Notes on ovarian rematuration of ablated sugpo (prawn) Penaeus monodon Fabricius

To what extent spent P. monodon females can remature and spawn successive broods is an important question in terms of recycling spawners in a commercially viable operation. Corollary to this is the quantity and quality of fry from rematured females in comparison to those from first spawning. Of 347 experimental females, only 10.1% had a second spawning, and 1.4% a third spawning. To a large degree the low rate of rematuration is due to high spawner mortality - average survival period after spawning was only 6 days in a sample of 176 spawners. It took an average of 23 days after ablation for a prawn with undeveloped ovaries to mature and spawn. An ablated female may have another spawning in as little as 5 days after the previous one. Average fecundity was 180,000 eggs per second spawning, and 140,000 eggs per third spawning. The average number of eggs from first spawning ablated females was 110-120,000. Hatching rate was lower for rematuration: 44% for second spawnings, and 35% for third spawnings, as compared to 64% for first maturation.

Preliminary histological study of the ovarian development of the giant tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon

This study was undertaken to determine structural characteristics within the gonads which might serve as an index to age and longevity and furnish information on the frequency of spawning of an individual.

Effects of rhFSH regimen and time interval on ovarian responses to repeated stimulation cycles in rhesus monkeys during a physiologic breeding season

We studied the effects of repeated stimulation by recombinant human FSH (rhFSH) at various time intervals during a physiologic breeding season in rhesus monkeys. Ovarian recovery and responses were assessed by ultrasonography, serum steroid concentrations

Dynamic changes in ovarian follicles measured by ultrasonography during gonadotropin stimulation in rhesus monkeys

The objective was to study dynamic changes of ovaries in rhesus macaques stimulated by gonadotropins to identify an indicator for predicting ovarian response to stimulation. Twenty-one cycling monkeys were given 36 IU/d recombinant human follicle-stimulat

Ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation in juvenile rhesus monkeys

The objective of this study was to investigate juvenile rhesus monkeys responding to various gonadotropin regimen Stimulations. Thirty-two prepubertal rhesus monkeys were randomly allocated into five groups for ovarian stimulation as follows: Groups I, II

Expression pattern, cellular localization and promoter activity analysis of ovarian aromatase (Cyp19a1a) in protogynous hermaphrodite red-spotted grouper

Aromatase plays a key role in sex differentiation of gonads. In this study, we cloned the full-length cDNA of ovarian aromatase from protogynous hermaphrodite red-spotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara), and prepared the corresponding anti-EaCyp19a1a antiserum. Western blot and immunofluorescence studies revealed ovary-specific expression pattern of EaCyp19a1a in adults and its dynamic expression change during artificial sex reversal. EaCyp19a1a was expressed by follicular cells of follicular layer around oocytes because strong EaCyp19a1a immunofluorescence was observed in the cells of ovaries. During artificial sex reversal, EaCyp19a1a expression dropped significantly from female to male, and almost no any positive EaCyp19a1a signal was observed in testicular tissues. Then, we cloned and sequenced a total of 1967 bp T-flanking sequence of EaCyp19a1a promoter, and showed a number of potential binding sites for some transcriptional factors, such as SOX5, GATA gene family, CREB, AP1, FOXL1, C/EBP, ARE and SF-1. Moreover, we prepared a series of 5' deletion promoter constructs and performed in vitro luciferase assays of EaCyp19a1a promoter activities. The data indicated that the CREB regulation region from -1010 to -898 might be a major cis-acting element to EaCyp19a1a promoter, whereas the elements GATA and SOX5 in the region from -1216 to -1010 might be suppression elements. Significantly, we found a common conserved sequence region in the fish ovary-type aromatase promoters with identities from 93% to 34%. And, the motifs of TATA box, SF-1, SOX5, and CREB existed in the region and were conserved among the most of fish species. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular identification and expression analysis of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 in grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) is a crucial component of almost the entire tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily signaling pathway. In the present study, a TRAF2 gene has been cloned from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The full-length cDNA is 3162 bp, including a 60 bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), a 1611 bp open reading frame, and a 1491 bp 3' UTR. The polyadenylation signal (AATAAA) and the mRNA instability motifs (ATTTTA, ATTTA) were followed by a poly(A) tail in the 3' UTR. No signal peptide or transmembrane region has been found in the putative amino acids of grass carp TRAF2 (gcTRAF2). Phylogenetic tree analysis clearly showed that gcTRAF2 is nearest to the TRAF2 gene of goldfish. The identity of gcTRAF2 with its homologs in other vertebrates ranges from 56% to 97%. It is characterized by one RING-type signature at the N-terminus, one zinc finger in the middle part, and one conserved TRAF domain consisting of a C-proximal (TRAF-C) subdomain and a N-proximal (TRAF-N) subdomain. The identity of TRAF-C among all TRAF2 homologs in vertebrates varies from 78% to 97%, whereas the identity of TRAF-N ranges from 56% to 100%. The recombinant gcTRAF2 has been expressed in Escherichia coli using pET-32a expression vector. The rabbit anti-gcTRAF2 polyclonal antibody was obtained. The expression of gcTRAF2 in different organs was examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. It was widely distributed in heart, head kidney, thymus, brain, gill, liver, spleen, and trunk kidney. This is the first report of a TRAF2 homolog molecule in fish.

Androgen receptor targets NFKB and TSPI to suppress prostate tumor growth in vivo

The androgen role in the maintenance of prostate epithelium is subject to conflicting opinions. While androgen ablation drives the regression of normal and cancerous prostate, testosterone may cause both proliferation and apoptosis. Several investigators note decreased proliferation and stronger response to chemotherapy of the prostate cancer cells stably expressing androgen receptor (AR), however no mechanistic explanation was offered. In this paper we demonstrate in vivo anti-tumor effect of the AR on prostate cancer growth and identify its molecular mediators. We analyzed the effect of AR on the tumorigenicity of prostate cancer cells. Unexpectedly, the AR-expressing cells formed tumors in male mice at a much lower rate than the AR-negative controls. Moreover, the AR-expressing tumors showed decreased vascularity and massive apoptosis. AR expression lowered the angiogenic potential of cancer cells, by increasing secretion of an anti-angiogenic protein, thrombospondin-1. AR activation caused a decrease in RelA, a subunit of the pro-survival transcription factor NF kappa B, reduced its nuclear localization and transcriptional activity. This, in turn, diminished the expression of its anti-apoptotic targets, Bcl-2 and IL-6. Increased apoptosis within AR-expressing tumors was likely due to the NF kappa B suppression, since it was restricted to the cells lacking nuclear (active) NF kappa B. Thus we for the first time identified combined decrease of NF kappa B and increased TSP1 as molecular events underlying the AR anti-tumor activity in vivo. Our data indicate that intermittent androgen ablation is preferable to continuous withdrawal, a standard treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. (C) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

齐墩果酸的微生物转化

齐墩果酸（OA）是一个分布广泛、含量丰富的天然三萜化合物，常以皂苷元的形式广泛存在于植物中,具有多种重要生物活性。但是OA许多活性较弱，且生物利用度低，限制了其在临床上的应用。一是OA水溶性差;二是抗癌活性仍与临床应用的抗癌药物相差比较大。 真菌在微生物转化中具有种类多、培养条件比较简单等特点，为了寻找到具有转化OA能力的菌株，采取一步发酵的方法，在18株实验室保藏真菌菌株中筛选到5株目的菌株,TLC分析显示有转化效果。 随后采用二步发酵的方法作为复筛，验证5株菌株转化能力，波谱分析结果表明5株菌株对OA确实有转化作用。 选择5株菌种中代号1F-2 2菌株作为放大实验菌株，分离转化产物，得到OA衍生物108（相对分子量414m/z）和1010（相对分子量340 m/z），分离出的产物用于活性检测。寻找到产物108的RP-HPLC分离条件，质谱得出二者相对分子质量。 为验证OA转化产物抗肿瘤活性，首次研究了OA对卵巢癌细胞株IGROV1和人乳腺癌细胞株MDA-MB-231作用，通过细胞增殖抑制实验、用MTT法检测细胞活性，结果表明齐墩果酸可降低卵巢癌细胞株IGROV1和乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231细胞增殖能力并呈剂量依赖性，对肿瘤细胞株的半数有效抑制浓度化IC50 分别为36.58μg/mL和38.8μg/mL (P<0．01)。OA能抑制肿瘤细胞活性，并且OA对卵巢癌细胞株IGROV1抑制活性高于乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231。 在此基础上，转化产物108和1010对卵巢癌细胞株IGROV1和人乳腺癌细胞株MDA-MB-231的抑制作用也进行研究，MTT实验结果表明，转化产物对两株癌细胞也有抑制活性（P<0．01）。 总之，本文工作为进一步开展齐墩果酸类化合物结构改造和抗肿瘤活性的研究奠定了基础。 Oleanolic acid (OA) is a triterpenoid widely distributed in the nature which possesses various important bioactivities. OA also serves as aglycon of many natural saponins. However, the relatively weak activities and poor bioavailability hinder its clinical use. Firstly, poor water-solubility results in worse bioavailability. Secondly, compared with clinical antitumor drug, the antitumor effect of OA has a great difference, it is worse. Many fungi have ability to transform nature products into a variety of derivatives, and transformation conditions of fungi are simple. Attempt to obtain fungi strains able to biotransform OA, we carried out the following experiments: To investigate the biotransformation 0f OA by strains supplied firstly, we used one-step fermentation method to screen the aimed strains from 18 fungus strains stored in our laboratory. On the basis of the initial screening experiments, we found 5 aimed strains. The TLC results showed that the 5 fungi strains could transform OA into other components derivatives. Then we used two-step fermentation method as secondly screening. We repeated the five strains to do the experiments, analytical data of the results proved the transformation indeed. In the followed experiments work, we chose 1F-2 2 strain as large-scale transformation fungus from the aimed fungi. We got two biotransformation products of OA by 1F-2 2, and named those derivatives 108 and 1010. We found RP-HPLC separation conditions of product 108. The two products were characterized by ESI-MS. To verify the anti-tumor activity of biotransformation products of OA, we studied the inhibition effect of oleanolic acid on the ovarian carcinomas IGROV1 and breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 firstly. With an assay based on a tetrazolium dye (MTT), the effects of various concentrations of oleanolic acid on ovarian carcinomas IGROV1 and breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 were studied. MTT method was used to measure the tumor cells viability. Compared with the control group, oleanolic acid can significantly inhibit the viability of the ovarian carcinoma cells IGROV1 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line (P<0．01), IC50 values were 36.58μg/mL or 38.8μg/mL. Oleanolic acid can inhibit the malignant tumor cells viability, and inhibitory activity of OA to ovarian carcinomas IGROV1 was higher than to breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. On this basis, we studied the anti-tumor activity of the two derivatives of OA [called 108 (414 m/z) and 1010(340 m/z)]. It came to the conclusion that the two derivatives also showed potent inhibitory effect on the growth of these tumor cells（P<0．01）. Therefore, the results of studies will benefit the further investigating on the relationships of structures and antitumor activities of OA.

Experimental verification of therapeutic doses for the superficially-placed tumor radiotherapy with heavy ions at HIRFL

Up to now, clinical trials of heavy-ion radiotherapy for superficially placed tumors have been carried out for six times and over 60 selected patients have been treated with 80—100 MeV/u carbon ions supplied by the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL) at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences since November, 2006. A passive irradiation system and a dose optimization method for radiotherapy with carbon-ion beams have been developed. Experimental verification of longitudinally ...

Heavy-ion conformal irradiation in the shallow-seated tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL

Basic research related to heavy-ion cancer therapy has been done at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences since 1995. Now a plan of clinical trial with heavy ions has been launched at IMP. First, superficially placed tumor treatment with heavy ions is expected in the therapy terminal at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), where carbon ion beams with energy up to 100 MeV/u can be supplied. The shallow-seated tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL is equipped with a passive beam delivery system including two orthogonal dipole magnets, which continuously scan pencil beams laterally and generate a broad and uniform irradiation field, a motor-driven energy degrader and a multi-leaf collimator. Two different types of range modulator, ripple filter and ridge filter with which Guassian-shaped physical dose and uniform biological effective dose Bragg peaks can be shaped for therapeutic ion beams respectively, have been designed and manufactured. Therefore, two-dimensional and three-dimensional conformal irradiations to tumors can be performed with the passive beam delivery system at the earlier therapy terminal. Both the conformal irradiation methods have been verified experimentally and carbon-ion conformal irradiations to patients with superficially placed tumors have been carried out at HIRFL since November 2006.

Capability verification of the beam delivery system in the superficially-placed tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL

The passive beam delivery system in the superficially-placed tumor therapy terminal at Heavy Ion Researc h Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), which includes two orthogonal dipole magnets as scanning system, a motor-driven energy degrader as range-shifter, series of ridge filters as range modulator and a multileaf collimator, is introduced in detail. The capacities of its important components and the whole system have been verified experimentally. The tests of the ridge filter for extending Bragg peak and the range shifter for energy adjustment show both work well. To examine the passive beam delivery system, a beam shaping experiment were carried out, simulating a three-dimensional (3D) conformal irradiation to a tumor. The encouraging experimental result confirms that 3D layer-stacking conformal irradiation can be performed by means of the passive system. The validation of the beam delivery system establishes a substantial basis for upcoming clinical trial for superficially-placed tumors with heavy ions in the therapy terminal at HIRFL.

Physical property measurement of therapeutic carbon ion beam in the shallow-seated tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL

For the first time the physical properties of therapeutic carbon-ion beam supplied by, the shallow-seated tumor therapy terminal at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL) are measured. For a 80.55MeV/u C-12 ion beam delivered to the therapy terminal, the homogeneity of irradiation fields is 73.48%, when the beam intensity varied in the range of 0.001-0.1nA (i.e. 1 X 10(6) - 1 X 10(8) particles per second). The stability of the beam intensity within a few minutes is estimated to be 80.87%. The depth-dose distribution of the beam at the isocenter of the therapy facility is measured, and the position of the high-dose Bragg peak is found to be located at the water-equivalent depth of 13.866mm. Based on the relationship between beam energy and Bragg peak position, the corresponding beam energy at the isocenter of the therapy terminal is evaluated to be 71.71MeV/u for the original 80.55MeV/u C-12 ion beam, which consisted basically with calculation. The readout of the previously-used air-free ionization chamber regarding absorbed dose is calibrated as well in this experiment. The results indicate that the performance of the therapy facility should be optimized further to meet the requirements of clinical trial.