Autophagy is activated in the ovarian tissue of polycystic ovary syndrome
This study provides evidence for a potential role of autophagy disorders in PCOS in which autophagy may be an important molecular event in the pathogenesis of PCOS. (Source: Reproduction)
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Li, D., You, Y., Bi, F.-F., Zhang, T.-N., Jiao, J., Wang, T.-R., Zhou, Y.-M., Shen, Z.-Q., Wang, X.-X., Yang, Q. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Estrogen is an important mediator of mast cell activation in ovarian endometriomas
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease. Previous research has shown that abnormal enzymes associated with estrogen (E2) metabolism and an increased number of mast cells (MCs) in endometriomas are implicated in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. However, it remains unclear how MCs mediate the role of E2 in endometriosis. Accordingly, we investigated whether E2 was associated with the number of MCs, and the rate of degranulation, in local ovarian endometriomas, as well as the role of E2 on MCs during the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry, we found that con...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Zhu, T.-H., Ding, S.-J., Li, T.-T., Zhu, L.-B., Huang, X.-F., Zhang, X.-M. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Causes and consequences of chromosome segregation error in preimplantation embryos
Errors in chromosome segregation are common during the mitotic divisions of preimplantation development in mammalian embryos, giving rise to so-called ‘mosaic’ embryos possessing a mixture of euploid and aneuploid cells. Mosaicism is widely considered to be detrimental to embryo quality and is frequently used as criteria to select embryos for transfer in human fertility clinics. However, despite the clear clinical importance, the underlying defects in cell division that result in mosaic aneuploidy remain elusive. In this review, we summarise recent findings from clinical and animal model studies that provide ne...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Vazquez-Diez, C., FitzHarris, G. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Extracellular matrix (ECM) activates {beta}-catenin signaling in uterine fibroids
In conclusion, our data showed that β-catenin expression in fibroids occurs independently of MED12 mutations. Biomechanical changes upregulate β-catenin expression in fibroids, providing an attractive avenue for developing new treatments for this disease. (Source: Reproduction)
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Ko, Y.-A., Jamaluddin, M. F. B., Adebayo, M., Bajwa, P., Scott, R. J., Dharmarajan, A. M., Nahar, P., Tanwar, P. S. Tags: Research Source Type: research
The fibroblast growth factor 8 family in the female reproductive tract
Several growth factor families have been shown to be involved in the function of the female reproductive tract. One subfamily of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) superfamily, namely the FGF8 subfamily (including FGF17 and FGF18), has become important as Fgf8 has been described as an oocyte-derived factor essential for glycolysis in mouse cumulus cells and aberrant expression of FGF18 has been described in ovarian and endometrial cancers. In this review, we describe the pattern of expression of these factors in normal ovaries and uteri in rodents, ruminants and humans, as well as the expression of their receptors and intr...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Estienne, A., Price, C. A. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Steroidogenic enzyme activities in the pre- and post-parturient equine placenta
Steroidogenic enzymes in placentas shape steroid hormone profiles in the maternal circulation of each mammalian species. These include 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/5-4 isomerase (3βHSD) and 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase cytochrome P450 (P450c17) crucial for progesterone and androgen synthesis, respectively, as well as aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom) that converts 4-androgens to estrogens. 5α-reductase is another important enzyme in equine placentas because 5α-dihydroprogesterone (DHP) sustains pregnancy in the absence of progesterone in the second half of equine pregnancy. DHP and its meta...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Legacki, E. L., Corbin, C. J., Ball, B. A., Scoggin, K. E., Stanley, S. D., Conley, A. J. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Early sex-dependent differences in response to environmental stress
Developmental plasticity enables the appearance of long-term effects in offspring caused by exposure to environmental stressors during embryonic and foetal life. These long-term effects can be traced to pre- and post-implantation development, and in both cases, the effects are usually sex specific. During preimplantation development, male and female embryos exhibit an extensive transcriptional dimorphism mainly driven by incomplete X chromosome inactivation. These early developmental stages are crucial for the establishment of epigenetic marks that will be conserved throughout development, making it a particularly suscepti...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Perez-Cerezales, S., Ramos-Ibeas, P., Rizos, D., Lonergan, P., Bermejo-Alvarez, P., Gutierrez-Adan, A. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Acute nutrient treatment causes alterations in intra-follicular antioxidation and AKT signaling
This study aimed to determine if short-term nutrient alteration affects (1) ovarian morphology, (2) plasma and ovarian antioxidant capability and (3) cell apoptosis and AKT signaling within the ovary. After estrus synchronization, 24 Hu sheep were assigned to three groups based on the nutrient requirement recommended for maintenance (M): 1 x M (Control), 1.5 x M (S) and 0.5 x M (R) during days 7–14 of their estrous cycle. The results indicated that undernourishment significantly increased the counts and volume of follicles <2.5 mm and decreased the counts and volume of follicles ≥2.5 mm (P < 0.05). Feed rest...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Nie, H. T., Guo, Y. X., Yao, X. L., Ma, T. W., Deng, K. P., Wang, Z., Zhang, G. M., Sun, L. W., Wang, Z. Y., Wang, H. C., Wang, F. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Exploring boar sperm sialylation during capacitation using boronic acid-functionalized beads
In this study, two boronic acid carriers, 3-aminophenylboronic acid-labeled fluorescent latex (CML-APBA) and magnetic beads (CMM-APBA were applied to explore surface sialylation profile and sialoglycoproteins of the boar sperm. There are three binding sections of CML-APBA on the head of ejaculated sperm: acrosomal region, equatorial segment and the head posterior, which are the major regions undergoing sialylation. After capacitation in vitro, two major binding patterns of CML-APBA exists on sperm head. On some spermatozoa, sialylation exists on the equatorial segment and the posterior head, whilst on other spermatozoa, si...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Wang, Y., Gu, Y., Gao, H., Gao, Y., Shao, J., Pang, W., Dong, W. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Comparative analysis of activins A and B in the adult mouse epididymis and vas deferens
Activin A regulates testicular and epididymal development, but the role of activin B in the epididymis and vas deferens is unknown. Mouse models with reduced activin A (Inhba+/– and InhbaBK/+), or its complete absence (InhbaBK/BK), were investigated to identify specific roles of activins in the male reproductive tract. In 8-week-old Inhba+/– mice, serum activin A decreased by 70%, with a 50% reduction of gene expression and protein in the testis, epididymis and vas deferens. Activin B and the activin-binding protein, follistatin, were similar to wild-type. Testis weights were slightly reduced in Inhba+/– ...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Wijayarathna, R., de Kretser, D. M., Sreenivasan, R., Ludlow, H., Middendorff, R., Meinhardt, A., Loveland, K. L., Hedger, M. P. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Antidiabetic therapies and male reproductive function: where do we stand?
Diabetes mellitus has been increasing at alarming rates in recent years, thus jeopardizing human health worldwide. Several antidiabetic drugs have been introduced in the market to manage glycemic levels, and proven effective in avoiding, minimizing or preventing the appearance or development of diabetes mellitus-related complications. However, and despite the established association between such pathology and male reproductive dysfunction, the influence of these therapeutic interventions on such topics have been scarcely explored. Importantly, this pathology may contribute toward the global decline in male fertility, givin...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Tavares, R. S., Escada-Rebelo, S., Silva, A. F., Sousa, M. I., Ramalho-Santos, J., Amaral, S. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Involvement of leptin in the molecular physiology of the placenta
Leptin is a homeostatic regulator in the placenta where it promotes proliferation, protein synthesis and the expression of tolerogenic maternal response molecules such as HLA-G. Leptin also exerts an anti-apoptotic action in placenta controlling the expression of p53 master cell cycle regulator under different stress conditions. On the other hand, leptin is an integrative target of different placental stimuli. The expression of leptin in placenta is regulated by hCG, insulin, steroids, hypoxia and many other growth hormones, suggesting that it might have an important endocrine function in the trophoblastic cells. The lepti...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Schanton, M., Maymo, J. L., Perez-Perez, A., Sanchez-Margalet, V., Varone, C. L. Tags: Reviews Source Type: research
Acknowledgement to reviewers
(Source: Reproduction)
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Tags: Acknowledgement Source Type: research
Dynamics of cytoplasm and cleavage divisions correlates with preimplantation embryo development
In vitro fertilization has become increasingly popular as an infertility treatment. In order to improve efficiency of this procedure, there is a strong need for a refinement of existing embryo assessment methods and development of novel, robust and non-invasive selection protocols. Studies conducted on animal models can be extremely helpful here, as they allow for more extensive research on the potential biomarkers of embryo quality. In the present paper, we subjected mouse embryos to non-invasive time-lapse imaging and combined the Particle Image Velocimetry analysis of cytoplasmic dynamics in freshly fertilized oocytes w...
Source: Reproduction - December 21, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Milewski, R., Szpila, M., Ajduk, A. Tags: Research Source Type: research
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection in domestic and wild mammals
In conclusion, while ICSI has become a consistent ART for some species, it needs further development for others. The low results obtained for some domestic species, the high training needed and the equipment required have limited this technique to the production of elite specimens or for research purposes. (Source: Reproduction)
Source: Reproduction - December 15, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Salamone, D. F., Canel, N. G., Rodriguez, M. B. Tags: Anniversary Review Source Type: research
