Background: Equine follicle stimulating hormone (eFSH) is a pituitary heterodimeric glycoprotein consists of noncovalently linked of generic alpha subunit and a hormone specific beta subunit. The molecular weights of the subunits are similar and about 16 KD. In general, FSH plays a key role in controlling vertebrate gonadal functions. In female mammals, ovarian maturation and follicular growth ...

Erythroid ontogeny is characterized by overlapping waves of primitive and definitive erythroid lineages that share many morphologic features during terminal maturation but have marked differences in cell size and globin expression. In the present study, we compared global gene expression in primitive, fetal definitive, and adult definitive erythroid cells at morphologically equivalent stages of...

BACKGROUND Adipogenesis of adipocytes includes two stages: initiation and maturation. Growth hormone (GH) secretion is decreased in obese subjects and GH levels are inversely correlated with abdominal fat mass. The effects of growth hormone (GH) on lipids accumulation or maturation of adipocytes remains elusive. METHODS In the present study, effect of GH on lipid accumulation in vitro and in ...

During the process of normal hematopoiesis, proliferation is tightly linked to maturation. The molecular mechanisms that lead to production of mature effector cells with a variety of phenotypes and functions from a single multipotent progenitor are only beginning to be elucidated. It is important to determine how these maturation events are regulated at the molecular level, because this will pr...

Eyestalk ablation is commonly practiced in crustacean to induce ovarian maturation in captivity. The molecular mechanism of the ablation has not been well understood, preventing a search for alternative measures to induce ovarian maturation in aquaculture. This is the first study to employ cDNA microarray to examine effects of eyestalk ablation at the transcriptomic level and pathway mapping an...

In crustaceans, a range of physiological processes involved in ovarian maturation occurs in organs of the cephalothorax including the hepatopancrease, mandibular and Y-organ. Additionally, reproduction is regulated by neuropeptide hormones and other proteins released from secretory sites within the eyestalk. Reproductive dysfunction in captive-reared prawns, Penaeus monodon, is believed to be d...

Executioner caspase-3 and -7 are proteases promoting cell death but non-apoptotic roles are being discovered. The heart expresses caspases only during development, suggesting they contribute to the organ maturation process. Therefore, we aimed at identifying novel functions of caspases in heart development. We induced simultaneous deletion of executioner caspase-3 and -7 in the mouse myocardium...

The genome of the halophilic archaeon Haloarcula marismortui contains two rRNA operons designated rrnA and rrnB. Genomic clones of the two operons and their flanking regions have been sequenced, and primary transcripts and processing intermediates derived from each operon have been characterized. The 16S, 23S, and 5S genes from the two operons were found to differ at 74 of 1,472 positions, 39 o...

Inclusions of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the maturation medium increased the conversion frequency of white spruce somatic embryos without the need of a partial drying treatment (PDT). This beneficial effect was the result of major alterations in morphology and gene expression during the maturation period. Compared with control embryos, GSH-treated embryos showed a differential accumulation of...

Background: Despite great advances achieved in the field of in vitro oocyte maturation (IVM), almost all IVM media are supplemented with undefined component which not only pose the risk of pathogen transmission but also hinders our knowledge of molecular mechanisms of maturation. One of these components is serum that containing various concentration of unknown molecules affecting cellular proce...