Prostanoid receptors in human uterine myocytes: the effect of reproductive state and stretch

The birth of the child in transnational commercial surrogacy leads to a protracted process of staking claim. In this chapter, the focus is especially on the national and international laws that are invoked by foreign parents and foreign consulates to grant citizenship to the newborn. The applications for citizenship from their home countries, and the exit visa from India lead to many processes of bureaucratic verification and authentication of the genetic tie between the child and the intended parent(s) and the surrogate mother. Seeking identity here are both the new parents and the newborn. Through the birth certificate and the DNA test paternity is identified, while a parallel process seeks to ascertain maternity through the surrogate mother—who incidentally has rejected her tie to the newborn as part of the contractual requirements! Through the narratives of three foreign nationals navigating the citizenship process—international laws regarding surrogacy, kinship and citizens are analysed.

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Kiss1 Neurons Drastically Change Their Firing Activity in Accordance With the Reproductive State: Insights From a Seasonal Breeder

Endocrinology ◽

10.1210/en.2014-1472 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 155 (12) ◽

pp. 4868-4880 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Masaharu Hasebe ◽

Shinji Kanda ◽

Hiroyuki Shimada ◽

Yasuhisa Akazome ◽

Hideki Abe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Resting Membrane Potential ◽

Reproductive State ◽

Firing Patterns ◽

State Dependent ◽

Channel Expression ◽

Physiological Analysis ◽

Seasonal Breeder ◽

Green Fluorescent

Kisspeptin (Kiss) neurons show drastic changes in kisspeptin expression in response to the serum sex steroid concentration in various vertebrate species. Thus, according to the reproductive states, kisspeptin neurons are suggested to modulate various neuronal activities, including the regulation of GnRH neurons in mammals. However, despite their reproductive state-dependent regulation, there is no physiological analysis of kisspeptin neurons in seasonal breeders. Here we generated the first kiss1-enhanced green fluorescent protein transgenic line of a seasonal breeder, medaka, for histological and electrophysiological analyses using a whole-brain in vitro preparation in which most synaptic connections are intact. We found histologically that Kiss1 neurons in the nucleus ventralis tuberis (NVT) projected to the preoptic area, hypothalamus, pituitary, and ventral telencephalon. Therefore, NVT Kiss1 neurons may regulate various homeostatic functions and innate behaviors. Electrophysiological analyses revealed that they show various firing patterns, including bursting. Furthermore, we found that their firings are regulated by the resting membrane potential. However, bursting was not induced from the other firing patterns with a current injection, suggesting that it requires some chronic modulations of intrinsic properties such as channel expression. Finally, we found that NVT Kiss1 neurons drastically change their neuronal activities according to the reproductive state and the estradiol levels. Taken together with the previous reports, we here conclude that the breeding condition drastically alters the Kiss1 neuron activities in both gene expression and firing activities, the latter of which is strongly related to Kiss1 release, and the Kiss1 peptides regulate the activities of various neural circuits through their axonal projections.

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Characterization of prostanoid receptors mediating contraction of the gastric fundus and ileum: studies using mice deficient in prostanoid receptors

British Journal of Pharmacology ◽

10.1038/sj.bjp.0703627 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 131 (4) ◽

pp. 745-755 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Yuji Okada ◽

Akiyoshi Hara ◽

Hong Ma ◽

Chun-Yang Xiao ◽

Osamu Takahata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Fundus ◽

Prostanoid Receptors

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INFLUENCE OF THE REPRODUCTIVE STATE AT THE TIME OF OPERATION ON THE EARLY RESPONSE TO OVARIECTOMY IN THE RAT

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/joe.0.0530047 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 47-57 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

C. M. TAPPER ◽

F. NAFTOLIN ◽

K. BROWN-GRANT

Keyword(s):

Feedback System ◽

Early Response ◽

Female Rats ◽

Male Rats ◽

Specific Response ◽

Gonadal Steroid ◽

Reproductive State ◽

Initial Rise ◽

Male And Female Rats ◽

Time Of Operation

SUMMARY The changes in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) concentration during the first few days after ovariectomy in the rat differ according to the stage of the cycle at which the operation is performed. When carried out at oestrus there was no increase in LH concentration in the first 4 days. After operation at metoestrus the concentration was increased at 3 days but not earlier. Ovariectomy at dioestrus resulted in an immediate increase after 8 h, a subsequent fall, though not to basal levels, and a fairly steady rise thereafter. Ovariectomy at pro-oestrus produced a very large initial rise in plasma LH which probably represents an accelerated release of the ovulatory surge of LH rather than a specific response to ovariectomy. At 24 h after ovariectomy at pro-oestrus levels were below normal and did not increase again for a further 3 days. In contrast, male rats showed a rapid and sustained rise in plasma LH concentration after castration. It is suggested that the different patterns seen in the female may be related to the time that elapsed since the hypothalamo—pituitary system was exposed to high levels of circulating oestradiol. The changes in plasma LH concentration observed after ovariectomy in neonatally androgen-treated rats, rats in persistent oestrus due to exposure to constant light, and rats in early pregnancy are consistent with this hypothesis. Differing responses to the administration of sodium pentobarbitone between male and female rats even 21 days after gonadectomy suggest that there may also be differences in this negative feedback system between the two sexes that are independent of the nature of the gonadal steroid secreted.

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