Previously, we showed that erythropoietin (Epo) is produced in the mouse uterus, where Epo is indispensable for estrogen (E(2))-dependent angiogenesis. Expression of uterine Epo mRNA is stimulated by E(2) and hypoxia. The hypoxic induction requires the presence of E(2). In the present study, we examined other female reproductive organs in the mouse with respect to Epo mRNA expression and its st...

Women with endometriosis (EMs) have unexplained infertility. The recently identified telocytes (TCs) might participate in the maintenance of structural and functional integrity of oviduct tissue, but so far the involvement of TCs in EMs-affected oviduct tissue and potential impact on fertility capacity remain unknown. By an integrated technique of haematoxylin and eosin staining, in situ immuno...

This study aimed to investigate the presence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in bovine oviduct fluid under physiological conditions and to determine the possible role of bovine oviduct epithelial cells (BOECs) in the regulation of the phagocytic activity of PMNs for sperm. During the pre-ovulatory stage, PMNs were identified in the bovine oviduct fluid in relatively constant numbers. In...

Polysomes involved in ovalbumin synthesis were identified by the binding of 1251-anti-ovalbumin to hen oviduct polysomes. Techniques were developed for the isolation of undegraded hen oviduct polysomes and for the preparation of 1251-y-globulin free of ribonuclease activity. The distribution of 1251-anti-ovalbumin in the polysome profile is in accordance with the size of the polysomes that are ...

The histological morphology of oviduct epithelia have been described well, however, the expression pattern of the gap junction proteins in the cells, and the function related with the proteins, such as [Ca2+]i dynamics pattern of living oviduct epithelia at different ages have not been clarified. We used immunohistochemistry to compare the expression pattern of gap junction proteins in the cell...

Since oviduct fluid acts as a medium for spermatozoa and ova during fertilization and early cleavage, this investigation was undertaken to determine any changes that occur in specific gravity, viscosity, osmolarity or dry matter content of rabbit oviduct fluid as the hormonal state changes from oestrogen to progesterone domination after fertilization. Five New Zealand white rabbits (4\m=.\5to 5...

Hens were vaccinated during the rearing phase with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines commercially available in Australia (Vic S and A3) or left unvaccinated and then challenged with the N1/88 strain of IBV at 30 wk of age. Oviduct and fecal samples were collected at regular intervals after N1/88 challenge. A locked nucleic acid probe-based reverse transcription real-time PCR test was d...

The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway regulates morphogenesis in various organs. The polarized localization is a key feature of core PCP factors for orchestrating cell polarity in an epithelial sheet. Several studies using Drosophila melanogaster have investigated the mechanism of the polarized localization. However, to what extent these mechanisms are conserved and how the polarization of cor...

Lower genital tract infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and C. muridarum can induce long-lasting hydrosalpinx in the upper genital tract of women and female mice, respectively. However, A/J mice were highly resistant to induction of long-lasting hydrosalpinx by C. muridarum. We further compared host inflammatory responses and chlamydial infection courses between the hydrosalpinx-resistant A/J ...

Motile cilia in the mammalian oviduct play a key role in reproduction, such as transporting fertilized oocytes to the uterus for implantation. Due to their small size (~5-10 μm in length and ~300 nm in diameter), live visualization of cilia and their activity in the lumen of the oviduct through tissue layers represents a major challenge not yet overcome. Here, we report a functional low-coheren...