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Oviduct Epithelial Cells (oviduct + epithelial_cell)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	80%

Selected Abstracts

Effect of Carbohydrates on the Ability of Bull Sperm to Bind to Bovine Oviduct Epithelial Cells

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS, Issue 3 2009
Y Kon
Contents In the present study, we investigated the effect of various carbohydrates on the ability of bovine spermatozoa to bind to the bovine oviduct epithelial cells (OECs). We also examined the fertilization competence and motility of spermatozoa that bind to OECs in the presence of carbohydrates. Frozen-thawed spermatozoa were incubated with OECs, with and without various carbohydrates. The sperms were then divided into two fractions: OEC-binding sperms (B-sperm) and non-OEC binding sperms (NB-sperm). The fertilization rate, ability to bind the zona pellucida, and membrane integrity of the spermatozoa as determined using a hypo-osmotic-swelling test (HOST) were lower in NB-sperm than in the unseparated spermatozoa (control). The motility of the B-sperm was maintained for a longer time than that of the control spermatozoa. The addition of N -acetyl- d -glucosamine (GlcNAc, 5 mm) to the sperm-OEC mixture increased the number of B-sperm. D -mannose (5 mm) and D -fucose (5 mm) had no effect on the number of B-sperm. The motility of B-sperm, which bound to OECs in the presence of GlcNAc, however, was not maintained. When either OECs or the spermatozoa were treated with GlcNAc prior to sperm-OEC co-incubation, only sperm-side treatment enhanced sperm-OEC binding, but B-sperm motility was not maintained. The motility of spermatozoa incubated with GlcNAc was lower than that of controls. These results indicate that GlcNAc enhances sperm binding to OECs, probably via sperm surface modification, but does not promote increased sperm survival. [source]

Characterization of an immortalized oviduct cell line from the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis)

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
H. Okada
Abstract:, To establish reproductive biological techniques in mammals, it is important to understand the growth environment of the embryo. Oviduct epithelial cells are in close proximity to the embryo during pre-implantation development. We, therefore, established an immortalized oviduct epithelial cell line from the cynomolgus monkey, evaluated the usefulness of these cells as feeder cells for embryo culture, and investigated the gene expression of several growth factors and cytokines in the cells. The immortalized cells were positive for the anti-cytokeratin antibody, as determined by immunocytochemistry, indicating that they are epithelial. They also expressed oviductin, which is specific to oviduct epithelial cells, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (control), leukemia inhibitory factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, transforming growth factor beta-2, and interleukin 4. Mouse embryo development was improved when the immortalized cells were used as feeder cells. This cell line is also useful for studying the factors secreted by oviduct epithelial cells. [source]

Sperm binding properties and secretory activity of the bovine oviduct immediately before and after ovulation

MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2008
Edita Sostaric
Abstract The possibility that differences in hormonal regimes between the two oviducts in the cow around ovulation affects secretory activity of the oviduct epithelial cells and/or sperm,oviduct binding was studied. Oviducts were collected immediately after slaughter at 6 hr before to 5 hr after timed ovulation of 14 normally cyclic cows that had been inseminated (n,=,6) or not (n,=,8) and material obtained from the same cows was processed in three ways. First, in vivo, after artificial insemination of the cows, low numbers of sperm cells (approx. 15 per oviduct) were found within the entire oviducts as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Almost all sperm were located in the isthmus and then only on ciliated cells and showed without exception fully matured, intact morphology. Secretory activity of noninseminated oviduct epithelia was induced after ovulation which was most predominant in the pockets of the ipsi-lateral ampulla compared to the contra-lateral ampulla (P,<,0.01). Second, ex vivo, explants dissected from oviducts of the noniseminated cows were incubated with sperm. In all cases, the sperm bound to the explants in a similar pattern as observed in vivo and this binding was strictly fucose-dependent. The main difference with in vivo experiments was the high numbers of sperm bound at any site of the oviduct (,3,000 cells per mm2) indicating the high sperm binding capacity of the oviduct epithelia. Ovulation induced a striking drop in sperm binding capacity in the oviducts and was most pronounced in the isthmus (,1,300 cells per mm2; P,<,0.001) and to a lesser extent in the ampulla (,2,000 cells per mm2, P,<,0.01). Third, in vitro, pieces of tissue dissected from oviducts of the noninseminated cows were cultured to mono-layers. Culturing epithelial cells resulted in loss of their normal morphological appearance. In all cases, the sperm binding capacity in monolayers was very low (<50 cells per mm2) when compared to corresponding explants (P,<,0.0001). Sperm binding to monolayers originating from the isthmus (<25 cells per mm2) was lower than in those from the ampulla (40,50 cells per mm2; P,<,0.01) and remained similar after ovulation. In all three approaches, no significant differences were found in sperm,oviduct binding characteristics and sperm-distribution in the ipsi- versus contra-lateral oviducts. This indicates, that systemic endocrine changes around ovulation rather than specific oviduct changes at the ipsi,lateral oviduct induce secretion in oviduct epithelial cells, and thus induce sperm release. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 60,74, 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]