Meiotic initiation by the mos protein in Xenopus.

When fully grown Xenopus oocytes are stimulated by progesterone, a period of protein synthesis is necessary for maturation. Synthesis of the mos proto-oncogene product, pp39mos, is necessary for the activation of M-phase promoting factor (MPF) in meiosis I. On the basis that mos is translated de novo on hormonal stimulation of Xenopus oocytes and that injecting mos RNA into oocytes induces their maturation, we have proposed that the mos protein is a candidate initiator of oocyte maturation, needed to trigger the conversion of precursor MPF into its active form. To determine whether mos is the only protein required for initiating maturation, we have produced a soluble, active recombinant mos protein and injected it into Xenopus oocytes. We report here that in the absence of protein synthesis that mos protein efficiently induces germinal vesicle breakdown and the activation of MPF. The oocytes, however, do not proceed into meiosis II. Thus, the mos protein fulfills the requirements of an initiator protein, but the synthesis of one or more additional proteins may be necessary to complete oocyte maturation.     

Specific proteolysis of the c-mos proto-oncogene product by calpain on fertilization of Xenopus eggs

The Xenopus c-mos proto-oncogene product, pp39mos, accumulates in the unfertilized egg during maturation, is hyperphosphorylated and exhibits protein kinase activity. On fertilization, or soon after the completion of meiosis, the accumulated pp39mos undergoes selective proteolysis. Using an in vitro protease assay system, we show here that this specific proteolysis is caused by the calcium-dependent cysteine protease, calpain.     

The c-mos proto-oncogene product is a cytostatic factor responsible for meiotic arrest in vertebrate eggs

The c-mos proto-oncogene product, pp39mos, is present in unfertilized Xenopus eggs, and disappears on fertilization. Microinjection of synthetic mos RNA into two-cell embryos induces cleavage arrest at metaphase. By contrast, egg cytosol extracts, when immunodepleted of endogenous pp39mos, lose their cleavage-arresting activity in injected embryos. These results demonstrate that Mos protein is the cytostatic factor CSF, long known as an endogenous meiotic inhibitor in vertebrate eggs.     

Cdc6 synthesis regulates replication competence in Xenopus oocytes

The early division cycles of an embryo rely on the oocyte's ability to replicate DNA. During meiosis, oocytes temporarily lose this ability. After a single round of pre-meiotic S-phase, oocytes enter meiosis and rapidly arrest at prophase of meiosis I (G2). Upon hormonal stimulation, arrested oocytes resume meiosis, re-establish DNA replication competence in meiosis I shortly after germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), but repress replication until fertilization. How oocytes lose and regain replication competence during meiosis are important questions underlying the production of functional gametes. Here we show that the inability of immature Xenopus oocytes to replicate is linked to the absence of the Cdc6 protein and the cytoplasmic localization of other initiation proteins. Injection of Cdc6 protein into immature oocytes does not induce DNA replication. However, injection of Cdc6 into oocytes undergoing GVBD is sufficient to induce DNA replication in the absence of protein synthesis. Our results show that GVBD and Cdc6 synthesis are the only events that limit the establishment of the oocyte's replication competence during meiosis.     

牛体外受精技术研究的现状与展望

系统综述了牛体外受精技术研究的现状及存在的问题．并对今后的研究方向和前景提出了展望。牛卵母细胞可在不含血清的成熟培养液中获得受精及胚胎发育能力，促卵泡素、促黄体素及上皮细胞生长因子均对这一过程具促进作用。肝素是迄今最为有效的精子获能处理方法，但在受精过程中对精子获能起决定作用的是卵丘细胞和卵母细胞本身。提高受精质量可明显提高受精卵的胚胎发育能力。体外受精卵可通过改善培养条件或与体细胞进行复合培养发育到囊胚阶段．但后者更为稳定可靠。目前，牛卵母细胞的体外受精分裂率可达８０％，囊胚发育率达４０％左右．两枚鲜胚的移植妊娠率可达５０％～６０％．而两枚冻胚的移植妊娠率仅３０％～５０％。因此，尚需进一步提高体外受精胚胎的活力和改进胚胎的冷冻保存技术。     

罗氏沼虾(Macrobrachium rosenbergii)卵子发生的细胞化学研究

本研究应用细胞化学方法研究了罗氏沼虾卵子发生过程中主要生物大分子的变化。从卵原细胞到卵母细胞的发育过程中，核酸逐渐分散，蛋白质大量沉积。尽管卵原细胞和卵黄发生前的卵母细胞中，PAS和苏丹黑反应为阴性，但随着卵母细胞被滤泡细胞包围，这两种反应阳性物质在卵母细胞质中大量出现，似乎表明滤泡细胞可以向卵母细胞提供糖类和脂类或能构成糖类、脂类的物质。成熟卵子内含有大量蛋白质、糖类和脂类，为此后的胚胎发育作好了准备。     

A contractile nuclear actin network drives chromosome congression in oocytes

Chromosome capture by microtubules is widely accepted as the universal mechanism of spindle assembly in dividing cells. However, the observed length of spindle microtubules and computer simulations of spindle assembly predict that chromosome capture is efficient in small cells, but may fail in cells with large nuclear volumes such as animal oocytes. Here we investigate chromosome congression during the first meiotic division in starfish oocytes. We show that microtubules are not sufficient for capturing chromosomes. Instead, chromosome congression requires actin polymerization. After nuclear envelope breakdown, we observe the formation of a filamentous actin mesh in the nuclear region, and find that contraction of this network delivers chromosomes to the microtubule spindle. We show that this mechanism is essential for preventing chromosome loss and aneuploidy of the egg--a leading cause of pregnancy loss and birth defects in humans.     

体外培养绵羊卵母细胞核质成熟的研究

实验通过研究卵母细胞的核相及皮层颗粒的分布,探讨按照卵泡大小和卵丘细胞层多少分类后的不同绵羊卵母细胞在体外培养过程中的核质成熟情况,结果表明：（１）小卵泡卵经体外２４ｈ后的核质成熟率分别为４５．９％和２８．２％,远低于大（９３．５％,６６．７％）、中（８５．１％,５１．０％）两类卵泡卵,２）大卵泡卵在体外培养２０ｈ已完成核质成熟,较中等卵泡提前４ｈ。３）ｇｋｐｈｅ ３ｎｆｃ ｃ ｈ ｇｃｆｔ ｐｎ     

中华蟾蜍卵巢性类固醇激素受体的免疫细胞化学研究

为探讨两栖动物卵巢内不同性类固醇激素受体在卵子发育中的调控作用.采用免疫细胞化学方法,对中华蟾蜍不同发育时期卵泡中的雌激素受体、孕激素受体和雄激素受体进行了定位检测.结果发现,三种受体在不同发育时期的卵泡中均有阳性反应:雌激素受体在卵黄合成期和卵黄合成后期的滤泡细胞表达为强阳性,在卵母细胞胞质和核膜中呈弱阳性反应;孕激素受体在卵黄合成早期的滤泡细胞和卵母细胞质、核膜中表达均较弱,在卵黄合成后期表达均增强;雄激素受体在卵黄合成早期的滤泡细胞和卵母细胞胞质、核膜中表达也均较弱,在卵黄合成后期卵母细胞胞质和核膜中表达略有增强.     

猪卵母细胞体外成熟培养时间及去核方法的研究

对不同体外成熟培养时间的猪卵母细胞进行盲吸法去核及利用脱羧秋水仙碱(DC)和放线菌酮(CHX)的化学诱导法去核效率进行了比较研究.用盲吸法去核,体外成熟培养(IVM)39~41 h组卵母细胞去核率与IVM 36~38 h组差异显著(P<0.05),与42~44 h组差异不明显(P>0.05),但3组显著高于IVM 45~48 h组(P<0.05).化学诱导法去核结果,IVM 42~44 h组去核率最高,但与IVM 39~41 h组差异不显著(P>0.05),其他各组间均差异显著(P<0.05).在相同的体外成熟培养时间内,盲吸法的去核率比化学诱导法的去核率要高.猪卵母细胞IVM在39~44 h内去核率较高,且盲吸法去核效率高于化学诱导去核.     

醇羟基保护试剂的初步研究

本文根据醇羟基能与烷化剂和酰化剂反应，也能与其他亲电试剂作用的特点，分析了要使分子中其他位置的官能团起反应时，将醇羟基保护起来的方法，对醚类，酯类及三甲基硅类中最常用的试剂的合成方法，保护原理及应用方向进行了探讨，以期为更深入地研究提供相关的依据。     

精子和酒精对小鼠卵母细胞激活的比较

对不同卵龄的小鼠卵母细胞被精子和酒精激活后的激活率进行了比较。结果显示,卵母细胞对常规的体外受精和酒精的人工激活的激活率存在卵龄的差异。注射hCG后15～24h的卵母细胞容易被酒精的人工刺激所激活,20h卵龄的卵母细胞激活率最高,平均为81．6％,且速即卵裂率也最高,平均为48％,卵龄更大的卵母细胞激活率降低,而13h的卵母细胞难以被酒精激活。另一方面,13～15h的卵母细胞容易被精子激活而受精,卵龄较大的卵母细胞在体外难以被精子激活受精。这表明,精子和酒精对卵母细胞的激活机制有所不同。     

Drosophila nurse cells produce a posterior signal required for embryonic segmentation and polarity

The segmental pattern of insect embryos depends on influences from morphogenetic centres near each of the egg poles. In Drosophila, maternal effect mutations are known that impair the normal function of each centre. Injection of wild-type cytoplasm into mutant eggs has revealed that morphogenetic signals localized at the anterior and posterior pole of eggs can be transplanted. We show here that these activities can also be detected during oogenesis. Posterior activity can be recovered at an early stage (stage 10, ref. 5) from the oocyte-nurse cell complex, but anterior activity can only be detected in the mature oocytes (stage 14). We conclude that the bicoid-dependent anterior signal, although produced by the nurse cells, does not become active before it is localized to the anterior egg pole, whereas posterior activity can be detected in the nurse cells before, and therefore independently of, its localization to the posterior egg pole.     

Roles of MAP kinase signaling pathway in oocyte meiosis

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a family of Ser/Thr protein kinases expressed widely in eukaryotic cells. MAPK is activated by a cascade of protein kinase phosphorylation and plays pivotal roles in regulating meiosis process in oocytes. As an important physical substrate of MAPK, p90^rsk mediates numerous MAPK functions. MAPK was activated at G2/M transition during meiosis. Its activity reached the peak at MⅠ stage and maintained at this level until the time before the pronuclear formation after fertilization. There is complex interplay between MAPK and MPF in the meiosis regulation. Furthermore, other intracellular signal transducers, such as cAMP, protein kinase C and protein phosphotase, ect., also regulated the activity of MAPK at different stages during meiosis in oocytes. In the present article, the roles of MAPK signaling pathway in oocyte meiosis are reviewed and discussed.     

Sources of cumulus expansion enabling factor (CEEF) in porcine follicles

It was shown that expansion of porcine cumulus did not depend on oocyte-secreted factor(s), and it is therefore presumed that porcine CEEF may not be produced exclusively by the oocyte. In this experiment, we used mouse oocytectomized complexes (OOX), which were incapable of CEEF production, to assess the secretion of CEEF by evacuated zona, oocytes of different quality and somatic cells in the porcine follicles. The results showed that: (ⅰ) Evacuated zonae from both porcine and mouse oocytes did not produce CEEF. (ⅱ) Porcine oocytes of A, B and C types from 3—6 mm follicles were not significantly different in both production and activity of CEEF. (ⅲ) Both porcine OOX from 3—6 mm follicles and granulose cells from < 1 mm follicles secreted CEEF in a large quantity, independent of gonadotropins; mural granulose cells from 3—6 mm follicles, however, produced neglectable amount of CEEF. (ⅳ) The follicular fluid from 3—6 mm porcine follicles contained CEEF activity that was concentration-dependent, and thus it enabled cumulus expansion in 60% mouse OOX when used at 10% of concentration, but the expansion rate of mouse OOX decreased to 9% when the concentration was increased to 50%. (ⅴ) Mouse OOX cultured in porcine CEEF-containing M199 expanded only in the presence of gonadotropins, suggesting that the activity of porcine CEEF is hormone-dependent.     

调整时差对昆明小鼠排卵的影响

为了研究调整时差对排卵数量的影响,为需要调整时差生活的人们提供生殖健康理论基础,以时差调整的时机和时长为因素,以昆明小白鼠为实验材料设计了四组实验,统计分析了上述因素对排卵数量的影响。结果表明时差调整2 h左右不会影响排卵数量,时差调整12 h左右,会导致排卵数量减少。并且排卵启动时调整时差,对排卵数量影响不大,而排卵启动后12 h再调整时差,会减少排卵数量。     

Birth of parthenogenetic mice that can develop to adulthood

Only mammals have relinquished parthenogenesis, a means of producing descendants solely from maternal germ cells. Mouse parthenogenetic embryos die by day 10 of gestation. Bi-parental reproduction is necessary because of parent-specific epigenetic modification of the genome during gametogenesis. This leads to unequal expression of imprinted genes from the maternal and paternal alleles. However, there is no direct evidence that genomic imprinting is the only barrier to parthenogenetic development. Here we show the development of a viable parthenogenetic mouse individual from a reconstructed oocyte containing two haploid sets of maternal genome, derived from non-growing and fully grown oocytes. This development was made possible by the appropriate expression of the Igf2 and H19 genes with other imprinted genes, using mutant mice with a 13-kilobase deletion in the H19 gene as non-growing oocytes donors. This full-term development is associated with a marked reduction in aberrantly expressed genes. The parthenote developed to adulthood with the ability to reproduce offspring. These results suggest that paternal imprinting prevents parthenogenesis, ensuring that the paternal contribution is obligatory for the descendant.     

蟋蟀（Scapsipedus micado saussure）雌性生殖系统结构和卵子发生

蟋蟀的雌性生殖系统主要由一对卵巢,一对输卵管,一个生殖腔和一个受精囊组成。卵巢黄色,由约50根卵巢管组成。卵巢管属无滋式,主要由原卵区和卵黄区组成。卵子发生的动态是：一龄期,卵巢管仅具一些卵原细胞;二－四龄期,卵母细胞的体积迅速增大,开始逐步沉积卵黄;五龄期,卵母细胞中卵黄沉积结束,胚泡膜破裂,其中的细胞核达成熟分裂期,成熟的卵子冲破卵管塞进入输卵管,残留的卵泡细胞则退化解体,不形成黄体。