1. The concentrations of Ang. II were 7.20.91 × 10³, 3.80.34 × 10³, 3.50.30 × 10³, 2.80.22 × 10³ pg/ml in bovine follicular fluids from 1∼3 mm, 3∼5 mm, 5∼7 mm and 8∼10 m follicles, respectively. The concentrations of Ang. II decreased in follicular fluids from large follicles. 2. When oocytes were cultured in media containing various concentrations of Ang. II, a higher proportion of oocytes developed to MII stage in medium with 100 ng/ml (79.5%) Ang II compare to that without Ang. II (58.8%). When oocytes from different sizes of follicles were separately cultured in media containing 100 ng/ml Ang. II, maturation rates were higher in oocytes from small and medium follicles those from controls. 3. GSH content in oocytes cultured for 24 hrs in TCM-199 medium containing 10 and 100 ng/ml of Ang. II was also higher than that of oocytes cultured in medium containing 0 or 10 ng/ml Ang. II. When oocytes were cultured in media containing 0, 10, 100, 1,000 ng/ml of Ang. II, the concentrations of GSH were 5.1M, 5.5M, 7.2M, 8.7M, respectively. 4. When oocytes were cultured in media containing various concentrations of 10, 100, 1,000 ng/ml Ang. II, in vitro maturation and developmental rates were 84.0%, 90.0%, 78.0% and 28.0%, 36.0%, 20.0%, respectively. When oocytes were cultured with an addition of Ang. II in media, in vitro maturation rates higher than that of their controls (76.0%).

본 실험은 원시난포의 체외배양 체계를 확립할 수 있는 가능성을 검토하기 위해 10일과 20일령 마우스의 난소에서 분리한 난포를 체외배양하여 난포의 형태변화, 난자의 성장를 및 난자의 핵성숙단계를 조사하여 비교하였다. 그 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 1. 10일령과 20일령의 마우스에서 분리한 난포는 배양 6일째부터 난포강이 형성되었다. 2. 10일령과 20일령 마우스의 난소에서 분리한 난포의 수는 평균 21.5와 33.3개였고, 배양하기 전에 투명대를

The advantages of the OPS techniques(Vajta G et al, Mol Reprod Dev 51: 53-58,1998) give 1) high survival rates of various types of eggs, 2) quick and simple process, 3) inexpensive equipment and reduced chilling injury. The efficiency of IVM/IVF technique in the porcine species is relatively lower than that obtained in other species such as ruminants. Two experiments were designed to investigate the effects of in-vitro fertilization of porcine oocytes matures using different OPS protocol for chilling and warming of vitrification. Porcine oocytes from ovaries collected at abattoir were matured for 44 hours in TCM199 Earle's salt supplemental with pyruvate, pff, L-cysteine, hormones and gentamycin. Oocytes were denuded and fertilized with frozen boar semen by common method. Porcine embryos produced routinely by in-vitro culture system of NCSU23 medium. The vitrification and the warming were conducted by OPS method with the glass micropipette instead of straw vessels and modified the protocol of G.Vajta(1999). In Exp 1, Chilling/Warming:Holding Medium(HM)+EG+DMSO/HM +sucrose Medium(SM) at 39 warm stage. In Exp 2, : PBS+CS+EG+Ficoll+ Trehalose/PBS+Trehalose at 25 stage. Filling, freezing, packing, thawing out and further culturing were performed to follow the basic protocol of G Vajta. During IVM-lVC and post-warming, fertilization parameter and developmental potential were compared to and statistically analysed. It was not significantly different from Exp 1 and Exp 2 but 25 of stage was slightly higher on the morula/blastocyst forming rate and better atmosphere for worker than that at 39 stage.

This study was carried out to compare the actual size(length and height) of ovaries, follicles and corpora lutea of Korean native cow with those on sonograms. We used 3 different probes(3.5 MHz abdominal probe, 6.5 MHz transvaginal probe and 5.0 MHz transrectal probe) and a calipher for measurements of ovaries, follicles and corpora lutea on sonograms and actual size. Under water immersion, 157 ovaries were scanned with 3 probes and measured in actual size and compared each other. The average height and width of ovaries of Korean native cows were 17.403.99 and 34.236.02mm, respectively. In comparison of height, length of ovaries and preovulation follicles, we found that image with a transvaginal probe was nearly the same as the actual size(p<0.01), but with an abdominal probe the image was appeared larger than the actual size. In measurement(diameter) of preovulation follicles the transvaginal probe was proven to be more accurate to the actual size than other probes and in corpus luteum measurement all probes were accurate. In the comparison of number of follicles by different size ranges, there was no statistical difference in the count of follicles over 10 mm in diameter between the transvaginal probe and naked eyes.

돼지난포란의 안정된 체외배양 체계를 위하여 도살장에서 재취된 난소로부터 난포 및 난자난구세포체의 혀태적인 선정기준을 설정하고 이의 이론적 배경을 확립하였다. 난소를 난포상태 및 분포나 황체 존재 여부에 따라 A,B 및 C 의 세 가지 형태로 분류하고 각 type의 난소에서 직경 3-5mm인 난포로부터 난포란을 회수하였다. 회수된 난포란을 난구세포 부착상태에 따라 Good, Fair 및 Poor 의 세 가지 형태로 분류하여 각각을 호르몬이 첨가된 M16+

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of fibroblast co-culture on in vitro maturation (IVM) of prepubertal mouse preantral follicles. The intact preantral follicles were obtained from the ovaries of 12－14 day old mice and these were cultured individually in α-minimal essential medium (α-MEM) supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 100 mIU/㎖ recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH), 1% insulin-transferrin-selenium, 100 μg/ml penicillin and 50 ㎍/㎖ streptomycin as base medium for 12 days. A total of 200 follicles were cultured in base medium co-cultured with mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) (MEF group) (n=100) or only base medium as control group (n=100). Survival rate of follicles on day 12 of culture were significantly higher in the MEF group of 90.0%, compared with 77.0% of the control group (p=0.021). Follicle diameters on day 6 and 8 of the culture period were significantly larger in the MEF group than those in the control group (p=0.021, p=0.007, respectively). Estradiol levels in culture media on day 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 of the culture period were significantly higher in the MEF group (p=0.043, p=0.021, p=0.006, p<0.001 and p=0.008, retrospectively). Our data suggest that MEF cell co-culture on IVM of mouse preantral follicle increases survival rate and promotes follicular growth and steroid production.

Soluble-NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins play a role in vesicle fusion, exocytosis, and intracellular trafficking in neuronal cells as well as in fertilization and embryogenesis. We investigated the expression patterns of two SNARE proteins, SNAP-25 and synaptotagmin VII (SytVII), and their regulation by pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) during mouse ovarian follicular development. Ovaries were obtained at 0, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h post-PMSG injection of immature mice. SNAP-25 and SytVII mRNA expression levels increased gradually in a time-dependant manner. However, protein levels revealed different patterns of expression, suggesting different translational regulation following PMSG stimulation. SNAP-25 and SytVII expression was closely associated with thickening of the granulosa cell (GC) layer and follicle morphological changes from a flattened to a cuboidal shape. To explore follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR)-mediated regulation of their expression, GCs from preantral follicles were cultured to examine the effects of FSHR siRNA knockdown. FSHR siRNA abolished upregulation of the SNAREs in both PMSG and FSH-stimulated GCs. This abolished gene expression was rescued by adding dibutyryl cyclic AMP to the cultures. These results suggest that SNAP-25 and SytVII expression is regulated via the FSHR-cAMP pathway during follicular development.

Mechanisms regulate the arrest and growth of the resting primordial follicles are very poorly understood. To elucidate genes involved in the early folliculogenesis, we conducted suppression subtractive hybridization using mRNA from day1 and day5 ovaries and selected weel for further analysis, since it was most frequent gene in the day1-subtracted cDNA library (1). Expression of weel and correlated components of the cell cycle machinery, such as cdc2, cyclin B1, cdc25C, and phosphorylated cdc2 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. In primordial follicles, expression of weel, cdcw, and cyclin B1 was cytoplasmic in oocytes, but phosphorylated cdc2 was weakly expressed in oocytes. While cdc25C expression was in ovarian somatic and in some theca cells. None of components was expressed in the pre-granulosa cells of the primordial follicles, while weel weakly, and cdc2 and cyclin B1 was strongly expressed in the granulosa cells of the growing follicles. Results from the present study suggest that 1) the mejotic arrest of the oocytes may not due to of cell cycle machinery, and 2) the weel may arrest meiosis by sequestering cdc2 and cyclin B1 in the cytoplasm by protein-protein interactions and/or by inhibitory phosphorylation.