scholarly journals Gene Expression of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Receptors in Some of the Reproductive Organs of Giant African Land Snail (Archachatina marginata)

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. J. Osunkeye ◽  
O. M. Onagbesan ◽  
J. A. Abiona ◽  
S. O. Jinadu
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Ultra Violet ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Hormonal Effect ◽  
The Common

The role of receptors in the exertion of the hormonal effect on their target cell creates a better understanding of the mechanism of action of hormones. In the snail, Archachatina marginata, there is a dearth of information on the gene expression of FSH and LH receptors. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of exogenous administration of gonadotropin (PMSG) and some sex steroid hormones (Progesterone (P4) and 17β-Oestradiol (E2)) on the levels of gene expression of FSH and LH in some selected reproductive organs of Archachatina marginata. The experiment was laid out in 4x3x2 factorial design in Completely Randomised Design comprising of 432 snails randomly allotted to 24 treatment groups of 18 snails per group of Control, P4, E2 and PMSG at 3 dosage levels (Low-1 µg/ml, Medium-5 µg/ml and High-10 µg/ml for P4 and E2; and Low-1 IU/ml, Medium-10 IU/ml and High-20 IU/ml for PMSG) at 2 durations of injections (16-days of four injections and 32-days of eight injections). The gel viewed under the ultra-violet light source showed that the expression of LHR receptor did not appear in all the organs considered. However, FSHR receptor was noted in their appearance in the albumen gland, little hermaphrodite duct, common hermaphrodite duct and vagina of A. marginata. Administration of E2 of 5 µg/ml for 16 days and 32 days increase the gene expression of FSH receptors in the common hermaphrodite duct and vagina of A. marginata respectively. Also, injections of 5 µg/ml of P4 for 16 days gave a relative increase in the levels of expression of FSH receptors in the little hermaphrodite duct, while the highest level was on the albumen of snails injected with 1 µg/ml of E2 for 32-days of eight injections. Injection of 5 µl/ml of P4 for 16-days of four injections, 5 µl/ml of E2 for 32-days of eight injections, 5 µl/ml of E2 for 16-days of four injections, 1 µl/ml of E2 of 32-days of eight injections increased the gene expression of FSH in the little hermaphrodite duct, vagina, common hermaphrodite duct and albumen respectively. Therefore, it is informed here that administration of P4, E2 and PMSG exogenously to A. marginata of reproductive age induces an increase in the levels of gene expression of FSH receptors.

scholarly journals Analysis of the testicle’s transcriptome of the Chagas disease vector Rhodnius prolixus

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jovino C. Cardoso ◽  
Jose M. C. Ribeiro ◽  
Daniela V. dos Santos ◽  
Marcos H. Pereira ◽  
Ricardo N. Araújo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Male Fertility ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Rhodnius Prolixus ◽  
Male Reproduction ◽  
Male Reproductive Organs ◽  
Different Tissues

AbstractRhodnius prolixus is amongst the most important vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Americas, putting thousands of people at risk of contracting Chagas Disease. This insect is also one of the most important models in insect physiology, especially regarding the blood-feeding process. However, studies on R. prolixus genetics lagged, and our understanding on the regulation of gene expression is incipient. Transcriptomes have the power to study the expression of thousands of genes in a single experiment. A comprehensive R. prolixus transcriptome was performed in 2014, sequencing RNA from different tissues (anterior gut, midgut, posterior gut, rectum, ovaries, fat body, maphigian tubules, and testicles). However, on that occasion, only the gut transcriptome was deeply analysed. Here we evaluated the results of the testicles transcriptome of R. prolixus with the objective to find and understand genes that could have an important role in male reproduction. We found, that from the 25,673 transcripts assembled in the whole transcriptome, 5,365 have a testicle specific expression pattern. As expected, amongst the most abundant families of transcripts, are those related to spermatogenesis and male fertility, such as myosins, actins, and dyneins. To our surprise, lipocalins, serine protease inhibitors (serpins), and lysozymes also were highly abundant in testicles. The role of these classes of genes are well known in other tissues, such as salivary glands and gut, but very little is known on their role in male reproduction (and we proposed here a few hypothesis that could be tested to address the role of these genes in male fertility). It would be interesting to study further the role of these genes on R. prolixus male fertility. Finally, as a reflection of the lack of knowledge on triatomine genetics, we found that almost half of the transcripts in R. prolixus testicles have no similarities to any other genes on reference databases. Our study shows that we still have a lot to know and to understand about reproduction in triatomine, especially in males. Besides the large number of genes without described function (possibly novel genes), there are those in which the function is known for other tissues, and we can only guess, at best, the role and importance of such genes for triatomine male fertility.Author SummaryThe understanding of the biology of insect’s vectors of parasitic diseases is key to the development of strategies of public health. For decades, the studies on the biology of male insects’ vectors of diseases was neglected, since in many cases female insects are those with relevant role in the spread of diseases. With the development of genomics, large scale studies to compare differential gene expression (transcriptomics) among different tissues, developmental stages, and sex became accessible. In this study, we looked at the physiology of the male reproductive organs of the vector of Chagas disease Rhodnius prolixus. This is a first glimpse, from a perspective of genes differentially expressed in male gonads, in such insects. We also performed an effort to link all identified genes with the insect genome published in 2015. We found ~14,000 genes expressed in the testicles, from which 5,635 genes are expressed exclusively in male reproductive organs. From the ~14,000 genes, we were able to attribute putative biological functions to 6,372 genes, which allowed us to draw a bigger picture on how these genes contribute to male fertility. This study now opens the door for further in-depth studies to find key genes for R. prolixus reproductive biology.

scholarly journals β-Catenin–dependent mechanotransduction dates back to the common ancestor of Cnidaria and Bilateria

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (24) ◽  
pp. 6231-6236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Pukhlyakova ◽  
Andrew J. Aman ◽  
Kareem Elsayad ◽  
Ulrich Technau
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Marker Gene ◽  
Genetic Regulation ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
The Common ◽  
Gene Regulatory ◽  
Ancient Gene

Although the genetic regulation of cellular differentiation processes is well established, recent studies have revealed the role of mechanotransduction on a variety of biological processes, including regulation of gene expression. However, it remains unclear how universal and widespread mechanotransduction is in embryonic development of animals. Here, we investigate mechanosensitive gene expression during gastrulation of the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, a cnidarian model organism. We show that the blastoporal marker gene brachyury is down-regulated by blocking myosin II-dependent gastrulation movements. Brachyury expression can be restored by applying external mechanical force. Using CRISPR/Cas9 and morpholino antisense technology, we also show that mechanotransduction leading to brachyury expression is β-catenin dependent, similar to recent findings in fish and Drosophila [Brunet T, et al. (2013) Nat Commun 4:1–15]. Finally, we demonstrate that prolonged application of mechanical stress on the embryo leads to ectopic brachyury expression. Thus, our data indicate that β-catenin–dependent mechanotransduction is an ancient gene regulatory mechanism, which was present in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians, at least 600 million years ago.

scholarly journals Role of miRNA in the Regulatory Mechanisms of Estrogens in Cardiovascular Ageing

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Pérez-Cremades ◽  
Ana Mompeón ◽  
Xavier Vidal-Gómez ◽  
Carlos Hermenegildo ◽  
Susana Novella
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Vascular Effects ◽  
Protein Coding

Cardiovascular diseases are a worldwide health problem and are the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Together with experimental data, the lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases in women than in men of reproductive age points to the influence of sex hormones at the cardiovascular level and suggests that estrogens play a protective role against cardiovascular disease and that this role is also modified by ageing. Estrogens affect cardiovascular function via their specific estrogen receptors to trigger gene expression changes at the transcriptional level. In addition, emerging studies have proposed a role for microRNAs in the vascular effects mediated by estrogens. miRNAs regulate gene expression by repressing translational processes and have been estimated to be involved in the regulation of approximately 30% of all protein-coding genes in mammals. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge of the role of estrogen-sensitive miRNAs, and their influence in regulating vascular ageing.

scholarly journals Genetics of human female infertility†

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana A Yatsenko ◽  
Aleksandar Rajkovic
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Genetic Alterations ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Large Chromosome ◽  
Functional Development ◽  
Early Embryonic Lethality ◽  
Sequence Variations ◽  
Genetic Abnormalities ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractAbout 10% of women of reproductive age are unable to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term. Female factors alone account for at least 35% of all infertility cases and comprise a wide range of causes affecting ovarian development, maturation of oocytes, and fertilization competence, as well as the potential of a fertilized egg for preimplantation development, implantation, and fetal growth. Genetic abnormalities leading to infertility in females comprise large chromosome abnormalities, submicroscopic chromosome deletion and duplications, and DNA sequence variations in the genes that control numerous biological processes implicated in oogenesis, maintenance of ovarian reserve, hormonal signaling, and anatomical and functional development of female reproductive organs. Despite the great number of genes implicated in reproductive physiology by the study of animal models, only a subset of these genes is associated with human infertility. In this review, we mainly focus on genetic alterations identified in humans and summarize recent knowledge on the molecular pathways of oocyte development and maturation, the crucial role of maternal-effect factors during embryogenesis, and genetic conditions associated with ovarian dysgenesis, primary ovarian insufficiency, early embryonic lethality, and infertility.

scholarly journals Contribution of CTCF binding to transcriptional activity at the HOXA locus in NPM1-mutant AML cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Ghasemi ◽  
Heidi Struthers ◽  
Elisabeth R. Wilson ◽  
David H. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ctcf Binding ◽  
Chromatin Domain ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Chromatin Loops ◽  
Chromatin Interactions ◽  
The Common

AbstractTranscriptional regulation of the HOXA genes is thought to involve CTCF-mediated chromatin loops and the opposing actions of the COMPASS and Polycomb epigenetic complexes. We investigated the role of these mechanisms at the HOXA cluster in AML cells with the common NPM1c mutation, which express both HOXA and HOXB genes. CTCF binding at the HOXA locus is conserved across primary AML samples, regardless of HOXA gene expression, and defines a continuous chromatin domain marked by COMPASS-associated histone H3 trimethylation in NPM1-mutant primary AML samples. Profiling of the three-dimensional chromatin architecture of NPM1-mutant OCI-AML3 cells identified chromatin loops between the active HOXA9-HOXA11 genes and loci in the SNX10 gene and an intergenic region located 1.4Mbp upstream of the HOXA locus. Deletion of CTCF binding sites in OCI-AML3 cells reduced these interactions, but resulted in new, CTCF-independent loops with regions in the SKAP2 gene that were marked by enhancer-associated histone modifications in primary AML samples. HOXA gene expression was maintained in the CTCF deletion mutants, indicating that transcriptional activity at the HOXA locus in NPM1-mutant AML cells does not require long-range CTCF-mediated chromatin interactions, and instead may be driven by intrinsic factors within the HOXA gene cluster.

scholarly journals Role of diagnostic hysterolaparoscopy in evaluation of female infertility

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 4048
Author(s):  
Mariyam S. Ahmed ◽  
Anand N. Bhalerao
Keyword(s):  
Prospective Study ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Female Infertility ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Pelvic Examination ◽  
Therapeutic Procedures ◽  
Uterine Septum ◽  
The Common ◽  
A Prospective Study

Background: Infertility affects 10-15% of reproductive age couples. Routine pelvic examination and usual diagnostic procedures can miss majority of the pelvic pathologies. Hysterolaparoscopy is an effective tool for diagnosing these pathologies and additionally therapeutic procedures, like polypectomy, myomectomy, septal resection and adhesiolysis, can be done in the same sitting. Objective of present study was to determine the role of diagnostic hysterolaparoscopy for evaluating the causes of infertility.Methods: It was a prospective study conducted at the Department of OBGY from September 2015 to August 2016. Patients aged 20-40 years with infertility were included in the study. The prevalence of different lesions was analysed.Results: Out of the 30 patients studied, most had primary infertility. Laparoscopic abnormalities (56.6%) were more common than hysteroscopic abnormalities (36.6%). Adnexal adhesions (26.6%) was the most common abnormality detected on laparoscopy, while the common intra-uterine pathologies were uterine septum and synechiae.Conclusions: Hysterolaparoscopy may be recommended as the procedure of choice for evaluation of female infertility, which are usually missed by imaging modalities.

Role of small nuclear RNAs in eukaryotic gene expression

2013 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 79-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saba Valadkhan ◽  
Lalith S. Gunawardane
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Rna Stability ◽  
Splice Sites ◽  
Branch Site ◽  
Small Nuclear Rnas ◽  
Eukaryotic Gene Expression ◽  
Eukaryotic Gene ◽  
Rna Biogenesis

Eukaryotic cells contain small, highly abundant, nuclear-localized non-coding RNAs [snRNAs (small nuclear RNAs)] which play important roles in splicing of introns from primary genomic transcripts. Through a combination of RNA–RNA and RNA–protein interactions, two of the snRNPs, U1 and U2, recognize the splice sites and the branch site of introns. A complex remodelling of RNA–RNA and protein-based interactions follows, resulting in the assembly of catalytically competent spliceosomes, in which the snRNAs and their bound proteins play central roles. This process involves formation of extensive base-pairing interactions between U2 and U6, U6 and the 5′ splice site, and U5 and the exonic sequences immediately adjacent to the 5′ and 3′ splice sites. Thus RNA–RNA interactions involving U2, U5 and U6 help position the reacting groups of the first and second steps of splicing. In addition, U6 is also thought to participate in formation of the spliceosomal active site. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests additional roles for snRNAs in regulation of various aspects of RNA biogenesis, from transcription to polyadenylation and RNA stability. These snRNP-mediated regulatory roles probably serve to ensure the co-ordination of the different processes involved in biogenesis of RNAs and point to the central importance of snRNAs in eukaryotic gene expression.

On everyday academic research

2017 ◽  
pp. 98-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Tirole
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
The Common ◽  
Verification Of Models ◽  
Science And Research

In the fourth chapter of the book “The economy of the common good”, the nature of economics as a science and research practices in their theoretical and empirical aspects are discussed. The author considers the processes of modeling, empirical verification of models and evaluation of research quality. In addition, the features of economic cognition and the role of mathematics in economic research are analyzed, including the example of relevant research in game theory and information theory.

Contemplative Principles of a Non-dual Praxis: the Unmediated Practices of the Tibetan ‘Heart Essence’ (sNying thig) Tradition

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-240
Author(s):  
Eran Laish
Keyword(s):  
Contemplative Practice ◽  
Tibetan Buddhist ◽  
Buddhist Tradition ◽  
The Common

This article focuses on the main contemplative principles of the ‘Heart Essence’ (sNying thig), a Tibetan Buddhist tradition that is characterized by a vision of non-duality and primordial wholeness. Due to this vision, which asserts an original reality that is not divided into perceiving subject and perceived object, the ‘Heart Essence’ advocates a contemplative practice that undermines the usual intuitions of temporality and enclosed selfhood. Hence, unlike the common principles of intentional praxis, such as deliberate concentration and gradual purification, the ‘Heart Essence’ affirms four contemplative principles of non-objectiveness, openness, spontaneity and singleness. As these principles transcend intentionality, temporality, and multiplicity, they are seen to directly disclose the nature of primordial awareness, in which the meanings of knowing and being are radically transformed. Therefore, the article will also consider the role of these non-dual contemplative principles in deeply changing our understanding of being and knowing alike.

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