OOcyte surface

Due to its widespread use for the treatment of Type-2 diabetes, metformin is routinely detected in surface waters globally. Laboratory studies have shown that environmentally relevant concentrations of metformin can adversely affect the health of adult fish, with effects observed more frequently in males. However, the potential risk to wild fish populations has yet to be fully elucidated and remains a topic of debate. To explore whether environmentally relevant metformin exposure poses a risk to wild fish populations, the present study exposed wild fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to 5 or 50 μg/L metformin via 2 m diameter in-lake mesocosms deployed in a natural boreal lake in Northern Ontario at the International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA)...

This study aimed to investigate the comparison of effect of anticoccidal drugs including lasalocid and diclazuril with probiotic and synbiotic on the growth performance and intestinal morphology in broiler chicken. One hundred eighty chickens (Ross 308, 1 day old) were randomly divided into 6 equal groups (n=30) including the negative control (basal diet), the positive control (basal diet+oral inoculation of 3×104 sporulated oocytes of E. tenella, and four treatment groups. At days of 28 and 49 of age, 9 chickens were blindly chosen from each group were scarified by decapitation and their various segments of small intestine including ileum, jejunum, and duodenum were evaluated histomorphologically...

This study aims to investigate the impact of Kuntai Capsules(KTC) on polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS) rat models and explore the underlying mechanism. Fifty female SD rats were randomly divided into five groups(10 rats in each group), including control group, model group, low-, medium-, and high-dose KTC group. Except for the control group, the other groups were injected with dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA) combined with a high-fat diet(HFD) to induce the PCOS rat model for 28 days. 0.315, 0.63, and 1.26 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1) KTC was dissolved in the same amount of normal saline and given to low-, medium-, and high-dose KTC groups by gavage...

A total of 576-day-old Ross 308 broilers chicks (male) were used to evaluate the effect of various levels of pistachio green hull aqueous extract (PHE) and Eimeria challenge on the growth performance, intestinal health and antioxidant capacity. During infection period (25-42 d), treatments included: 1) control + unchallenged (negative control, NC), 2) 200 ppm PHE + unchallenged, 3) 300 ppm PHE + unchallenged, 4) 400 ppm PHE + unchallenged, 5) control + challenged (positive control, PC), 6) 200 ppm PHE + challenged, 7) 300 ppm PHE + challenged and 8) 400 ppm PHE + challenged (with 6 replications for each treatment)...

AIMS: We investigated the effects of intraperitoneal injections of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs, 100 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days on the developmental competence of murine oocytes. Furthermore, study the effects of TiO2 NPs on antioxidant and oxidative stress biomarkers, as well as their effects on expression of apoptotic and hypoxia inducing factor-1α (HIF1A) protein translation. Moreover, the possible ameliorating effects of intraperitoneal injections of fructose (2...

BACKGROUND: <u>S</u>perm <u>a</u>crosomal <u>S</u>LLP<u>1 b</u>inding (SAS1B) protein is found in oocytes, which is necessary for sperm-oocyte interaction, and also in uterine and pancreatic cancers. Anti-SAS1B antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) arrested growth in these cancers. However, SAS1B expression in cancers and normal tissues has not been characterized. We hypothesized that SAS1B is expressed on the surface of other common solid cancer cells, but not on normal tissue cells, and might be selectively targeted therapeutically...

Avian coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria spp., is one of the major parasitic diseases in chicken. Aquaporins (AQP) are essential mediators of water regulation and nutritional intake in parasites, and it may be a suitable molecule for chemotherapeutic target and vaccine candidate. We identified two aquaporin genes in Eimeria tenella (EtAQP1 and EtAQP2) with their full sequence, and the expression profiles were analyzed across different stages of E. tenella life cycle. The expression of EtAQP1 and EtAQP2 in Xenopus oocytes renders them highly permeable for both water and glycerol...

The inheritable impact of exposure to graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO NPs) on vertebrate germline during critical windows of gamete development remain undetermined to date. Here, we analyzed the transgenerational effects of exposure to nano-graphene oxide particles (nGO) synthesized in house with lateral dimensions 300-600 nm and surface charge of -36.8 mV on different developmental stages of germ cells (GCs): (1) during GCs undergoing early development and differentiation, and (2) during GCs undergoing gametogenesis and maturation in adulthood...

The elimination of ejaculates and males with low fertility despite good sperm motility and morphology is crucial to maintain high pregnancy rates after artificial insemination (AI) in farm animals. The ability of sperm to survive in the female tract is particularly crucial in pigs due to the large variation in the timing between AI and ovulation and the high number of oocytes to fertilise. The objective of this study was to characterise a new in vitro model of oviduct sperm reservoir using porcine oviduct epithelial spheroids (OES) and to assess the variability in sperm binding to OES among gilts, boars and their ejaculates...

Xenopus oocytes represent one of the most versatile model systems for characterizing the properties of membrane transporters. However, for studying proton-coupled antiporters, the use of Xenopus oocytes has so far been limited to so-called injection-based transport assays. In such assays, where the compound is injected directly into the oocytes' cytosol and transport is detected by monitoring substrate efflux, poor control over internal diffusion and concentration are incompatible with mechanistic characterizations...

The number of embryonic primordial germ cells in Drosophila is determined by the quantity of germ plasm, whose assembly starts in the posterior region of the oocyte during oogenesis. Here, we report that extending JAK-STAT activity in the posterior somatic follicular epithelium leads to an excess of primordial germ cells in the future embryo. We show that JAK-STAT signaling is necessary for the differentiation of approximately 20 specialized follicle cells maintaining tight contact with the oocyte. These cells define, in the underlying posterior oocyte cortex, the anchoring of the germ cell determinant oskar mRNA...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP ) channel couples beta cell electrical activity to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Loss-of-function mutations in either the pore-forming (inwardly rectifying potassium channel 6.2 [Kir6.2], encoded by KCNJ11) or regulatory (sulfonylurea receptor 1, encoded by ABCC8) subunits result in congenital hyperinsulinism, whereas gain-of-function mutations cause neonatal diabetes. Here, we report a novel loss-of-function mutation (Ser118Leu) in the pore helix of Kir6...

Semen production and quality are closely correlated with different environmental factors in bovines, particularly for the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bulls reared under tropical and sub-tropical conditions. Factors including DNA methylation patterns, an intricate process in sperm cells, have an impact on the production of quality semen in buffalo bulls under abiotic stress conditions. The present study was conducted to identify DNA methylome signatures for semen quality in Murrah buffalo bulls, acclaimed as a major dairy breed globally, under summer heat stress...

There is no evidence, nor need, for a fast block to polyspermy in animal oocytes. The idea that oocytes have evolved a mechanism to allow the entry of one spermatozoon and repel all others has, however, gained consensus over the last century. The main culprit is the sea urchin, which has been used for over a century in in vitro studies of the fertilization process. Images of sea urchin oocytes with thousands of sperm attached to the surface are commonplace in textbooks and appeal to the nature of the reader implying an intriguing surface mechanism of sperm selection despite these oocytes being fixed for photography (Figure )...

This study aimed to investigate sexual dimorphism in stillborn hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) through gonadal morphological characterizations. Macroscopic, light microscopy, and transmission electron analyses were performed for 30 gonad-mesonephros complexes. Female gonads were spindle-shaped and present a translucent whitish appearance with a grainy texture. Male gonads were approximately ovoid with a smooth opaque white surface. A primary sexual difference concerns different marrow structures, with females presenting organized cellularity featuring oocytes, lacunae, and blood vessels, while males presented a distinct organizational medulla pattern marked by testicular cords extending throughout the gonad length...

The ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) is a single layer of squamous-to-cuboidal epithelial cells that experience repetitive ovulatory rupture and subsequent repair. However, the characteristics of human immortalized ovarian surface epithelial cells (IOSE80) remain elusive. This study aims to determine whether IOSE80 cells have the characteristics of stem cell proliferation and multilineage differentiation and their application in regenerative medicine. IOSE80 cells are sequenced by high-throughput transcriptome analysis, and 5 sets of public data are used to compare the differences between IOSE80 cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, and oocytes in transcriptome profiling...

Odorant molecules interact with odorant receptors (ORs) lining the pores on the surface of the sensilla on an insect's antennae and maxillary palps. This interaction triggers an electrical signal that is transmitted to the insect's nervous system, thereby influencing its behavior. Orco, an OR coreceptor, is crucial for olfactory transduction, as it possesses a conserved sequence across the insect lineage. In this study, we focused on 2,4-di- tert -butylphenol (DTBP), a single substance present in acetic acid bacteria culture media...

The insect eggshell is a multifunctional structure with several important roles, including generating an entry point for sperm via the micropyle before oviposition, serving as an oviposition substrate attachment surface, and functioning as a protective layer during embryo development. Eggshell proteins play major roles in eggshell tanning and hardening following oviposition and provide molecular cues that define dorsal-ventral axis formation. Precise eggshell formation during ovarian follicle maturation is critical for normal embryo development and the synthesis of a defective eggshell often gives rise to inviable embryos...

Signaling in the granulosa cells of mammalian ovarian follicles is necessary for maintaining prophase arrest in the oocyte and for mediating the resumption of meiosis in response to luteinizing hormone (LH). However, the follicle also includes an outer layer of theca cells, some of which express receptors for LH. To investigate whether the theca cells are required for maintaining meiotic arrest and reinitiating meiosis in response to LH, we mechanically separated the granulosa cells and oocyte from the theca and basal lamina...

For the first time in this study, a microextraction method was developed to perform follicular fluid safety assessment analysis. The drastic importance of follicular fluid safety on the proper nourishment and development of oocytes caused the development of the present method. Since women are regularly exposed to parabens through cosmetics, healthcare, and hygienic products, the infection of body fluids is probable in long-term exposures. Also, for the first time, MIL-68 (In) was applied in an analytical method...