Project description:The peripheral circadian oscillator plays an essential role in synchronizing local physiology to operate in a circadian manner via regulation of the expression of clock-controlled genes. In the murine uterus, the endometrial stromal cells undergo proliferation and differentiation into decidual cells in response to ovarian steroids and blastocyst implantation at the early stage of pregnancy. The circadian clock genes are attenuated in the decidualizing cells only 2 days after implantation. The present study aimed to evaluate the circadian rhythms of clock genes and clock-controlled genes expressed in the rat uterus endometrial stromal cells (UESCs) during the stage of implantation. The real-time monitoring system of Per2 promoter activity was employed to precisely evaluate the generation of circadian rhythms in the UESCs prepared from transgenic rats constructed with mouse Per2 promoter-destabilized luciferase reporter gene (Per2-dLuc). During monitoring Per2-dLuc oscillation after synchronization with dexamethasone, total RNA was isolated from the cultured UESCs at four-time points (6-h interval) in the first to second phases and cDNA was synthesized. cRNA was synthesized from the double strand cDNA and hybridized on a DNA microarray. RT-qPCR was performed to confirm the expression of core clock genes revealed by DNA microarray analysis. Several clock genes such as Bmal1, Rev-erbα, and Per2 displayed significant rhythms. Of 12,252 genes showing significantly expression, 7,235 genes displayed significant alterations (p < 0.05). These genes were related to growth factors, transcription factors, receptors, channels, and enzymes. Some candidates as clock-controlled genes were evaluated by using RNA interference to Bmal1 mRNA. Down-regulation of Igf1 gene expression was observed by Bmal1 silencing, whereas the expression of Inhβa, Fas, and Caspase3 were significantly increased. These results indicate that clock-controlled genes are up- or down-regulated in rat UESCs during the stage of decidualization. DNA microarray analysis coupled with RNA interference will be helpful to understand the physiological roles of some oscillating genes in blastocyst implantation and placenta formation. The circadian clock positively or negatively regulates the expression of clock-controlled genes, including growth factors and apoptosis-related factors. To search the clock-controlled genes expressed during the period of implantation, we analyzed the clock genes and clock-controlled genes expressed in cultured uterus endometrial stromal cells prepared from pregnant rats at the stage of implantation using DNA microarray technology. We used transgenic rats constructed with mouse Per2 promoter-destabilized luciferase (Per2-dLuc) reporter gene to precisely adjust the time of gene expression. In addition, several genes of significantly expressed genes including growth factor genes and apoptosis-related genes were analyzed using RNA interference to Bmal1 mRNA whether these were controlled under circadian clockwork.

Project description:The peripheral circadian oscillator plays an essential role in synchronizing local physiology to operate in a circadian manner via regulation of the expression of clock-controlled genes. In the murine uterus, the endometrial stromal cells undergo proliferation and differentiation into decidual cells in response to ovarian steroids and blastocyst implantation at the early stage of pregnancy. The circadian clock genes are attenuated in the decidualizing cells only 2 days after implantation. The present study aimed to evaluate the circadian rhythms of clock genes and clock-controlled genes expressed in the rat uterus endometrial stromal cells (UESCs) during the stage of implantation. The real-time monitoring system of Per2 promoter activity was employed to precisely evaluate the generation of circadian rhythms in the UESCs prepared from transgenic rats constructed with mouse Per2 promoter-destabilized luciferase reporter gene (Per2-dLuc). During monitoring Per2-dLuc oscillation after synchronization with dexamethasone, total RNA was isolated from the cultured UESCs at four-time points (6-h interval) in the first to second phases and cDNA was synthesized. cRNA was synthesized from the double strand cDNA and hybridized on a DNA microarray. RT-qPCR was performed to confirm the expression of core clock genes revealed by DNA microarray analysis. Several clock genes such as Bmal1, Rev-erbα, and Per2 displayed significant rhythms. Of 12,252 genes showing significantly expression, 7,235 genes displayed significant alterations (p < 0.05). These genes were related to growth factors, transcription factors, receptors, channels, and enzymes. Some candidates as clock-controlled genes were evaluated by using RNA interference to Bmal1 mRNA. Down-regulation of Igf1 gene expression was observed by Bmal1 silencing, whereas the expression of Inhβa, Fas, and Caspase3 were significantly increased. These results indicate that clock-controlled genes are up- or down-regulated in rat UESCs during the stage of decidualization. DNA microarray analysis coupled with RNA interference will be helpful to understand the physiological roles of some oscillating genes in blastocyst implantation and placenta formation. The circadian clock positively or negatively regulates the expression of clock-controlled genes, including growth factors and apoptosis-related factors.

Project description:Follicle assembly is the process by which groups or ânestsâ of oocytes break down to form primordial follicles. The size of the primordial follicle pool is the major determinant of the reproductive lifespan of a female. Previously, progesterone (P4) has been shown to inhibit follicle assembly, while tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown to promote the apoptosis that is necessary for follicle assembly. The current study examines how TNF-alpha and progesterone interact to regulate primordial follicle assembly. Ovaries were collected from newborn rats and placed in organ culture to examine the actions of P4 and TNF-alpha. P4 was found to decrease primordial follicle assembly and increase the percentage of un-assembled oocytes both in vitro and in vivo. TNF-alpha treatment did not change the proportion of assembled follicles in cultured ovaries, but did block the ability of P4 to inhibit follicle assembly. Microarray analysis of the ovarian transcriptome revealed that progesterone treatment of the ovaries altered the expression of 513 genes with 132 only expressed after P4 treatment and 16 only expressed in control ovaries. The majority of genes were up-regulated greater than 2-fold over control, with a small subset of 16 genes down-regulated. Categories of genes affected by P4 are described including a group of extra-cellular signaling factors. The progesterone receptors expressed at the time of follicle assembly included the surface membrane progesterone receptors PGRMC1, PGRMC2 and RDA288. The nuclear genomic P4 receptor was not expressed at appreciable levels. Progesterone increased the expression of several genes (TANK, NFkappaB, Bcl2l1 and Bcl2l2) involved in a signaling pathway that promotes cell survival and inhibits apoptosis. Observations indicate that P4 acts through the surface membrane progesterone receptors to regulate primordial follicle assembly, and that TNF-alpha can over-ride the inhibitory actions of P4 on follicle assembly. A major mechanism involved in the actions of P4 is an increase in cell survival genes and inhibition of the apoptosis pathway. Observations provide insight into the hormonal regulation of primordial follicle assembly and lead to novel approaches to potentially manipulate follicle assembly and reproductive capacity. Experiment Overall Design: RNA samples from two control groups (pooled untreated cultured ovaries) are compared to two treated groups (pooled cultured ovaries treated with progesterone)

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Targeted disruption of BMAL1 in the peripheral reproductive axis results in infertility in female mice.

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