Reproductive toxicity has been an exciting topic of research in reproductive biology in recent years. Soluble fluoride salts are toxic at high concentrations; their reproductive toxicity was assessed in this study by administering different fluoride salt concentrations to mice. Continuous feeding for five weeks resulted in damage to the histological architecture of ovaries. The expression of ge...

BACKGROUND The understanding of the mechanisms regulating human oocyte maturation is still rudimentary. We have identified transcripts differentially expressed between immature and mature oocytes and cumulus cells. METHODS Using oligonucleotide microarrays, genome-wide gene expression was studied in pooled immature and mature oocytes or cumulus cells from patients who underwent IVF. RESULTS...

New, quick, and inexpensive methods for genotyping novel caprine Fec gene polymorphisms through tetra-primer ARMS PCR were developed in the present investigation. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping needs to be attempted to establish association between the identified mutations and traits of economic importance. In the current study, we have successfully genotyped three new SNPs ide...

Oocyte-specific genes play important roles in regulating ovarian development, principally through the proper and timely progression of oogenesis and folliculogenesis. Development of transgenic mouse models has been critical in revealing how oocyte-specific transcripts influence oocyte development and growth, integrity of the oocyte-granulosa cell complex, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and e...

Granulosa cells (GCs) are essential somatic cells in the ovary and play an important role in folliculogenesis. Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and the TGF-β pathway have been identified as a critical hormone and signalling pathway, respectively, in GCs. In this study, we found that a conserved microRNA family that includes miR-10a and miR-10b repressed proliferation and induced apoptosi...

Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the in vitro effects of physiologic concentration of adiponectin in follicular fluid of pre-ovulatory bovine ovarian follicles on: 1) the bovine oocyte maturation and the early developmental rates of bovine embryos in vitro; 2) the expression profiles of some developmentally important marker genes in the bovine cumulus cells and oocytes. Materi...

Musculoskeletal malignancy is often accompanied by aberrant bone remodeling, leading to tumor cell invasion into skeletal tissues and causing severe pain. BMPs, FGF-2, RANKL have been identified as promising regulators in physiological remodeling. In this study, we explored the expressional profile of 1361 patients with 22 varieties musculoskeletal tumors. Notably, expression FGF-2 was under de...

The USDA’s National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) has successfully researched and developed a number of chemical and immunologically-based wildlife contraceptives. DiazaconTM interferes with cholesterol metabolism and disrupts steroidogenesis, while nicarbazin (registered as OvoControl-P and OvoControl-G) disrupts the structure of the vitelline membrane of bird eggs. Immunologically-based age...