Gametogenesis and fertilization

Transgenic and knockout analyses of Masculinizer and doublesex illuminated the unique functions of doublesex in germ cell sexual development of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Masculinizer (Masc) plays a pivotal role in male sex determination in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Masc is required for male-specific splicing of B. mori doublesex (Bmdsx) transcripts. The male isoform of Bmdsx (Bm...

Authors: Tomohisa Yuzawa, Misato Matsuoka, Megumi Sumitani, Fugaku Aoki, Hideki Sezutsu and Masataka G. Suzuki

YWHA (14-3-3) protein isoforms and their interactions with CDC25B phosphatase in mouse oogenesis and oocyte maturation

Immature mammalian oocytes are held arrested at prophase I of meiosis by an inhibitory phosphorylation of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). Release from this meiotic arrest and germinal vesicle breakdown is de...

Authors: Alaa A. Eisa, Santanu De, Ariana Detwiler, Eva Gilker, Alexander C. Ignatious, Srinivasan Vijayaraghavan and Douglas Kline

Cell cycle accumulation of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen PCN-1 transitions from continuous in the adult germline to intermittent in the early embryo of C. elegans

The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA or PCN-1 in C. elegans), an essential processivity factor for DNA polymerase δ, has been widely used as a marker of S-phase. In C. elegans early embryos, PCN-1 accumul...

Authors: Zuzana Kocsisova, Kerry Kornfeld and Tim Schedl

Swimming exercise to control precocious maturation in male seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Male European seabass, already predominant (~ 70%) in cultured stocks, show a high incidence (20–30%) of precocious sexual maturation under current aquaculture practices, leading to important economic losses f...

Authors: Marco Graziano, Raul Benito, Josep V. Planas and Arjan P. Palstra

Cathepsin B inhibitor improves developmental competency and cryo-tolerance of in vitro ovine embryos

Cathepsin B is a lysosomal cysteine protease involved in apoptosis and oocytes which have lower developmental competence show higher expression of Cathepsin B. Furthermore, expression of Cathepsin B show a dec...

Authors: M. Pezhman, S. M. Hosseini, S. Ostadhosseini, Sh. Rouhollahi Varnosfaderani, F. Sefid and M. H. Nasr-Esfahani

Expression of Ciona intestinalis AOX causes male reproductive defects in Drosophila melanogaster

Mitochondrial alternative respiratory-chain enzymes are phylogenetically widespread, and buffer stresses affecting oxidative phosphorylation in species that possess them. However, they have been lost in the ev...

Authors: Sina Saari, Ana Andjelković, Geovana S. Garcia, Howard T. Jacobs and Marcos T. Oliveira

Changes of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 during the anadromous spawning migration in Coilia nasus

An increase in the activity of the pituitary-gonad axis (PG-axis) and gonad development are essential for the onset of spawning migration in teleosts. In the fish Coilia nasus, gonad development and spawning migr...

Authors: Jin-Rong Duan, Di-An Fang, Min-Ying Zhang, Kai Liu, Yan-Feng Zhou, Dong-Po Xu, Pao Xu and Da-Peng Li

Conservation analysis of sequences flanking the testis-determining gene Sry in 17 mammalian species

Sex determination in mammals requires expression of the Y-linked gene Sry in the bipotential genital ridges of the XY embryo. Even minor delay of the onset of Sry expression can result in XY sex reversal, highlig...

Authors: Christian Larney, Timothy L. Bailey and Peter Koopman

Expression of maternally derived KHDC3, NLRP5, OOEP and TLE6is associated with oocyte developmental competence in the ovine species

The sub-cortical maternal complex (SCMC), located in the subcortex of mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos, is composed of at least four proteins encoded by maternal effect genes: OOEP, NLRP5/MATER, TLE6 ...

Authors: Daniela Bebbere, Federica Ariu, Luisa Bogliolo, Laura Masala, Ombretta Murrone, Mauro Fattorini, Laura Falchi and Sergio Ledda

DNAJB13, a type II HSP40 family member, localizes to the spermatids and spermatozoa during mouse spermatogenesis

Hundreds of HSP40s derived from various species have been identified, of which several proteins are involved in spermatogenesis. DNAJB13 is a type II HSP40/DnaJ protein. In a previous study, we cloned mouse Dnajb...

Authors: Weina Li and Gang Liu

Erratum to: evidence for the requirement of 14-3-3eta (YWHAH) in meiotic spindle assembly during mouse oocyte maturation

Authors: Santanu De and Douglas Kline

Dual roles for ubiquitination in the processing of sperm organelles after fertilization

The process of fertilization involves a cell fusion event between the sperm and oocyte. Although sperm contain mitochondria when they fuse with the oocyte, paternal mitochondrial genomes do not persist in offs...

Authors: Connie Hajjar, Katherine M Sampuda and Lynn Boyd

The natural insect peptide Neb-colloostatin induces ovarian atresia and apoptosis in the mealworm Tenebrio molitor

The injection of Neb-colloostatin into T. molitor females causes gonadoinhibitory effects on ovarian development. This peptide inhibits intercellular space formation (patency) in follicular epithelium and results...

Authors: Elżbieta Czarniewska, Grzegorz Rosiński, Elżbieta Gabała and Mariola Kuczer

c-kit expression profile and regulatory factors during spermatogonial stem cell differentiation

It has been proven that c-kit is crucial for proliferation, migration, survival and maturation of spermatogenic cells. A periodic expression of c-kit is observed from primordial germ cells (PGCs) to spermatogenet...

Authors: Lei Zhang, Jiangjing Tang, Christopher J Haines, Huai Feng, Liangxue Lai, Xiaoming Teng and Yibing Han

Evidence for the requirement of 14-3-3eta (YWHAH) in meiotic spindle assembly during mouse oocyte maturation

The 14-3-3 (YWHA) proteins are central mediators in various cellular signaling pathways regulating development and growth, including cell cycle regulation. We previously reported that all seven mammalian 14-3-...

Authors: Santanu De and Douglas Kline

Histone modifications in the male germ line of Drosophila^a

In the male germ line of Drosophila chromatin remains decondensed and highly transcribed during meiotic prophase until it is rapidly compacted. A large proportion of the cell cycle-regulated histone H3.1 is repla...

Authors: Wolfgang Hennig and Alexandra Weyrich

R-spondins are involved in the ovarian differentiation in a teleost, medaka (Oryzias latipes)

In mammals, R-spondin (Rspo), an activator of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, has been shown to be involved in ovarian differentiation. However, the role of the Rspo/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in fis...

Authors: Linyan Zhou, Tapas Charkraborty, Xiangguo Yu, Limin Wu, Gang Liu, Sipra Mohapatra, Deshou Wang and Yoshitaka Nagahama

The lack of autophagy triggers precocious activation of Notch signaling during Drosophila oogenesis

The proper balance of autophagy, a lysosome-mediated degradation process, is indispensable for oogenesis in Drosophila. We recently demonstrated that egg development depends on autophagy in the somatic follicle c...

Authors: Julia MI Barth, Ernst Hafen and Katja Köhler

Desert hedgehogis a mammal-specific gene expressed during testicular and ovarian development in a marsupial

Desert hedgehog (DHH) belongs to the hedgehog gene family that act as secreted intercellular signal transducers. DHH is an essential morphogen for normal testicular development and function in both mice and human...

Authors: William A O'Hara, Walid J Azar, Richard R Behringer, Marilyn B Renfree and Andrew J Pask

Progesterone-induced changes in the phosphoryl potential during the meiotic divisions in amphibian oocytes: Role of Na/K-ATPase

Progesterone triggers resumption of the first meiotic division in the Rana pipiens oocyte by binding to the N-terminal external loop of the catalytic subunit of Na/K-ATPase, releasing a cascade of lipid second me...

Authors: Gene A Morrill, Terry L Dowd, Adele B Kostellow and Raj K Gupta

MicroRNA-184 downregulates nuclear receptor corepressor 2 in mouse spermatogenesis

There have been increasing attentions on the role of small RNAs, especially microRNAs in post-transcriptional gene regulation during spermatogenesis. MicroRNA-184 (miR-184) has been shown to be mainly expresse...

Authors: Jingwen Wu, Jianqiang Bao, Li Wang, Yanqin Hu and Chen Xu

ATRX has a critical and conserved role in mammalian sexual differentiation

X-linked alpha thalassemia, mental retardation syndrome in humans is a rare recessive disorder caused by mutations in the ATRX gene. The disease is characterised by severe mental retardation, mild alpha-thalassem...

Authors: Kim Huyhn, Marilyn B Renfree, Jennifer A Graves and Andrew J Pask

The CDK9/Cyclin T1 subunits of P-TEFb in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos: A possible role in embryonic genome activation

Two stages of genome activation have been identified in the mouse embryo. Specifically, minor transcriptional activation is evident at the one-cell stage and a second major episode of activation occurs at the ...

Authors: Reza K Oqani, Hong R Kim, Yun F Diao, Chang S Park and Dong I Jin

The gene transformer-2 of Sciara (Diptera, Nematocera) and its effect on Drosophilasexual development

The gene transformer-2, which is involved in sex determination, has been studied in Drosophila, Musca, Ceratitis, Anastrepha and Lucilia. All these members of Diptera belong to the suborder Brachycera. In this wo...

Authors: Iker Martín, María F Ruiz and Lucas Sánchez

Fertilization in C. elegans requires an intact C-terminal RING finger in sperm protein SPE-42

The C. elegans sperm protein SPE-42, a membrane protein of unknown structure and molecular function, is required for fertilization. Sperm from worms with spe-42 mutations appear normal but are unable to fertilize...

Authors: Luke D Wilson, Jacqueline M Sackett, Bryce D Mieczkowski, Abigail L Richie, Kara Thoemke, Jon N Rumbley and Tim L Kroft