Estrogen and progesterone markedly stimulate transcription of ovalbumin and conalbumin (transferrin) genes in chick oviduct as measured by hybridization of labeled RNA synthesized in isolated nuclei to immobilized plasmid DNA containing these gene sequences. Using this direct assay for specific gene transcription, we explored the basis of previous reports indicating that steroid hormones also c...

BACKGROUND Preimplantation embryo loss during oviduct transit has been observed in adult mice after a 5-day neonatal exposure to the phytoestrogen genistein (Gen; 50 mg/kg/day). OBJECTIVE We investigated the mechanisms underlying the contribution of the oviduct to infertility. METHODS Female mice were treated on postnatal days 1-5 with corn oil or Gen (50 mg/kg/day). We compared morphology,...

Recordings of electrical activity of the oviduct and uterus were obtained during three oestrous cycles in cows fitted with an extra-cellular multi-electrode assembly. The stages of the cycle were identified by the appearance of the cervico-vaginal secretions and changes in the peripheral plasma level of progesterone were determined by radioimmunoassay. A gradual transition from local non-propag...

Accumulation of ovalbumin messenger RNA in chick oviduct is absolutely dependent upon estrogen. After estrogen treatment, ovalbumin comprises 60-65% of the total oviduct protein. We used maximally stimulated animals to extract and partially purify the ovalbumin messenger RNA. The final product was enriched about 100-fold in activity with respect to this specific messenger RNA. This ovalbumin me...

1. Varied doses of labelled or unlabelled progesterone were injected into immature chicks which had previously been stimulated with oestrogen. The concentrations of nuclear bound [3H]progesterone were correlated with the effects of the hormone on endogenous RNA polymerase I and II activities in isolated oviduct nuclei. 2. The extent of nuclear localization of [H]progesterone in oviduct (a proge...

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a pleiotropic cytokine implicated in endometrial and embryonic physiology. Our objective was to determine the presence of IL-1 in the endometrium, oviduct, and uterine fluid of cows at days 0, 7, and 14 of the estrous cycle. Immunoreactive IL-1beta was identified in endometrial and oviductal tissues throughout the estrous cycle by immunohistochemistry. Both glandular and...

Mouse sperm-egg binding requires a multiplicity of receptor-ligand interactions, including an oviduct-derived, high molecular weight, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-binding glycoprotein that associates with the egg coat at ovulation. Herein, we report the purification and identification of this sperm-binding ligand. WGA-binding, high molecular weight glycoproteins isolated from hormonally primed m...

The highest values of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the genital tract of the rat at different stages of the oestrous cycle were found in the oviduct (3.5-7 micrograms/mg protein) and the lowest in the ovary (50-100 ng/mg protein). The values for uterus and vagina ranged between 80 and 150 ng/mg protein. GABA (10-30 ng/microliter) was also found in fluid in the ovarian bursa. At 11:00 h, on ...

Long-term sperm storage in the female genital tract is essential for the appropriate timing of reproductive events in animals with asynchronous copulation and ovulation. However, the mechanism underlying the prolonged storage of spermatozoa is largely unexplored in turtles. In the present study, the role of androgen in sperm storage was investigated in the oviduct of the Chinese soft-shelled tu...

Up to the present time the function and significance of the zona pellucida in the development of mammalian eggs has not been fully explained. Zona-free mouse eggs will develop in vitro from the 2-cell stage, or later, up to the blastocyst stage (Tarkowski, 1961; Mintz, 1962; Gwatkin, 1963). Single blastomeres isolated at the 2-cell (Mulnard, 1965), 4and 8-cell stage (Tarkowski & Wróblewska, 196...