scholarly journals Variations in modifications of sugar residues in hamster zona pellucida after in vivo fertilization and in vitro egg activation

Reproduction ◽  
2002 ◽  
pp. 671-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
M El-Mestrah ◽  
FW Kan
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Egg Activation ◽  
Cortical Granules ◽  
Neuraminidase Treatment ◽  
Thin Sections

Lectins were used as probes in conjunction with quantitative analysis to investigate the distribution of different carbohydrate residues in hamster zona pellucida and their possible modification patterns after in vivo fertilization and in vitro egg activation. Several lectins including HPA, WGA, RCA-I, PNA, DSA, BSAIB(4), DBA, AAA and MAA were used to label the zona pellucida of both unfertilized and fertilized eggs. With the exception of PNA and BSAIB(4), the same lectins were also used to label the zona pellucida of oocytes activated in vitro. A multicomparison quantitative analysis of the density of labelling in the inner and outer regions of the zona pellucida before and after fertilization in vivo, as well as after in vitro egg activation, was performed. Of all the lectins studied, preferential localization of labelling by RCA-I and DSA to the inner zona pellucida of unfertilized eggs was observed. After in vivo fertilization, there was an increase in labelling in the inner region of the zona pellucida when thin sections of fertilized oocytes were incubated with HPA, BSAIB(4) and AAA. Although increased labelling by RCA-I was observed, a significant decrease in labelling intensity was obtained with WGA and the sequence Neu-WGA in both the inner and outer zona pellucida of fertilized oocytes. A significant increase in the density of labelling with WGA was also observed after digestion with neuraminidase. In parallel, when hamster oocytes activated in vitro were compared with those fertilized in vivo, a difference in lectin-gold labelling was observed in both the inner and outer region of the zona pellucida. Labelling with HPA, WGA, DSA and MAA increased significantly in both the inner and outer regions of the zona pellucida, whereas labelling by DBA significantly decreased in the inner portion of the zona pellucida. After neuraminidase treatment, a significant increase in labelling density was observed when thin sections of in vitro-activated oocytes were incubated with WGA. These results demonstrate: (i) the post-fertilization modifications of major saccharidic determinants that may play a role in the sperm-egg interaction process of fertilization in vivo; and (ii) that the modified properties of zonae pellucidae of fertilized and in vitro-activated eggs resulting from the action of hydrolytic enzymes, as well as glycoproteins released through exocytosis of cortical granules, are not identical.

Cytoplasmic maturation of the marsupial oocyte during the periovulatory period

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 509 ◽  
Author(s):  
KE Mate
Keyword(s):  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
Polar Body ◽  
Monodelphis Domestica ◽  
Cortical Granules ◽  
Nuclear Maturation ◽  
Bettongia Penicillata ◽  
Maturation In Vitro ◽  
First Polar Body

During the period immediately before ovulation, the oocytes of most eutherian and marsupial mammals complete the first meiotic maturation division and extrude the first polar body. In marsupials, this phase of nuclear maturation is accompanied by an increase in size of the egg and maturation of cytoplasmic components. Oocytes from at least four marsupial species, Trichosurus vulpecula, Macropus eugenii, Bettongia penicillata and Monodelphis domestica, continue to grow after formation of the follicular antrum and, although the rate of growth slows in larger follicles, it continues into the period immediately before ovulation. The basis of this growth is unknown but may include accumulation of fluid and/or yolk-like material. Maturational changes within the cytoplasm of the oocyte also occur during the periovulatory period, including the accumulation of cortical granules. Differences in the structure of the zona pellucida are also evident between follicular and ovulated eggs; these differences are suggestive of compression of the zona pellucida, but may involve the addition of extra material. These findings suggest that the marsupial oocyte may not achieve complete cytoplasmic maturity until after ovulation; however, their relevance to fertilization and embryonic development require further investigation. Like those of eutherian mammals, marsupial oocytes undergo spontaneous nuclear maturation once removed from the follicular environment, suggesting a basically similar control system. It is not known whether the preovulatory cytoplasmic changes seen in marsupial oocytes matured in vivo also occur during maturation in vitro.

Probing the ultrastructure of the mitotic and meiotic spindle in eggs: An expeditious approach based on semi-thin (0.25 μm) serial sections

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 552-555
Author(s):  
Conly L. Rieder ◽  
S. Bowser ◽  
R. Nowogrodzki ◽  
K. Ross ◽  
G. Sluder
Keyword(s):  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Meiotic Spindle ◽  
Serial Sections ◽  
Mitotic Apparatus ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Cell Cycles ◽  
Ultrastructural Studies

Eggs have long been a favorite material for studying the mechanism of karyokinesis in-vivo and in-vitro. They can be obtained in great numbers and, when fertilized, divide synchronously over many cell cycles. However, they are not considered to be a practical system for ultrastructural studies on the mitotic apparatus (MA) for several reasons, the most obvious of which is that sectioning them is a formidable task: over 1000 ultra-thin sections need to be cut from a single 80-100 μm diameter egg and of these sections only a small percentage will contain the area or structure of interest. Thus it is difficult and time consuming to obtain reliable ultrastructural data concerning the MA of eggs; and when it is obtained it is necessarily based on a small sample size.We have recently developed a procedure which will facilitate many studies concerned with the ultrastructure of the MA in eggs. It is based on the availability of biological HVEM's and on the observation that 0.25 μm thick serial sections can be screened at high resolution for content (after mounting on slot grids and staining with uranyl and lead) by phase contrast light microscopy (LM; Figs 1-2).

Associated microflora of medicinal ferns: biotechnological potentials and possible applications

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (03) ◽  
pp. 4927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubhi Srivastava ◽  
Paul A. K.
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
In Vitro Production ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi

Plant associated microorganisms that colonize the upper and internal tissues of roots, stems, leaves and flowers of healthy plants without causing any visible harmful or negative effect on their host. Diversity of microbes have been extensively studied in a wide variety of vascular plants and shown to promote plant establishment, growth and development and impart resistance against pathogenic infections. Ferns and their associated microbes have also attracted the attention of the scientific communities as sources of novel bioactive secondary metabolites. The ferns and fern alleles, which are well adapted to diverse environmental conditions, produce various secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, phenols, triterpenoid compounds, variety of amino acids and fatty acids along with some unique metabolites as adaptive features and are traditionally used for human health and medicine. In this review attention has been focused to prepare a comprehensive account of ethnomedicinal properties of some common ferns and fern alleles. Association of bacteria and fungi in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere and endosphere of these medicinally important ferns and their interaction with the host plant has been emphasized keeping in view their possible biotechnological potentials and applications. The processes of host-microbe interaction leading to establishment and colonization of endophytes are less-well characterized in comparison to rhizospheric and phyllospheric microflora. However, the endophytes are possessing same characteristics as rhizospheric and phyllospheric to stimulate the in vivo synthesis as well as in vitro production of secondary metabolites with a wide range of biological activities such as plant growth promotion by production of phytohormones, siderophores, fixation of nitrogen, and phosphate solubilization. Synthesis of pharmaceutically important products such as anticancer compounds, antioxidants, antimicrobials, antiviral substances and hydrolytic enzymes could be some of the promising areas of research and commercial exploitation.

In vivo survival of transferred sheep embryos following puncture of the zona pellucida and in vitro culture

1994 ◽  
Vol 35 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A. Pugh ◽  
J.G. Thompson ◽  
K. Logan ◽  
H.R. Tervit
Keyword(s):  
In Vitro Culture ◽  
Zona Pellucida

scholarly journals SIMILARITY OF THE KINETICS OF INVERTASE ACTION IN VIVO AND IN VITRO. II

1932 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Wilkes ◽  
Elizabeth T. Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Activity ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Intracellular Enzyme ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Kinetics Of

1. The pH-activity relationship of invertase has been studied in vivo and in vitro under identical external environmental conditions. 2. The effect of changing (H+) upon the sucroclastic activity of living cells of S. cerevisiae and of invertase solutions obtained therefrom has been found, within experimental error, to be identical. 3. The region of living yeast cells in which invertase exerts its physiological activity changes its pH freely and to the same extent as that of the suspending medium. It is suggested that this may indicate that this intracellular enzyme may perform its work somewhere in the outer region of the cell. 4. In using live cells containing maltase, no evidence of increased sucroclastic activity around pH 6.9, due to the action of Weidenhagen's α-glucosidase (maltase), was found.

An Insight into Novel Sperm Cell Proteins as Bio-markers for Male Infertility: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naina Kumar ◽  
Namit Kant Singh
Keyword(s):  
Male Infertility ◽  
Sperm Motility ◽  
Zona Pellucida ◽  
English Language ◽  
Semen Analysis ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sperm Dna Damage ◽  
Sperm Proteins

: Male infertility is rising now-a-days and accounts for major part of infertility cases worldwide. Novel tests are being developed for better detection and management of male infertility. Though there are many tests available for diagnosing male infertility like acrosome reaction rate, hemizona assay, in vivo or in vitro sperm penetration assay, sperm DNA damage tests, but semen analysis is most commonly used initial test for male infertility. It is usually associated with failure to detect cause in many cases, as seminal composition gets affected by a number of factors and can give false reports. Furthermore, it does not give any information about defects in capacitation, sperm Zona Pellucida interaction and sperm’s ability to fertilize oocytes. This results in failure of detection and delayed management of male infertility. Hence, the present review was conducted to identify various sperm proteins that play significant role in spermatogenesis, sperm motility, sperm-Zona Pellucida interaction and fertilization. These proteins can be used in future as markers of male infertility and will aid in better detection and management of male infertility. Methodology: Search for literature was made from 1970 to 2020 from various databases like PUBMED, SCOPUS, Google Scholar on sperm proteins and their role in male fertility using keywords: “sperm protein as bio-markers”, “novel sperm proteins as markers of infertility”, “Sperm proteins essential for capacitation, sperm motility and oocyte fertilization”. Inclusion criteria: All full-length research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analysis or abstracts on sperm proteins and male infertility published in English language in peer-reviewed journals were considered.

scholarly journals Post-embedding colloidal gold immunolocalization of laminin to the lamina rara interna, lamina densa, and lamina rara externa of renal glomerular basement membranes.

1986 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 847-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
D R Abrahamson
Keyword(s):  
Colloidal Gold ◽  
Basement Membranes ◽  
Lamina Densa ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Gold Particles ◽  
Rabbit Igg ◽  
Gold Immunolocalization ◽  
Lowicryl K4m

Ultrastructural distribution of laminin within renal glomerular (GBM) and tubular basement membranes (TBM) was investigated using post-embedding immunolocalization with colloidal gold. Rat kidneys were fixed with 4% formaldehyde and embedded at 4 degrees C in Lowicryl K4M medium. Thin sections were then sequentially treated with affinity-purified rabbit anti-laminin IgG and anti-rabbit IgG conjugated to 10 nm diameter colloidal gold. Gold bound specifically to the GBM and TBM with particle densities of 690/micron2 and 731/micron2, respectively. In the GBM, the number of gold particles bound/micron2 of lamina densa greater than lamina rara externa greater than lamina rara interna. Closely similar binding patterns were found when kidneys were fixed with 0.5% glutaraldehyde plus 3% formaldehyde and embedded at 60 degrees C in L.R. White resin, but slightly less gold bound to sections overall than that seen with formaldehyde alone and Lowicryl. Taken together, these results illustrate that anti-laminin IgG, whether applied to fixed sections in vitro or introduced in vivo, bound to the lamina rara interna, lamina densa, and lamina rara externa of the GBM and throughout the TBM.

scholarly journals Absence of the Macrophage Mannose Receptor in Mice Does Not Increase Susceptibility to Pneumocystis carinii Infection In Vivo

2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 6213-6221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve D. Swain ◽  
Sena J. Lee ◽  
Michel C. Nussenzweig ◽  
Allen G. Harmsen
Keyword(s):  
Pneumocystis Carinii ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Mannose Receptor ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Macrophage Mannose Receptor

ABSTRACT Host defense against the opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis carinii requires functional interactions of many cell types. Alveolar macrophages are presumed to be a vital host cell in the clearance of P. carinii, and the mechanisms of this interaction have come under scrutiny. The macrophage mannose receptor is believed to play an important role as a receptor involved in the binding and phagocytosis of P. carinii. Although there is in vitro evidence for this interaction, the in vivo role of this receptor in P. carinii clearance in unclear. Using a mouse model in which the mannose receptor has been deleted, we found that the absence of this receptor is not sufficient to allow infection by P. carinii in otherwise immunocompetent mice. Furthermore, when mice were rendered susceptible to P. carinii by CD4+ depletion, mannose receptor knockout mice (MR-KO) had pathogen loads equal to those of wild-type mice. However, the MR-KO mice exhibited a greater influx of phagocytes into the alveoli during infection. This was accompanied by increased pulmonary pathology in the MR-KO mice, as well as greater accumulation of glycoproteins in the alveoli (glycoproteins, including harmful hydrolytic enzymes, are normally cleared by the mannose receptor). We also found that the surface expression of the mannose receptor is not downregulated during P. carinii infection in wild-type mice. Our findings suggest that while the macrophage mannose receptor may be important in the recognition of P. carinii, in vivo, this mechanism may be redundant, and the absence of this receptor may be compensated for.

Immunomodulation by 17β-estradiol in bivalve hemocytes

2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (3) ◽  
pp. R664-R673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Canesi ◽  
Caterina Ciacci ◽  
Lucia Cecilia Lorusso ◽  
Michele Betti ◽  
Tiziana Guarnieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Hydrolytic Enzymes ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Estrogen Receptor Α ◽  
Nitrite Accumulation ◽  
No Production ◽  
17Β Estradiol

In mammals, estrogens have dose- and cell-type-specific effects on immune cells and may act as pro- and anti-inflammatory stimuli, depending on the setting. In the bivalve mollusc Mytilus, the natural estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2) has been shown to affect neuroimmune functions. We have investigated the immunomodulatory role of E2 in Mytilus hemocytes, the cells responsible for the innate immune response. E2 at 5–25 nM rapidly stimulated phagocytosis and oxyradical production in vitro; higher concentrations of E2 inhibited phagocytosis. E2-induced oxidative burst was prevented by the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-l-arginine and superoxide dismutase, indicating involvement of NO and O2−; NO production was confirmed by nitrite accumulation. The effects of E2 were prevented by the antiestrogen tamoxifen and by specific kinase inhibitors, indicating a receptor-mediated mechanism and involvement of p38 MAPK and PKC. E2 induced rapid and transient increases in the phosphorylation state of PKC, as well as of a aCREB-like (cAMP responsive element binding protein) transcription factor, as indicated by Western blot analysis with specific anti-phospho-antibodies. Localization of estrogen receptor-α- and -β-like proteins in hemocytes was investigated by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. The effects of E2 on immune function were also investigated in vivo at 6 and 24 h in hemocytes of E2-injected mussels. E2 significantly affected hemocyte lysosomal membrane stability, phagocytosis, and extracellular release of hydrolytic enzymes: lower concentrations of E2 resulted in immunostimulation, and higher concentrations were inhibitory. Our data indicate that the physiological role of E2 in immunomodulation is conserved from invertebrates to mammals.

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