| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Coward, K., et al.
(författare)
-
Phospholipase C zeta, the trigger of egg activation in mammals, is present in a non-mammalian species
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Reproduction. - : Bioscientifica. - 1470-1626 .- 1476-3990 .- 1741-7899. ; 130:2, s. 157-163
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The activation of the egg to begin development into an embryo is triggered by a sperm-induced increase in intracellular egg Ca2+. There has been much controversy about how the sperm induces this fundamental developmental event, but recent studies suggest that, in mammals, egg activation is triggered by a testis-specific phospholipase C: PLC zeta. Since the discovery of PLC zeta, it has been unclear whether its role in triggering egg activation is common to all vertebrates, or is confined to mammals. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that PLC zeta is present in a non-mammalian vertebrate. Using genomic and cDNA databases, we have identified the cDNA encoding a PLC zeta orthologue in the domestic chicken that, like the mammalian isoforms, is a testis-specific gene. The chicken PLC zeta cDNA is 2152 bp in size and encodes an open reading frame of 639 amino acids. When injected into mouse oocytes, chicken PLC zeta cRNA triggers Ca2+ oscillations, indicating that it has functional properties similar to those of mammalian PLC zeta. Our findings suggest that PLC zeta may have a universal role in triggering egg activation in vertebrates.
|
|
| 4. |
- Paananen, A, et al.
(författare)
-
Genetic and phenotypic diversity of echovirus 30 strains and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Journal of Medical Virology. - : Wiley. - 0146-6615 .- 1096-9071. ; 79:7, s. 945-955
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several enterovirus serotypes should be considered as potentially diabetogenic. The capacity of an enterovirus to kill or impair the functions of human -cells can vary among the strains within a given serotype as shown previously for echovirus 9 and 30 (E-30). The evolution of E-30 has also shown patterns correlating with the global increase of type 1 diabetes incidence. In the present study, antigenic properties of a set of E-30 isolates were investigated and the results correlated with the previously documented -cell destructive phenotype of the strains, or to genetic clustering of the strains. No simple correlation between the three properties was observed. A full-length infectious clone was constructed and sequenced from one of the isolates found to be most destructive to -cells (E-30/14916net87). Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that this strain was closely related to the E-30 prototype strain at the capsid coding region while outside the capsid region prototype strains of several other human enterovirus B serotypes clustered more closely. This suggests that the relatively greater pathogenicity of the strain might be based on properties of the genome outside of the structural protein coding region. Neutralizing antibody assays on sera from 100 type 1 diabetic patients and 100 controls using three different E-30 strains did not reveal differences between the groups. This finding does not support a previous proposition of aberrant antibody responses to E-30 in diabetic patients. It is concluded that identification of the genetic counterparts of pathogenicity of E-30 strains requires further studies.
|
|
| 5. |
- Savolainen, S, et al.
(författare)
-
Sex specific expression of progesterone receptor in mouse lower urinary tract
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-8057 .- 0303-7207. ; 230:1-2, s. 17-21
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Progesterone receptor (PR) was investigated immunohistochemically in the lower urinary tract of the male and female mouse. Estrogen receptor (ER)-subtype-deficient mice (ERKO, BERKO) were used to determine the possible regulation of PR expression in an ER-subtype-specific manner. PR was found to be co-expressed with ERgreek small letter alpha in cell nuclei of urothelium, lamina propria fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells in the female urethra. Only few PR positive cells were seen in female ERKO mice. Ovariectomy reduced and estrogen treatment restored the urethral PR expression in female wild type and BERKO mice. Thus, the expression of PR in the female urethra is estrogen-inducible via ERgreek small letter alpha. In male urethra, PR was co-expressed with ERβ in the rhabdosphincter. In male, no evidence was obtained for the ER-linked control of the PR expression. No PR-positive cells were observed in the body of the bladder of either sex or any strain.
|
|
