A novel electron emission-based cell culture device promotes cell proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells

In this report we demonstrate the effect of a novel electron emission-based cell culture device on the proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Our device has an electron emission element that allows, for the first time, stable emission of electrons into an atmosphere. Atmospheric electrons react with gas molecules to generate radicals and negative ions, which induce a variety of biochemical reactions in the attached cell culture system. In this study, we demonstrated the effect of this new electron emission-based cell culture device on cell proliferation and differentiation using pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. Electron emission stimulation (EES) was applied directly to culture medium containing plated cells, after which the number of living cells, the mRNA levels of osteogenesis-related genes, and the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity were evaluated. The growth rate of EES-exposed cells increased by approximately 20% in comparison with unexposed control cells. We also found the mRNA levels of osteogenic specific genes such as collagen type I α-1, core-binding factor α-1, and osteocalcin to be up-regulated following EES. ALP activity, a marker for osteogenic activity, was significantly enhanced in EES-treated cells. Furthermore, reactive oxygen species generated by EES were measured to determine their effect on MC3T3-E1 cells. These results suggest that our new electron emission-based cell culture device, while providing a relatively weak stimulus in comparison with atmospheric plasma systems, promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. This system is expected to find application in regenerative medicine, specifically in relation to bone regeneration.

Development of Ion Mobility Spectrometry with Novel Atmospheric Electron Emission Ionization for Field Detection of Gaseous and Blister Chemical Warfare Agents

Drift tube ion mobility spectrometry with a novel atmospheric electron emission (AEE) source was developed for determination of gaseous and blister chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in negative mode. The AEE source was fabricated from an aluminum substrate electrode covered with 1 μm silver nanoparticle-dispersed silicone resin and a thin gold layer. This structure enabled stable tunneling electron emission upon the application of more than 11 V potential under atmospheric pressure. The reactant ion peak (RIP) was observed for the reduced mobility constant ( K₀) of 2.18 and optimized at the charging voltage of 20 V. This RIP was assigned to O₂^- by using a mass spectrometer. Hydrogen cyanide was detected as a peak ( K₀ = 2.47) that was discriminatively separated from the RIP (resolution = 1.4), with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.057 mg/m³, and assigned to CN^- and OCN^-. Phosgene was detected as a peak ( K₀ = 2.36; resolution = 1.2; and LOD = 0.6 mg/m³), which was assigned to Cl^-. Lewisite 1 was detected as two peaks ( K₀ = 1.68 and 1.34; LOD = 12 and 15 mg/m³). The K₀ = 1.68 peak was ascribed to a mixture of adducts of molecules or the product of hydrolysis with oxygen or chloride. Cyanogen chloride, chlorine, and sulfur mustard were also well detected. The detection performance with the AEE source was compared with those under corona discharge and ⁶³Ni ionizations. The advantage of the AEE source is the simple RIP pattern (only O₂^-), and the characteristic marker ions contribute to the discriminative CWAs detection.

Development and fine structure of the yolk nucleus of previtellogenic oocytes in the medaka Oryzias latipes

The development and fine structure of yolk nuclei in the cytoplasm of previtellogenic oocytes were examined by electron microscopy during several stages of oogenesis in the medaka, Oryzias latipes. Shortly after oogenesis starts, oocytes 20-30 microm in diameter have much electron-dense (basophilic) cytoplasm, within which a continuous or discontinuous, irregular ring-shaped lower electron-dense area of flocculent appearance (LF) begins to emerge around the nucleus. The yolk nucleus is first recognized within an LF area as a few fragments of dense granular thread measuring 20-25 nm in width. The threads consist of two rows of very dense granules resembling ribosomes or ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-like particles in size and electron density. These thread-like fragments gradually increase in number and length until they assemble into a compact, spherical mass of complicated networks. Analysis of serial sections suggests that the yolk nucleus is a complicated mass of numerous, small deformed vacuoles composed of a single lamella with double layers of ribosomes or RNP-like granules, rather than a mass of granular threads. When oocytes develop to greater than 100 microm in diameter, the yolk nucleus begins to fragment before dispersing throughout the surrounding cytoplasm, concomitantly with the disappearance of LF areas. At this stage of oogenesis, a restricted region of the granulosa cell layer adjacent to the yolk nucleus becomes somewhat columnar in morphology, fixing the vegetal pole region of the oocyte.

Identification and cDNA cloning of alveolin, an extracellular metalloproteinase, which induces chorion hardening of medaka (Oryzias latipes) eggs upon fertilization

Chorion hardening is triggered by the contents of cortical alveoli that are released upon fertilization of medaka (Oryzias latipes) eggs. We purified the chorion hardening-inducing activity as a single protein from the exudate of cortical alveoli of medaka eggs. This activity was co-purified with proteolytic activity of the chorion protein ZI-1,2. Based on the amino acid sequence of purified protein, we cloned the cDNA of this protein from a medaka ovarian cDNA library. Sequence analyses revealed typical sequence features, a zinc-binding motif and a methionine turn motif, of the astacin metalloproteinase family. We termed this protein "alveolin." Alveolin has a molecular mass of 21.5 kDa deduced by the amino acid sequence and neutral optimal pH range. Alveolin hydrolyzes ZI-1,2. Alveolin activity was strongly inhibited by metal-chelating agents but not by various proteinase inhibitors. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the isolation and identification of the chorion hardening-inducing factor from cortical alveoli exudate of teleost eggs.

Identification of two discrete peptide: N-glycanases in Oryzias latipes during embryogenesis

Two different types of peptide:N-glycanase (PNGase) were identified in developing embryos of medaka fish ( Oryzias latipes ). Because the optimum pH values for their activities were acidic and neutral, they were designated as acid PNGase M and neutral PNGase M, respectively. The acid PNGase M corresponded to the enzyme that had been partially purified from medaka embryos (Seko,A., Kitajima,K., Inoue,Y. and Inoue,S. (1991) J. Biol. Chem., 266, 22110-22114). The apparent molecular weight of this enzyme was 150 K, and the optimal pH was 3.5-4.0, and the K m for L-hyosophorin was 44 microM. L-Hyosophorin is a cortical alveolus-derived glycononapeptide with a large N-linked glycan chain present in the perivitelline space of the developing embryo. Acid PNGase M was competitively inhibited by a free de-N-glycosylated nonapeptide derived from L-hyosophorin. This enzyme was expressed in ovaries and embryos at all developmental stages after gastrulation, but activity was not detected in embryos at developmental stages between fertilization and gastrula. Several independent lines of evidence suggested that acid PNGase M may be responsible for the unusual accumulation of free N-glycans derived from yolk glycoproteins (Iwasaki,M., Seko,A., Kitajima,K., Inoue,Y. and Inoue,S. (1992) J. Biol. Chem., 267, 24287-24296). In contrast, the neutral PNGase M was expressed in blastoderms from the 4-8 cell stage and in cells up to early gastrula. The general significance of these findings is that they show a developmental stage-dependent expression of the two PNGase activities, and that expression of the neutral PNGase M activity occurs concomitantly with the de-N-glycosylation of L-hyosophorin. These data thus support our conclusion that the neutral PNGase M is responsible for the developmental-stage-related de-N-glycosylation of the L-hyosophorin.

Studies on fertilization in the teleost. III. The relationship between nuclear behavior and the histone H1 kinase activity in anesthetized medaka eggs

To investigate the mechanisms of fertilization in the teleostean egg, the relationship between the nuclear behavior and the activity of histone H1 kinase was examined in medaka, Oryzias latipes, eggs that were anesthetized at sperm penetration. Inseminated in the anesthetized state, most eggs failed to undergo the propagative waves of increase in cytoplasmic Ca(2+) and exocytosis of cortical alveoli (CABD). The sperm-penetrated eggs that exhibited no or partial CABD only around the animal pole underwent a transient contraction of the cortical cytoplasm toward the animal pole region and were designated nonactivated eggs. Temporary compaction of the second meiotic metaphase (MII) chromosomes was accompanied by contractile movement of the cortical cytoplasm, but not by completion of the second meiotic division. The activity of histone H1 kinase in nonactivated eggs remained high, although it decreased slightly concurrent with sperm penetration. Cyclin B and cdc2 levels remained unchanged as well. The nonactivated eggs began to transform the penetrated sperm nucleus into metaphase chromosomes in the cortical cytoplasm facing the inner end of micropylar canal within 20 min postinsemination (PI). Two figures of typical metaphase chromosomes were found in the animal pole area at </=40 min PI. Chromosome condensation in nonactivated eggs was not inhibited by actinomycin D, nor was the high activity of histone H1 kinase reduced. In the presence of cycloheximide or 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP), however, the compact sperm nucleus and the MII chromosomes transformed to interphase nuclei without CABD or extrusion of the polar body, although the activity of histone H1 kinase remained high. These results suggest that in the fish egg, transformation of MII chromosomes to an interphase nucleus may not be caused by loss of MPF activity, but rather than by the loss of activity of a short-lived protein kinase(s), sensitive to 6-DMAP that is independent of CABD in the cascade reactions triggered by increased cytoplasmic calcium. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Studies on fertilization of the teleost. II. Nuclear behavior and changes in histone H1 kinase

In order to understand the dynamic responses of gamete nuclei upon fertilization in the fish, Oryzias latipes, the relationship between changes in the activity of histone H1 kinase and nuclear behavior was examined during fertilization. Kinase activity rapidly decreased concomitant with the initiation of the propagative exocytosis of cortical alveoli following sperm attachment to the egg plasma membrane post-insemination (PI). Activity again increased 30 min PI. Similar changes in kinase activity, migration and syngamy of pronuclei, and subsequent cleavage were observed with aphidicolin or actinomycin D treatment, except that formation of abnormal metaphase chromosomes was retarded in aphidicolin-treated zygotes. Pretreatment of unfertilized eggs with cycloheximide or 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP) caused no nuclear changes. The activity of histone H1 kinase in these eggs rapidly declined following sperm penetration and exocytosis, but did not undergo subsequent increase in the presence of these inhibitors. In these eggs with low histone H1 kinase activity, the fertilization process from sperm penetration to syngamy occurred normally, but the pronuclear membrane did not break down and the chromosomes did not condense. The present data suggest that in fish eggs, DNA replication as well as the synthesis and phosphorylation of proteins, especially cyclin B, are required for normal formation of metaphase chromosomes at the first cleavage, but not for fertilization events from sperm penetration through to nuclear migration resulting in syngamy.

Studies on fertilization in the teleost. I. Dynamic responses of fertilized medaka eggs

In order to understand the mechanisms of fertilization in the teleost, the movements of the egg cortex, cytoplasmic inclusions and pronuclei were observed in detail in fertilized medaka Oryzias latipes eggs. The first cortical contraction occurred toward the animal pole region following the onset of exocytosis of cortical alveoli. The cortical contraction caused movement of oil droplets toward the animal pole where the germinal vesicle had broken down during oocyte maturation. The movement of oil droplets toward the animal pole region was frequently twisted in the right or left direction. The direction of the twisting movement has been correlated with the unilateral bending of non-attaching filaments on the chorion. The female pronucleus, which approached the male pronucleus from the vicinity of the second polar body, took a course to the right, left or straight along the s-p axis connecting the male pronucleus and the second polar body. The course of approach by the female pronucleus correlated with the bending direction of the non-attaching filaments that had been determined by rotation of the oocyte around the animal-vegetal axis during oogenesis. The first cleavage furrow also very frequently coincided with the axis. These observations suggest that dynamic responses of medaka eggs from fertilization to the first cleavage reflect the architecture dynamically constructed during oogenesis.

Changes in the chorion and sperm entry into the micropyle during fertilization in the teleostean fish, Oryzias latipes

Specific antibodies against the major chorionic glycoproteins (ZI1-2 and ZI3) of unfertilized eggs were used to analyze the differences in the chorion and its surrounding constituents before and after fertilization. The glycoproteins in the inner layers of the chorion and its surrounding material were specifically stained by both of the antibodies. Thirty and 60 min after activation, the thickness of the chorion's inner layers was already reduced and the micropylar canal was closed. At the same time, the broadly diluted mucous area (DMA) of glycoproteins on the outermost layer of the chorion in unfertilized eggs was modified to a thin, compact layer. When unfertilized eggs were treated with trypsin, the inner third portion of the micropylar canal closed and the glycoproteins in the DMA were digested. The incidence of sperm entry into the micropyle of these eggs was extremely reduced. These results suggest that in medaka eggs, the chorionic glycoproteins in the DMA on the chorion surface, which have an affinity for spermatozoa, play an important role in sperm guidance into the micropyle.

Development of a motor nerve in the caudal fin of the medaka (Oryzias latipes)

The entire process of the development of the motor nerve to the middle interradial muscle (MIR muscle) in the tail region of the medaka (Oryzias latipes) was examined by light and electron microscopy. The motor nerve to the MIR muscle was observed to develop in a series of four steps. (1) Trunk-formation step: from stage 30 to stage 31, when the MIR muscle had not yet differentiated to the myotube stage, the motor axons starting from the caudal spinal cord, including spinal segment 27, formed a nerve trunk, the ventral caudalmost nerve (VCN). The VCN bypassed the place where the MIR muscle would differentiate and extended further caudad. (2) Wandering step: at stage 32, nerve processes of the motor axons (short branches) wandered from the course of the VCN. (3) Connection step: from stage 33/34 to stage 35, the mesenchyme cells differentiated into the MIR myotubes in the vicinity of the short branches, and the nerve and the muscle became connected. (4) Modification step: after stage 35, the morphological pattern of the motor nerve was modified by the growth and the shift of the short branches, and by the disappearance of the caudalmost part of the VCN. These results suggest that the complex pattern of the motor nerve in the adult fish is gradually constructed by multiple steps, each of which may have its own mechanism.

[A case of quadricuspid aortic valve associated with mitral regurgitation]

A case of a 60-year-old man associated with quadricuspid aortic valve and mitral regurgitation is reported. The aortic valve consisted of three larger cusps and a small accessory cusp situated between the right and the non-coronary cusps. The aortic regurgitation resulted from malcoaptation of the four cusps and the mitral regurgitation resulted from annulus dilatation and thickening of the anterior leaflet. The surgical treatment was performed successfully by the aortic and mitral valve replacements with St. Jude Medical valves. The patient is doing well fifteen months postoperatively. Sixteen Japanese cases of quadricuspid aortic valve which were corrected surgically are reviewed.

Structural studies of a novel type of tetraantennary sialoglycan unit in a carbohydrate-rich glycopeptide isolated from the fertilized eggs of Indian Medaka fish, Oryzias melastigma

A novel carbohydrate-rich sialoglycopolyprotein of apparent molecular mass approximately 7000 Da was isolated from the fertilized eggs of the Medaka fish species, Oryzias melastigma. The glycoprotein was identified as a member of the L-hyosophorin family because it exhibited the following several distinctive features of L-hyosophorin molecules: (a) it contains a high proportion of carbohydrate (90% by weight), and (b) the amino acid sequence of the apopeptide was identical with that of the Oryzias latipes L-hyosophorin which has previously been demonstrated to be derived from a high molecular weight form of hyosophorin, i.e. H-hyosophorin, present in the cortical vesicles of unfertilized eggs. The apoprotein of H-hyosophorin is composed of tandem repeats of the L-hyosophorin apopeptide, i.e. it is a polyprotein. The structure of the carbohydrate portion of purified L-hyosophorin of O. melastigma was studied by composition and methylation analysis, selective chemical (periodate-Smith degradation; hydrazinolysis-nitrous acid deamination), and enzymatic (endo-beta-galactosidase; peptide:N-glycanase) degradation, together with instrumental methods (fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry and 1H NMR). O. melastigma L-hyosophorin was found to contain two types of large, branched tetraantennary glycan units capped with sialic acids. The two glycans differ with respect to the branching pattern of the trimannosyl core (x = 4 or 6 in Eq. A). [formula: see text] The possible physiological significance of the hyosophorin family is discussed in the light of their unique structural features.

[A case who developed mechanical pulsus alternans after Bentall's operation for annuloaortic ectasia]

Left ventricular pulsus alternans developed immediately after Bentall's operation in a 37-year-old patient with Marfan's syndrome accompanied by severe left heart failure due to annuloaortic ectasia. Echocardiographic examination suggested that this symptom was caused by alternating contractility based on left ventricular myocardial failure. Left heart failure disappeared early after operation, but pulsus alternans persisted until 7 months after operation, when EDVI decreased from 225 ml/m2 to 113 ml/m2.

[A case of Marfan's syndrome that required emergency Bentall's operation due to acute dissecting aortic aneurysm (DeBakey type II) following surgery of abdominal aortic aneurysm]

Graft replacement was performed in a 29-year-old man for an abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with Marfan's syndrome. Since the dissecting aortic aneurysm (DeBakey type II) accompanied by disruption of the right coronary artery developed 74 days after operation, the emergency Bentall's operation was successfully carried out with bypassing of the right coronary artery using a saphenous vein graft. Fifteen Japanese cases operated on for abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with Marfan's syndrome are reviewed, and the problems concerning surgery of abdominal aortic aneurysm and Bentall's operation are discussed.

[Subdural hematoma following surgery of an aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus with partial cardiopulmonary bypass]

The patient was a 72-year-old man, who had an aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta with left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy identified by preoperative examination. Thoracotomy revealed an aneurysm of a diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus measuring 2.7 X 3.4 cm. The aneurysm was excised under partial cardiopulmonary bypass and the defect of the aortic wall was repaired with a Dacron patch. Two days after surgery, he developed mild deterioration of consciousness and right hemiparesis. An acute subdural hematoma which covered the left frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes was found by CT examination. Craniotomy was performed 16 days after the previous surgery, and 100 g of hematoma was removed. Following craniotomy, complete recovery of cerebral function was observed. This appears to be a valuable report of a patient who developed acute subdural hematoma following surgery of aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta with partial cardiopulmonary bypass.

Cortical alveolus breakdown in the eggs of the freshwater teleost Rhodeus ocellatus ocellatus

Cortical alveoli and their breakdown in the eggs of the rose bitterling were morphologically investigated. Cortical alveoli of various sizes existed in multiple layers within the cortical cytoplasm of each egg. Two types of cortical alveoli were recognized--one possessed homogeneous contents; the other possessed heterogeneous contents with electron-less dense spots. The eggs were activated by a penetrating spermatozoon or by immersion in fresh water. The immersion of the eggs into fresh water induced a wave of cortical alveolus breakdown (CABD), which was propagated from the vegetal pole to the animal pole. When eggs were inseminated in fresh water, CABD progressed from both the vegetal and the animal poles of the egg, and was complete within about 20 min. The contents of the cortical alveoli were released into the perivitelline space through a large opening formed by the fusion of the plasma and cortical alveolar membranes. For a short time after CABD, the smooth inner surfaces of the cortical alveoli were readily discernible from the rougher original plasma membrane. About 30 min after immersion in fresh water, the inner surfaces of the cortical alveoli were indistinguishable from the original egg surfaces. Aequorin-injected eggs became luminescent immediately after their immersion in fresh water. The luminescence reached a maximum level about 15 min later and subsided after roughly 30 min. The result shows that increase in intracellular free Ca ions occurs during CABD.

[Successful mitral valve replacement for infective endocarditis in pregnancy]

A 27 weeks' pregnant women exhibited infective endocarditis due to alpha-streptococcus. As echocardiography showed vegetations on both mitral leaflets, cesarean section was performed at 35 weeks' gestation and a healthy male infant weighing 2,430 g was delivered. Antibiotic therapy was continued for fever after the cesarean section but macrohematuria and Osler's nodes developed. Emergency mitral valve replacement was performed successfully despite the presence of active infective endocarditis. She was discharged after completion of a 10-week course of antibiotic therapy.

Stage-dependent expression of the chicken delta-crystallin gene in transgenic fish embryos

To study the regulation of gene expression of vertebrate crystallin genes, the chicken delta-crystallin gene was introduced into a small freshwater fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), which lacks this gene, and its expression was examined immunohistologically at several developmental stages before hatching. The gene expression was detected in the central fiber cells of the lens at an early stage, showing a stage-dependent expression. In non-lens tissues, the expression was barely detectable before tissue differentiation. It first became substantial mainly in mesodermal tissues and then later in a greater variety of tissues, including ectodermal and endodermal ones. Thus, the non-lens expression of delta-crystallin was also stage-dependent, with the stage being dependent on the tissue type. These results from lens and non-lens tissues are discussed in relation to tissue differentiation and two categories of delta-crystallin expression.

Mechanism of Ca2+ release in medaka eggs microinjected with inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and Ca2+

The reaction time of Ca2+ release from cytoplasmic stores induced by microinjection of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), calcium ionophore A23187, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, and cyclic guanosine 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) in Oryzias latipes eggs in Ca2+-free medium was measured by the luminescence of aequorin injected into the egg. Microinjection of IP3 or calcium ionophore induced rapid Ca2+ release without a time lag, while microinjection of either Ca2+ or cGMP required a time lag of 5-30 sec for Ca2+ release. Following microinjection of both IP3 and Ca2+, Ca2+ release commenced in a cytoplasmic region close to the egg surface. These results suggest that in the medaka egg, cytoplasmic Ca2+ induces Ca2+ release from cytoplasmic stores indirectly, probably via a membrane factor such as IP3.

Influence of follicular development on steroid production in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) ovarian follicle in response to exogenous substrates

Changes in the capacity of medaka, Oryzias latipes, ovarian follicles to convert exogenous 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17 alpha-OHprog) or testosterone to testosterone, estradiol-17 beta, and 17 alpha,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog) were examined using 18-hr incubations. Under a constant long photoperiod (14 hr light-10 hr dark) at 26 degrees medaka spawn daily within 1 hr of the onset of light. Under these conditions, vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation of individual follicles occur within 72 hr, allowing accurate determination of the time of oocyte maturation and ovulation. In the absence of substrates, vitellogenic follicles isolated between 28 and 16 hr before spawning produced increased amounts of estradiol-17 beta, while postvitellogenic follicles between 14 and 8 hr produced a large amount of 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog. However, under the same conditions, testosterone levels were very low in follicles from all stages of development. The capacity of follicles to produce estradiol-17 beta in response to 17 alpha-OHprog or testosterone increased as follicles developed from the early to late vitellogenic stage, but declined during oocyte maturation. Maximum estradiol-17 beta production was observed in follicles at 20 hr before spawning. In contrast, the conversion of 17 alpha-OHprog to 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog was low in vitellogenic follicles and increased in follicles isolated immediately prior to or during oocyte maturation, with maximum 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog production occurring in follicles isolated at 14 hr before spawning. These results demonstrate a distinct shift in the activities of steroidogenic enzymes from C17-20 lyase, 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17 beta-HSD), and aromatase to 20 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20 beta-HSD) occurring in the medaka ovarian follicles immediately prior to oocyte maturation.

Cytoplasmic Ca2+ release induced by microinjection of Ca2+ and effects of microinjected divalent cations on Ca2+ sequestration and exocytosis of cortical alveoli in the medaka egg

Intracellular release of Ca2+ by microinjection of Ca2+ was analyzed by measuring the luminescence of aequorin loaded in eggs of the medaka (Oryzias latipes). Microinjection of Ca2+ into the cortical cytoplasm induced propagative waves of cytoplasmic Ca2+ release and exocytosis of cortical alveoli initiated at the injection point. The Ca2+ wave was initiated with a time lag after some was sequestered at the region of the microinjection. Microinjection of Mg2+ or Mn2+ failed to trigger Ca2+ release and exocytosis. When the aequorin-loaded eggs were inseminated after microinjection of Mg2+, Mn2+, or Co2+ into a restricted region of the vegetal hemisphere, the wave of Ca release was propagated through the injected region toward the vegetal pole, but neither Ca sequestration (fall in Ca-aequorin luminescence) nor exocytosis occurred at the area of cortex where the eggs were injected with these divalent cations. These results suggest that a significant period is required to induce Ca2+ release from cytoplasmic stores by the increased Ca2+ concentration and that both the phenomena of Ca2+ release and Ca sequestration are involved in the process of exocytosis.

Development of the steroidogenic capacity of medaka (Oryzias latipes) ovarian follicles during vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation

Developmental changes in the steroidogenic capacity of medaka, Oryzias latipes, ovarian follicles at 12 different stages during vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation were examined using 18-hr incubations. Medaka were acclimated to conditions of 26 degrees on a lighting regime of 14 hr light and 10 hr dark. Under these conditions, females usually spawn daily within 1 hr of the onset of light. The process of vitellogenesis and oocyte maturation occurs within 72 hr, the breakdown of the germinal vesicle (GVBD) and ovulation being completed at 6 and 1 hr, respectively, before the expected time of spawning. Vitellogenic follicles between 32 and 16 hr before spawning produced large amounts of estradiol-17 beta spontaneously and in response to partially purified chum salmon gonadotropin (SGA) or pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG). However, postvitellogenic follicles between 12 and 4 hr before spawning showed very little evidence of estradiol-17 beta production. By contrast, basal concentrations of 17 alpha,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog) remained very low in follicles during vitellogenesis and were elevated in those collected during oocyte maturation; there was a close relationship between the medium concentration of 17 alpha,20 beta-diOH-prog and the percentage GVBD in the oocytes. 17 alpha,20 beta-DiOHprog production in response to PMSG was very low in follicles during early and mid-vitellogenesis and increased in those collected at 28 hr before spawning, a time which coincided with the first acquisition of the ability of the follicles to undergo maturation in response to gonadotropin. These results clearly demonstrate that a distinct shift from the secretion of predominantly estradiol-17 beta to the secretion of 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog occurs in the medaka ovarian follicle immediately prior to oocyte maturation. Considering the potency of 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog for the induction of oocyte maturation in vitro, these results further suggest that 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog is a naturally occurring steroidal mediator of oocyte maturation in the medaka.

Induction and inhibition of in vitro oocyte maturation and production of steroids in fish follicles by forskolin

The effects of forskolin (FK) on in vitro oocyte maturation and production of steroids were examined in Oryzias latipes. When oocytes within preovulatory follicles were preincubated in the presence of FK for 2-10 hr, they matured normally after additional incubation for 10-20 hr in plain culture medium. Naked (follicle cell-free) oocytes did not mature under these conditions. FK stimulated dose-dependent production of steroids (estradiol-17 beta, E2, and 17 alpha,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one, 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog) and cAMP in follicle (granulosa) cells. On the other hand, exposure to FK within 2 hr after 17 alpha,20 beta-diOH prog stimulation caused reversible inhibition of gonadotropin (PMS)- or 17 alpha,20 beta-diOH prog-induced maturation of the intrafollicular oocytes in vitro. FK also significantly inhibited the 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog-induced maturation of naked oocytes, suggesting the existence of adenylate cyclase in fish oocytes. These data indicate that in Oryzias latipes, FK induces oocyte maturation by stimulating follicular production of maturation-inducing steroid (MIS), probably 17 alpha,20 beta-diOH prog, via an increase in cAMP, and that it may inhibit oocyte maturation by increasing ooplasmic cAMP and some inhibitory interaction between the granulosa cells and the oocyte through intercellular communication.

Production of transgenic fish: introduction and expression of chicken delta-crystallin gene in medaka embryos

To produce a model of transgenic fish, recombinant plasmids containing chicken delta-crystallin gene were microinjected into the oocyte nucleus of a small teleost, medaka (Oryzias latipes). About 50% of the microinjected oocytes developed to 7-day-old embryos. By Southern blotting delta-crystallin gene was detected in 4 of 8 embryos, and, by Western blotting, delta-crystallin polypeptides in 5 of 16. In 1 of 6 examined histologically, delta-crystallin DNA was detected in all the tissues, and delta-crystallin polypeptides, in many of the tissues including the lens. Thus, the exogenous gene and/or its products were detected in 10 of 30 embryos examined. This is the first report of successful production of transgenic fish.

Immunocytochemical demonstration of steroid hormones in the granulosa cells of the medaka, Oryzias latipes

Immunocytochemical identification of steroid hormones was performed in granulosa cells isolated from large ovarian follicles of the medaka. The granulosa cells recovered from daily spawning females, 8.5 h after the onset of light, reacted with anti-progesterone and anti-17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone antibody, while the granulosa cells treated 2.5 h after the onset of light did not. After 6 h stimulation with gonadotropin (PMS) in vitro, the isolated granulosa cells reacted with anti-progesterone antibody. The granulosa cells examined 8.5 h after the onset of light did not react with anti-estradiol or anti-estriol antibody. These results demonstrate that, in Oryzias latipes, progestins (progesterone and 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone) are synthesized in the granulosa cells which are directly stimulated by gonadotropin.

[The pharmacokinetics and transfer into atrial muscle of ceftizoxime in open heart surgery]

A study of serum and atrial muscle concentration of ceftizoxime (CZX) was performed in 28 adult patients having cardiac surgery. Patients were administrated a single dose of CZX 2 g intravenously. Serum and atrial muscle samples were obtained at suitable intervals before extracorporeal circulation, and assayed CZX concentration. Serum concentrations were 54.5 micrograms/ml at 60 minutes, and 21.8 micrograms/ml at 180 minutes. Atrial tissue levels were 29.9 micrograms/g at 60 minutes, and 14.8 micrograms/g at 180 minutes. Tissue/serum concentration ratio was high value; 0.549 at 60 minutes, 0.679 at 180 minutes. Judging from its favorable transfer into atrial muscle and MIC80 against the suspected pathogen, CZX seemed to be clinically useful in the treatment of infection after cardiac surgery.

On the effects of cyanoketone on gonadotrophin- and steroid-induced in vitro maturation of Oryzias oocytes

Effects of cyanoketone (CK) on the gonadotrophin- and steroid-induced maturation in vitro of Oryzias latipes oocytes were examined. In oocyte covered with intact follicle or granulosa cell layers, CK inhibited gonadotrophin- and pregnenolone-induced maturation but not 20 beta-OH-progesterone-induced maturation. However, when follicle cells were removed completely from the oocytes, CK conspicuously lacked inhibitory effect on pregnenolone-induced oocyte maturation. It was ascertained by using purified pregnenolone that pregnenolone-induced maturation was not due to contamination with other maturation-inducing steroids. It was also observed immunocytochemically that a purified pregnenolone stimulated in vitro production of progestins in the granulosa cells, and that CK inhibited this stimulation. These results indicate that pregnenolone, like gonadotrophin, induces maturation of intrafollicular oocytes of O. latipes by stimulation of production of such steroids as progesterone in follicle cells (granulosa cells), while it can directly induce maturation of oocytes not surrounded by follicle cells.

Electron microscopic observations on sperm entry into eggs of the rose bitterling, Rhodeus ocellatus

Morphological studies on gametes and sperm entry into the egg of Rhodeus ocellatus were conducted using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The spermatozoon has has a round head, a mitochondrion, and a flagellum but no acrosomal structure. The egg is enclosed in a chorion that has a micropyle at the animal pole. After a spermatozoon attaches to the well-developed microvilli of the egg surface facing the micropyle, it is covered by the microvilli and incorporated into the egg cytoplasm with membrane fusion occurring between gametes. The egg cytoplasm just beneath the micropyle swelled a little while incorporating the spermatozoon and promptly plugged the micropyle. The nuclear envelope of the spermatozoon disappeared first at the apical region of the head and then progressed posteriorly through a process of vesiculation. The nucleus of the sperm head at once initiated decondensation upon incorporation through the effects of the egg cytoplasm. The mechanism of block to polyspermy in Rhodeus eggs is discussed.

Studies on oocyte maturation of the medaka, Oryzias latipes. VI. Relationship between the circadian cycle of oocyte maturation and activity of the pituitary gland

The relationship between pituitary activity and oocyte maturation was examined in Oryzias latipes (medaka), which has a circadian cycle of oviposition. Throughout the circadian cycle of oviposition, females possessed a population of large oocytes more than 800 micronmeter in diameter that could mature in the presence of gonadotropin. Oocyte maturation was observed in vitro in females hypophysectomized between three and ten hours after the beginning of the light period with the number of maturing oocytes increasing as hypophysectomy was delayed. Although in vivo oocyte maturation was blocked by hypophysectomy within two hours after the beginning of the light period, it was restored by a single injection of synthetic or mammalian pituitary hormones (gonadotropic, corticotropic and thyrotropic hormones) within ten hours after hypophysectomy. Of these pituitary hormones, FSH, LH and TSH could induce in vitro maturation of isolated oocytes. Oocytes matured in vitro in the absence of exogeneous hormones if they were isolated nine or more hours after the onset of light. The present study indicates that the circadian cycle of maturation of Oryzias oocytes is controlled by the release of pituitary hormone between three and nine hours after the beginning of the light period.

Electron microscopic observation on sperm penetration and pronuclear formation in the fish egg

Unfertilized eggs of the medaka, Oryzias latipes were inseminated after being mechanically freed from the chorion. In the first step of penetration, as soon as it reached the vitelline surface, the whole spermatozoon was quickly enclosed by ooplasmic protrusions (fertilization cone) of the vitelline surface. In the second step, the egg plasma membrane fused with various regions of the plasma membrane of the enclosed spermatozoon; finally the sperm flagellum was also incorporated into the ooplasm. Initial disappearance of the nuclear envelope of the sperm with vesiculation at the apical region of the head is followed by dispersal of the sperm chromatin. The nuclear envelope is then reformed by fusion of elongated or flattened vesicles along the margin of dispersing nuclear chromatin. The mature male pronucleus has a large nucleolus within a wrinkled envelope. It seems that the fertilization process in this fish involves some features of that occurring in the marine invertebrate and the mammalian eggs.

Studies on oocyte maturation of the medaka, Oryzias latipes. V. On the structure of steroids that induce maturation in vitro

The response of oocytes within isolated follicles (800-950 micron in diameter) to various steroids was examined with the teleost fish, Oryzias latipes. Continuous exposure of oocytes, which were removed from ovarian investments 17 hours before predicted germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), to C19- or C21-steroids brought about maturation in vitro but never triggered ovulation. The steroids effective in inducing maturation have in common a C=0 (or alpha-OH) group at 3C and a beta-OH group at 17C in the C19-steroids, and a C=O (or beta-OH) group at 3C and a C=O (or alpha-OH) group at 20C in the C21-steroids, in addition to an delta4- or delta5-unsaturated for 5alpha-saturated configuration. The orientation of the hydrogen at 5C seems to be critical in determining the ability of a particular steroid to stimulate oocyte maturation. Maturation of oocytes in the ovaries of hypophysectomized females was induced by administering progesterone, but the mature oocytes did not subsequently undergo ovulation. Thus the steroid hormone is capable of inducing oocyte maturation but apparently does not participate directly in the ovulation of Oryzias latipes oocytes.

Cleavage initiation activities of microtubules and in vitro reassembled tubulins of sperm flagella

Cleavage of fish (Oryzias latipes) eggs was induced by injection of heterologous (sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and oyster Crassostrea gigas) sperm microtubules. Cleavage initiating CI activity of microtubules was higher in 3% PVP suspension than in 6% BSA, and not affected significantly by the concentration of microtubules themselves. The CI activity of microtubules suspended in 3% PVP was comparatively stable in the frozen state. Heat-treatment at more than 55 degrees C resulted in the loss of most or all of their CI activity. Such activity was observed in side-by-side aggregates of tubulin linear polymers of sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus) spermatozoa but not in dispersed linear polymers or tubulin dimers. Microtubules with CI activity seem to participate in initiating cleavage as astral centers, or a "seed" for polymerization of ooplasmic tubulins in activated eggs.

Maturation iv vitro of ovarian oocytes of prepubertal and adult hamsters

Oocytes of various sizes were isolated from ovaries of sexually mature and prepubertal hamsters and cultured ot determine whether all the oocytes were capable of maturing in vitro. It was found that only the oocytes that had attained maximum size (about 80 mum in the vitelline diameter) were capable of undergoing maturation in vitro. Smaller oocytes (less than 80 mum in diameter) failed either to initiate or to complete maturation. The oocytes which were capable of maturing in vitro (competent oocytes) were present in the ovaries of adult females 136 to 138 hr before ovulation. The competent oocytes first appeared in the ovaries of prepubertal females on the 23rd day after birth, about 10 days before puberty.