Sprouty was originally identified as an inhibitor of Drosophila FGF receptor signaling during tracheal development. By following the capacity of ectopic Sprouty to abolish the pattern of activated MAP kinase in embryos, we show that Sprouty can inhibit other receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling pathways, namely the Heartless FGF receptor and the EGF receptor. Similarly, in wing imaginal dis...

Females are born with a finite number of primordial follicles. 4-Vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) is a metabolite formed by epoxidation of 4-vinylcyclohexene (VCH) via its two monoepoxides 1,2- and 7,8-4-vinylcyclohexene monoepoxide (VCM). VCD specifically destroys small preantral (primordial and small primary) follicles in the rodent ovary. The phase I enzyme, cytochrome P450 isoform 2E1 (CYP2...

BACKGROUND The mammalian ovary is controlled by a number of biological rhythms, which regulate the recruitment and release of mature oocytes. The main objective of this study was to investigate the role of cellular clock proteins during follicle maturation in the mouse estrous ovary. METHODS Immunohistochemical (IHC) studies were performed on ovaries from 50 estrous staged mice culled at two ...

A cDNA for a prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) receptor subtype 4, EP4b (Ptger4b), was cloned from the medaka ovary. The effect of PGE(2) was examined using COS-7 cells expressing the recombinant Ptger4b protein. An increase in intracellular cAMP levels was observed when the cells were incubated with PGE(2), but the increase in cAMP levels was nullified by the addition of the EP4 antagonist GW627368X...

More than half of the primordial follicles that are formed by Day 6 of postnatal life in the mouse will be eliminated from the ovary by the time of puberty. Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is one mechanism by which these follicles could be actively lost. To investigate whether apoptosis is responsible for the loss of primordial follicles, follicular atresia was examined during the p...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study reported here was to investigate the protective effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (GnRHa) against cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced gonadotoxicity. METHODS Eighty Fischer 344 rats were divided randomly into four groups (20 per group). One group received normal saline, one GnRHa, one CTX, and one GnRHa+CTX. Several parameters were used to observe the o...

Background: Ovarian torsion is an important gynecological emergency and various agents are used in the experimental phase to prevent ovarian injury. The aim of this study was determine effect granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) use on ischemia/reperfusion injury torsion/detorsion model rat ovary. Methods: Twenty-eight Wistar-albino rats were randomly divided into four groups. first gr...

The ovarian follicle is a major site of steroidogenesis, crucially required for normal ovarian function and female reproduction. Our understanding of androgen synthesis and metabolism in the developing follicle has been limited by the sensitivity and specificity issues of previously used assays. Here we used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to map the stage-dependent endogenous st...

This study was to investigate the localization and distribution of eosinophils (EOS) in the bovine oviduct throughout the estrous cycle. Histological studies revealed more abundant EOS in the infundibula of the oviducts ipsilateral to the preovulatory dominant follicle and the ovulated ovary. The number of EOS was higher in the infundibula of the oviducts ipsilateral to the ovulated ovary than ...

Ovarian follicle formation in Drosophila melanogaster requires stall (stl) gene function, both within and outside the ovary, for follicle individualization, stalk cell intercalation, and oocyte localization. We have identified the stl transcript as CG3622 and confirmed the presence of three alternatively spliced isoforms, contrary to current genome annotation. Here we show that the gene is expr...