Prolactin (PRL) surge in cycling rats at proestrous afternoon has previously been reported as an inducer of apoptotic cell death of luteal cells. This death-inducing action of PRL seeins unusual, because PRL can he categorized as a cell-survival factor, if other known physiological functions of PRL are taken into account. In this study, the apoptotic action of PRL was assessed in cultured cells prepared from rat luteal tissue and underlying molecular /cellular mechanism of PRL-induced luteolysis was analyzed. The latest crop of corpora lutea (CLs) were enucleated from rat ovaries at 18:00 h on the proestrous day before the next ovulation. Donor rats were pretreated with CB154, a dopamine agonist, in order to he exempted from the endogenous PRL surge. The harvested GLs were dispersed and cultured with or without PRL (2g /ml) for 24 or 48 h. An addition of PRL to the culture medium changed the parameters indicative of cell death via apoptosis: a decrease in cell viability (MTT) and an increase in chromatin condensation. Most of the DNA breakdown in nuclei induced by PRL occurred in steroidogenic cells which were identified by 3-HSD activity staining, and the number of 3-HSD-positivecells were significantly decreased. Interestingly, most of the cells with an apoptotic nucleus adhered to one or more intact and seemingly non-steroidogenic cells. Because the expression of Fas has heen shown to be abundant in murine ovary, and Fas is known to have an exact physiological role in occurrence of apoptotic cell death, the membrane form-Fas ligand (rnFasL) was quantified in the cell lysate. An addition of PRL increased expression of mFasL. Moreover, an addition of concanavalin A (ConA), a T-cell specific activator, in place of PRL, enhanced the apoptotic parameters. Cumulatively, the apoptotic PRL action was addressed to cells unknown than steroidogenic lute~ cells. The most prohable candidate for the direct target cells is Tcells in the luteal tissue that can express mFasL in response to PRL.

The embryogenesis stimulating activity(ESA) had been shown in co-culture of embryos with bovine oviduct epithelial cell(BOEC) and culture in BOEG-conditioned medium. The present study was undertaken to purify and quantify the embryotropic proteins and to determine the optimum concentration of the embryotropic protein for the proper development of embryos. In BOEC-conditioned medium, five major bands of proteins were detected(66, 53, 40, 32 and 24 kDa) by SDS-PAGE. From these proteins, 288pg of protein that had a 32kDa molecular weight was purified by gel filtration column and perfusion chromatography ion-exchange column. When purified protein was supplemented to the in vitro culture media at various concentrations in protein-free media, 2.5g /ml supplement group showed significantly higher rates of embryo development into morula /blastocyst stages than other groups(p<0.05). In conclusion, we purified 32kDa protein from BOEC-conditioned medium and this protein showed optimum embryogenesis stimulating effect at 2.5g /ml.

실험1. 난구-난자 복합체(CIO)와 나화난자(DO)의 성숙배양 개시후 3~24시간 동안 각각의 난자에 행성숙 진행상태를 Hㅐㄷ촌ㅅ 33342로 염색하여 관찰하였다. GV기는 성북배양 개시후 3시간에 GVBD기는 6시간에, MI기는 13시간에, AnaI-Tel I 기는 16시간만에, M II기는 24시간에 각각 관찰되었으며, CIO와 DO에 있어 각각의 핵성숙 진행 비율의 차이는 인정되지 않았다. 실험2. 실험 1에서 결정된 각각의 핵성숙 시간에 CIO

홍삼의 추출물인 50% ethanol extract, crude saponin, 그리고 lipid soluble fraction이 마우스 대식세포의 oxidative burst를 유발할 수 있는지 여부를 알아보고자 in vitro와 in vivo에 각각의 추출물을 처치하고 hydrogen peroxide 생산을 DCFH-DA를 이용한 형광분광광도법으로 측정하였다. 형광분광법에 의한 hydrogen peroxide의 측정을 최적화하기 위한 DCFH-DA의 농도는 3.2 μM이었고, oxidative burst를 유발하지 못하였지만, zymosan A로 유발한 경우에는 50% ethanol extract에서 가장 높은 hydrogen peroxide를 생산하였다. In vivo 실험에서는, lipid soluble extract에서만 유의하게 증가한(P<0.01) oxidative burst를 유발하였고, ginsenoside(saponin)가 어느 정도 포함되어 있는 50% ethanol extract와 crude saponin은 대조군에 비하여 유의하게 낮은(P<0.05) hydrogen peroxide를 생산하였다. 이는 ginsenoside가 마우스의 nitric oxide 생산을 억제한다는 다른 연구자들의 보고와 일치하는 결과이다. Oxidative burst를 유발한 lipid soluble extract에는 phenol계 화합물, polyacetylene계 화합물, 미량선분 등이 함유되어 있으므로 차후 연구를 통하여 과연 어느 성분이 hydrogen peroxide를 증가시키는지를 규명하는 것이 필요하다.

The aims of this study are to establish a stable isolation method of blastomeres from bovine early embryos and examine their developmental potential in vitro Early embryos were produced by maturation and fertilizaion in vitro of bovine follicular oocytes. Blastomeres were isolated from 2~8-cell embryos in +-, +-free PBS+EDTA after removing the zonae pellucidae Isolated blastomeres were cultured in CZB containing BOEC for upto 240 hpi. Cleavage rates of them were 18.5%(10 /54) in 1 /2 blastomeres, 33.3%(16/48) in 1/4 blastomeres and 34.2%(14 /41) in 1/8 blastomeres, respectively. The rates of blastocystic vesicle formed were 8.7%(4 /46) in 1/2 blastomeres, 26.6% (17/64) in 1/4 blastomeres and 10.3%(8 /78) in 1/8 blastomeres, respectively. Blastomeres developed into various types of blastocystic vesicles and trophoblastic vesicles as evidenced by the Hoechst 33258 staining and morphology. This results suggest that the isolation method used and subsequent culture of isolated blastomeres from bovine early embryos should be useful to obtain extra embryonic cells for various analyses such as PCR and putative ES cell culture.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of thiol compounds, -mercaptoethanol(-ME) and cystearrone with buffalo rat liver cell(BRLC) co-culture on the development and intracellular glutathione(GSH) concentrations of bovine embryos produced by in vitro inaturation(IVM) and in vitro fertilization(IVF). Bovine IVM /IVF embryos developed to 2~8 cell stage were co-cultured with BRLC in GRlaa with or without thiol compounds. The developmental rate beyond morulae stage in CRlaa containing 0, 10,25 and 50M -ME with BRLG were 63.0, 74.0, 72.3 and 77.1%, respectively. And the developmental rate with 0, 25, 50 and 75M cystearnine with BRLC were 69.6, 77.6, 81.0 and 76.8%, respectively. The developmental rate beyond morulae stage of GRlaa containing thiol compound with BRLG group was higher than that of control group. The intracellular GSH concentrations of blastocysts cultured for 5 days in GRlaa containing 0 and 50M -ME or cysteamine with BRLG were 81.2 and 86.4, 83.2 and 84.2pM, respectively. The intracellular GSH concentrations of blastocysts in GRlaa containing thiol compounds with BRLG was slightly higher than that of control group The cell numbers of blastocysts were not difference in all experimental groups. These results indicate that thiol compounds with BRLG co-culture was increased the percentage of developed into morulae and blastocysts, and intracellular GSII concentrations of blastocysts embryos.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of thiol compounds with bovine oviduct epithlial crlls(BOEC) co culture on development and intracellular glutathione(GSH) concentrations of bovine embryos derived from IVM /IVF oocytes. In experiment 1 and 2, embryos developed to 2~8 cell stage after in vitro fertilization were co-cultured with BOEC in CRaa with or without -mercaptoethanol(-ME) and cysteamine. The percentage of embryos that developed to morulae and blastocysts in 0,10, 25 and 5OM -ME with BOEC was 48.1, 64.0, 72.9 and 75.9%, respectively. Twenty-five and 5OM -ME groups were significantly higher than in 0 and 1OM - -ME groups(PM cysteamine with BOEC was 50.0, 53.2, 72.0 and 66.7%, respectively. Fifty M cysteamine group was significantly higher than any other groups (Paa with 0 and 5OM -ME or cysteamine were 68.5, 77.8, 78.7 and 80.0pM, respectively. Fifty M -ME group was significantly higher than that of control(P<0.05), but cysteamine group was not. Cell numbers of blastocysts were not difference in all experimental groups. These experiments indicate that -ME and cysteamine with BOEC co-culture can affect the development and intracellular GSH concentrations of bovine embryos produced by IVM /IVF docytes.

To improve the efficiency of production of cloned embryos and animals by nuclear transplantation in the rabbit, the effect of cell cycle of donor nuclei and type of recipient cytoplasm on the in vitro developmental potential and production efficiency of offspring was determined. The embryos of 16-cell stage were collected from the mated does at 48h post-hCG injection and they were synchronized to G phase of 32-cell stage. The oocytes collected at 14h post-hCG injection were freed from cumulus cells and then enucleated. One group of the enucleated cytoplasms was activated by electrical stimulation prior to injection of donor nucleus, and the other group was not pre-activated. The separated Gphase blastomeres of 32-cell stage embryos were injected into the perivitelline space of recipient cytoplasms. After culture for 20h post-hCG injection, the nuclear transplant oocytes were electrofused and activated by electrical stimulation and the fused nuclear transplant embryos were co-cultured for 120h and the nuclear transplant embryos developed to blastocyst stage were stained with Hoechst 33342 dye and their blastomeres were counted. Some of the nuclear transplant embryos developed in vitro to 2- to 4-cell stage were transferred into the oviducts of synchronized recipient does. The electrofusion rate was similar between the types of donor nuclei and recipient cytoplasms used. However, the nuclear transplant embryos using G phase donor nuclei were developed to blastocyst at higher rate(60.3%) than those using S phase ones(24.7%). Also, when non-preactivated oocytes were used as recipient cytplasms, the develop-mental rates of nuclear transplant embryos to blastocysts were significantly(P< 0.05) higher(57.1%) than those using preactivated ones(20.8%). The cell counts of nuclear transplant embryos developed to blastosyst stage were increased signficantly(P<0.05) more in the non-preactivated recipient cytoplasm(163.7 cells), as compared whit the preactivated recipient cytoplasm(85.4 cells), A total of 49 nuclear transplant embryos were tranferrid into 5 recipient does, of which two offsprings were produced from a foster mother 31 days after embryo transfer. these results showed that the blastomeres of G1 phase and non-preactivated oocytes might be utillzed efficiently as donor nuclei and recipient cytoplasms in the nuclear transplant procedure, thought the offspring production remained still low.