enzyme for NADPH incubated with Leydig cell mitochondria increased from 0.111 mM in control to 0.37 mM after hCG, with no changes in Vmax. Moreover, cholesterol side-chain cleavage activity of adrenal mitochondria assayed in the presence of 100 microM cholesterol was progressively inhibited by increasing amounts of acetone powder from Leydig cell mitochondria of control and hCG-treated rats, with ID50 of 500 and 280 micrograms protein, respectively. The inhibiting factor was not a lipid or steroid but a heat-labile protein, with an approximate Stokes radius of 4.8 nm and an isoelectric point of 5.05 +/- 0.23 SD (n = 8). The inhibitory effect was confined to the Leydig cell mitochondrial membrane, and was not related to changes in oxidative phosphorylation. NADPH was not directly oxidized or immobilized by the mitochondrial factor, and this inhibiting substance was not adsorbed on 2',5' ADP-Sepharose 4B. These results have demonstrated that a heat-labile inhibiting protein factor is present in mitochondria from normal Leydig cells and is markedly activated or increased by hCG treatment. This substance that competitively modulates cholesterol side-chain cleavage activity could contribute to the early steroidogenic lesion, and also serve as an endogenous modulator of steroid hormone biosynthesis.