We have reported that i.v. administration of splenocytes prepared from early pregnant mice promoted embryo implantation in pseudopregnant CD-1 (ICR) (closed colony) mice. In this study, the similar effects of splenocytes were confirmed using an inbred strain, BALB/c mice, and the mechanism was further investigated. Splenocytes were prepared from pregnancy day 4 (P4-spl) and dioestrus mice (Di-s...

oocyte maturation and embryo development are controlled by intra-ovarian factors such as steroid hormones. progesterone (p4) exists in the follicular fluid that contributes to normal mammalian ovarian function and has several critical functions during embryo development and implantation, including endometrial receptivity, embryonic survival during gestation and transformation of the endometrial...

The present study investigated serum cortisol in response to postpartum ovarian resumption and luteal function. Postpartum ovarian resumption was detected based on a rise in progesterone (P4) concentrations during three weeks after calving. Twenty two Holstein cows in a semi-closed dairy farm in Qena city, Egypt were used. The study was carried out from late March to early June; the period char...

To evaluate the role of TCF7L2, a key regulator of glucose homeostasis, in estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4)-modulated glucose metabolism, mouse insulinoma cells (MIN6) and human liver cancer cells (hepG2 and HUH7) were treated with physiological concentrations of E2 or P4 in the up- and down-regulation of TCF7L2. Insulin/proinsulin secretion was measured in MIN6 cells, while glucose uptake ...

P4 is a satellite phage of P2 and is dependent on phage P2 gene products for virion assembly and cell lysis. Previously, we showed that a virulent mutant of phage P4 (P4 vir1) could be used as a multicopy, autonomously replicating plasmid vector in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in the absence of the P2 helper. In addition to establishing lysogeny as a self-replicating plasmid, it h...

P4, a 28-amino-acid peptide, is a eukaryotic cellular activator that enhances specific in vitro opsonophagocytic killing of multiple bacterial pathogens. In a previous study, we successfully recreated this phenomenon in mice in vivo by using a two-dose regimen of P4 and pathogen-specific antibodies, which significantly reduced moribundity in mice. For the present study, we hypothesized that the...

Infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania amazonensis can cause diverse clinical forms of leishmaniasis. Immunization with purified P4 nuclease protein has been shown to elicit a protective response in mice challenged with L. amazonensis and L. pifanoi. To explore the potential of a DNA-based vaccine, we tested the L. amazonensis gene encoding P4 nuclease as well as adjuvant constructs e...

A simple graph is P4-indifferent if it admits a total order < on its nodes such that every chordless path with nodes a, b, c, d and edges ab, bc, cd has a < b < c < d or a > b > c > d. P4-indifferent graphs generalize indifferent graphs and are perfectly orderable. Recently, Hoàng, Maffray and Noy gave a characterization of P4-indifferent graphs in terms of forbidden induced subgraphs. We clari...

CONTEXT Progesterone (P4) promotes its own secretion and the survival of human granulosa/luteal (GL) cells. OBJECTIVE The objective of these studies was to determine whether progesterone receptor membrane component-1 (PGRMC1) mediates P4's actions. DESIGN In vitro studies were conducted on GL cells from women undergoing in vitro fertilization and GL5 cells, which are derived from GL cells. ...

Intravaginal impedance (IVI) fluctuates during the goat estrous cycle. To understand which ovarian steroids are responsible for IVI changes and whether IVI variations are associated with precopulatory and copulatory behaviors, 8 ovariectomized females were assigned to 4 treatments in a 4 x 4 Latin square replicated over four 8-d periods. The treatments were as follows: progesterone plus estradi...